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The Case Against Contemporary Feminism

It’s the same with feminism as it is with women in general: there are always, seemingly, infinite ways to fail. On the one hand, feminism has never been more widely proclaimed or marketable than it is now. On the other hand, its last ten years of mainstream prominence and acceptability culminated in the election of President Donald Trump. (The Times published an essay at the end of December under the headline “ Feminism Lost. Now What? ”) Since November 9th, the two main arguments against contemporary feminism have emerged in near-exact opposition to each other: either feminism has become too strict an ideology or it has softened to the point of uselessness. On one side, there is, for instance, Kellyanne Conway, who, in her apparent dislike of words that denote principles, has labelled herself a “post-feminist.” Among those on the other side is the writer Jessa Crispin, who believes that the push to make feminism universally palatable has negated the meaning of the ideology writ large.

Crispin has written a new book-length polemic on the subject, called “Why I Am Not a Feminist,” in which she offers definitions of feminism that are considerably more barbed than the earnest, cheeky slogans that have become de rigueur—“The future is female,” for example, as Hillary Clinton  declared  in her first video statement since the election, or “Girls just want to have fun-damental rights,” or “Feminism is the radical notion that women are people.” The dissidence at the root of these catchphrases has been obscured by their ubiquity on tote bags and T-shirts, and for Crispin the decline of feminism is visible in how easy the label is to claim. Feminism, she tells us, has become a self-serving brand popularized by C.E.O.s and beauty companies, a “fight to allow women to participate equally in the oppression of the powerless and the poor.” It’s a “narcissistic reflexive thought process: I define myself as feminist and so everything I do is a feminist act.” It’s an “attack dog posing as a kitten,” and—in what might be Crispin’s most biting entry—a “decade-long conversation about which television show is a good television show and which television show is a bad show.”

Crispin is the founder of Bookslut , a literary Web site that she started, in 2002, when she was a full-time employee at Planned Parenthood, in Austin, Texas. (She was ahead of the word-reclamation curve that culminated in the Slutwalk marches, which were first held in 2011.) After accumulating a modest but enthusiastic following, Crispin closed down Bookslut in 2016, with minimal ceremony. “I didn’t want to become a professional,” she told Vulture, adding, “I just don’t find American literature interesting. I find MFA culture terrible. Everyone is super-cheerful because they’re trying to sell you something, and I find it really repulsive.” Crispin is happy to take the contrarian stance, particularly within spheres that lend themselves to suppressive positivity. The point of “Why I Am Not a Feminist” isn’t really that Crispin is not a feminist; it’s that she has no interest in being a part of a club that has opened its doors and lost sight of its politics—a club that would, if she weren’t so busy disavowing it, invite Kellyanne Conway in.

The effect of the catchy title stands regardless. Crispin’s argument is bracing, and a rare counterbalance; where feminism is concerned, broad acceptability is almost always framed as an unquestioned good. “Somewhere along the way toward female liberation, it was decided that the most effective method was for feminism to become universal,” Crispin writes. And the people who decided this “forgot that for something to be universally accepted, it must become as banal, as non-threatening and ineffective as possible.” Another, and perhaps less fatalistic, way of framing the matter: feminism is a political argument of such obvious reason and power that it has been co-opted as an aesthetic and transformed into merchandise by a series of influential profiteers.

Crispin notes, accurately, that feminism’s history has been marked by a “small number of radical, heavily invested women who did the hard work of dragging women’s position forward, usually through shocking acts and words,” and that the “majority of women benefited from the work of these few, while often quickly trying to disassociate themselves from them.” Reading that second line, I immediately thought of an irksome scene in Megyn Kelly’s memoir , in which Kelly tells Sheryl Sandberg that she’s not a feminist, and Sandberg—whose entire feminist initiative is based on making the movement palatable to people like Kelly, and whose awkward accommodation of the Trump Administration should surprise no one—“passed no judgment” on Kelly’s distaste for the term. Crispin mostly focusses on younger and newer feminists, castigating them as selfish and timid, afraid of the second wave. They make Andrea Dworkin into a scapegoat, she writes; they “distance themselves from the bra-burning, hairy-armpitted bogeywomen.”

Here, and in some other places where Crispin’s argument requires her to take a precise measure of contemporary feminism, she—or this book’s production schedule—can’t quite account for the complexity of the times. From 2014 to 2016, I worked as an editor at Jezebel, a site that, when it was founded, in 2007, helped to define online feminism—and served ever afterward as a somewhat abstracted target for women who criticized contemporary feminism from the left. These critics didn’t usually recognize how quickly the center is always moving, and Crispin has the same problem. Much of what she denounces—“outrage culture,” empowerment marketing , the stranglehold that white women have on the public conversation—has already been critiqued at length by the young feminist mainstream. Her imagined Dworkin-hating dilettante, discussing the politics of bikini waxing and “giving blow jobs like it’s missionary work,” has long been passé. It’s far more common these days for young feminists to adopt a radical veneer. Lena Dunham’s newsletter sells “ Dismantle the Patriarchy ” patches; last fall, a Dior runway show included a T-shirt reading, “We Should All Be Feminists.” (The shirt is not yet on sale in the United States; it reportedly costs five hundred and fifty euros in France .) The inside threat to feminism in 2017 is less a disavowal of radical ideas than an empty co-option of radical appearances—a superficial, market-based alignment that is more likely to make a woman feel good and righteous than lead her to the political action that feminism is meant to spur.

The most vital strain of thought in “Why I Am Not a Feminist” is Crispin’s unforgiving indictment of individualism and capitalism, value systems that she argues have severely warped feminism, encouraging women to think of the movement only insofar as it leads to individual gains. We have misinterpreted the old adage that the personal is political, she writes—inflecting our personal desires and decisions with political righteousness while neatly avoiding political accountability. We may understand that “the corporations we work for poison the earth, fleece the poor, make the super rich more rich, but hey. Fuck it,” Crispin writes. “We like our apartments, we can subscribe to both Netflix and Hulu, the health insurance covers my SSRI prescription, and the white noise machine I just bought helps me sleep at night.”

That this line of argument seems like a plausible next step for contemporary feminism reflects the recent and rapid leftward turn of liberal politics. Socialism and anti-capitalism, as foils to Donald Trump’s me-first ideology, have taken an accelerated path into the mainstream. “Why I Am Not a Feminist” comes at a time when some portion of liberal women in America might be ready for a major shift—inclined, suddenly, toward a belief system that does not hallow the “markers of success in patriarchal capitalism . . . money and power,” as Crispin puts it. There is, it seems, a growing hunger for a feminism concerned more with the lives of low-income women than with the number of female C.E.O.s.

The opposing view—that feminism is not just broadly compatible with capitalism but actually served by it—has certainly enjoyed its share of prominence. This is the message that has been passed down by the vast majority of self-styled feminist role models over the past ten years: that feminism is what you call it when an individual woman gets enough money to do whatever she wants. Crispin is ruthless in dissecting this brand of feminism. It means simply buying one’s way out of oppression and then perpetuating it, she argues; it embraces the patriarchal model of happiness, which depends on “having someone else subject to your will.” Women, exploited for centuries, have grown subconsciously eager to exploit others, Crispin believes. “Once we are a part of the system and benefiting from it on the same level that men are, we won’t care, as a group, about whose turn it is to get hurt.”

A question of audience tugs at “Why I Am Not a Feminist.” It seemed, at points, as though anyone who understands the terms of Crispin’s argument would already agree with her. I also wondered how the book might land if Hillary Clinton had won—if the insufficiently radical feminism Crispin rails against had triumphed rather than absorbed a staggering blow. Instead, her book arrives at a useful and perhaps unexpected cultural inflection point: a time when political accommodation appears fruitless, and when, as Amanda Hess noted in the _Times Magazine _this week, many middle-class white women have marched in closer proximity to far-left ideas than perhaps they ever would have guessed. Exhortations to “transform culture, not just respond to it” are what many of us want to hear.

Of course, this being a polemic, there’s not much space given to how , exactly, the total disengagement with our individualist and capitalist society might be achieved. “Burn it down”—another nascent feminist slogan—is generally received as an abstract, metaphorical directive. The final chapter of Crispin’s book, titled “Where We Go From Here,” is four pages. In an earlier section of “Why I Am Not a Feminist,” Crispin rails against feminist flippancy toward men, writing, “It is always easier to find your sense of value by demeaning another’s value. It is easier to define yourself as ‘not that,’ rather than do an actual accounting of your own qualities and put them on the scale.” I agree.

• A-Z Publications

Annual Review of Political Science

Volume 6, 2003, review article, c urrent c ontroversies in f eminist t heory.

• Mary G. Dietz 1
• View Affiliations Hide Affiliations Affiliations: Department of Political Science, University of Minnesota, 267 19th Avenue S., Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455; email: [email protected]
• Vol. 6:399-431 (Volume publication date June 2003) https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.polisci.6.121901.085635
• © Annual Reviews

Over the past two decades, academic feminism has differentiated and fragmented substantially in light of a wide range of new approaches in theory. This overview and assessment of the wide, diverse, and changing field of feminist theory gives particular attention to contestations surrounding the political theorizing of gender, identity, and subjectivity. Three divergent and oppositional perspectives—difference feminism, diversity feminism, and deconstruction feminism—frame current discussions regarding the “construction” of the female subject; the nature of sexual difference; the relation between sex and gender; the intersection of gender, race, class, sexuality, etc.; and the significance of “women” as a political category in feminism. The problem of epistemic identification (locating or dislocating the female subject, analyzing gender difference, politicizing identity) is also a central element in the theorizing of feminist politics, multicultural citizenship, justice, power, and the democratic public sphere. Within this domain, we find equally intense debates among feminist theorists concerning the meaning of feminist citizenship and the politics of recognition, as well as the relations between gender equality and cultural rights, feminism and multiculturalism, democracy and difference. Although the field is far from convergence even on the meaning of feminism itself, we might take its current state as a sign of its vitality and significance within the discourses of contemporary social and political theory.

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Publication Date: 01 Jun 2003

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Conflicting Ideas On Modern Feminism

Michel Martin talks about feminism with Mona Charen, author of Sex Matters: How Modern Feminism Lost Touch With Science, Love and Common Sense and Hanna Rosin, author of The End of Men: And The Rise of Women .

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The overturning of Roe v. Wade has heightened awareness of some of the broader issues the feminist movement and other allies for women’s rights have long championed, particularly advancing gender equality and economic well-being in societies around the globe.

Stanford scholars have studied some of the difficulties of reaching those goals and the many obstacles women face, whether it is at work, in the classroom and education, or as leaders. They have examined how gendered biases are perpetuated, why gender diversity and inclusion are imperative, and what can lead to prejudiced attitudes, assumptions, and adversities ultimately changing.

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Feminisms: Controversy, Contestation and Challenge

• First Online: 25 April 2022

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• Barbara Fawcett 3  

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Social work and the varying feminisms have always had a mixed relationship. There are clear influences, but also elements of contestation. Those working in social work have a range of interpretations to contend with as well as competing trends in popular culture. This chapter examines the development, impact and tensions brought about by the various feminisms. It explores the place of experience and the schisms brought about by attempts to incorporate the very different experiences of Black women as well as those from disadvantaged backgrounds into ‘second-wave’ feminisms. The contribution made by postmodern feminisms, the influence of what has been termed ‘choice’ feminisms on so-called third- and fourth-wave movements and Islamic feminisms are all explored. The effects of these various influences on social work in terms of current practice and future directions are considered in detail .

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Fawcett, B. (2022). Feminisms: Controversy, Contestation and Challenge. In: Cocker, C., Hafford-Letchfield, T. (eds) Rethinking Feminist Theories for Social Work Practice. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-94241-0_2

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Guest Essay

Women, the Game Is Rigged. It’s Time We Stop Playing by the Rules.

By Lux Alptraum

Ms. Alptraum is the author of “Faking It: The Lies Women Tell About Sex — and the Truths They Reveal.”

For most of the 21st century, the feminism that has been in fashion has leaned heavily on the idea of women’s empowerment. Glossy, celebrity-driven rhetoric , peppered with slogans like “nevertheless, she persisted” and reassurances that “girl, you got this,” suggests that if women display competence and strength — or even just “ the confidence of a mediocre white man ” — we will eventually earn equality.

This type of feminism has taken several forms — Lean In, the Women’s March, the girlboss and hashtag feminism, just to name a few iterations. But the ultimate promise has remained the same: If we work within the system, the system will reward us. If we hustle hard enough, vote hard enough, carry ourselves with enough confidence, show that the data is on our side and bravely share uncomfortable truths, we’ll be able to break through.

Adherents of empowerment feminism can point to many successes: In 2022, more than a quarter of the seats in Congress , almost a third of the seats in state legislatures, nearly half of the seats on the Supreme Court and, yes, the vice president’s office are all occupied by women. The list of female chief executives leading Fortune 500 companies continues to grow (though it remains abysmal). And as the #MeToo movement has made clear, when women speak up in great enough numbers, we’re able to topple some of our abusers — even incredibly powerful ones, like the once untouchable film mogul Harvey Weinstein.

And yet as we stand amid the metaphorical shards of all those shattered glass ceilings, it’s hard to ignore the fact that empowerment feminism hasn’t really delivered on its promises.

Women may be represented in Congress and on the Supreme Court in record numbers, but we still lost the constitutional right to abortion. Other policies feminists have advocated, such as universal child care, have stalled in Congress. #MeToo may have outed plenty of big-name abusers, but many still remain in power, and some of the accused — Johnny Depp and Marilyn Manson most notably — have turned the tables on their accusers, using the court system to sue for defamation (Mr. Depp successfully). As the rights women had come to take for granted evaporate, it’s hard not to feel a sense of betrayal. Where did we go wrong?

Perhaps the fault isn’t in ourselves but in our strategy. Fundamentally, empowerment feminism requires a system that’s operating in good faith, one that rewards our hustle, respects our confidence and values honesty and truth. In a rigged system — one that attempts to discredit women and girls, that forces us to jump through unnecessary hoops and is more interested in discouraging us than in listening to what we have to say — working within the system no longer makes sense. We can’t power-pose our way to a safe abortion in Texas. So what’s the point of playing by the rules when it feels like they are written to ensure we wind up losing?

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5 Essays About Feminism

On the surface, the definition of feminism is simple. It’s the belief that women should be politically, socially, and economically equal to men. Over the years, the movement expanded from a focus on voting rights to worker rights, reproductive rights, gender roles, and beyond. Modern feminism is moving to a more inclusive and intersectional place. Here are five essays about feminism that tackle topics like trans activism, progress, and privilege:

“Trickle-Down Feminism” – Sarah Jaffe

Feminists celebrate successful women who have seemingly smashed through the glass ceiling, but the reality is that most women are still under it. Even in fast-growing fields where women dominate (retail sales, food service, etc), women make less money than men. In this essay from Dissent Magazine, author Sarah Jaffe argues that when the fastest-growing fields are low-wage, it isn’t a victory for women. At the same time, it does present an opportunity to change the way we value service work. It isn’t enough to focus only on “equal pay for equal work” as that argument mostly focuses on jobs where someone can negotiate their salary. This essay explores how feminism can’t succeed if only the concerns of the wealthiest, most privileged women are prioritized.

Sarah Jaffe writes about organizing, social movements, and the economy with publications like Dissent, the Nation, Jacobin, and others. She is the former labor editor at Alternet.

“What No One Else Will Tell You About Feminism” – Lindy West

Written in Lindy West’s distinct voice, this essay provides a clear, condensed history of feminism’s different “waves.” The first wave focused on the right to vote, which established women as equal citizens. In the second wave, after WWII, women began taking on issues that couldn’t be legally-challenged, like gender roles. As the third wave began, the scope of feminism began to encompass others besides middle-class white women. Women should be allowed to define their womanhood for themselves. West also points out that “waves” may not even exist since history is a continuum. She concludes the essay by declaring if you believe all people are equal, you are a feminist.

Jezebel reprinted this essay with permission from How To Be A Person, The Stranger’s Guide to College by Lindy West, Dan Savage, Christopher Frizelle, and Bethany Jean Clement. Lindy West is an activist, comedian, and writer who focuses on topics like feminism, pop culture, and fat acceptance.

“Toward a Trans* Feminism” – Jack Halberstam

The history of transactivsm and feminism is messy. This essay begins with the author’s personal experience with gender and terms like trans*, which Halberstam prefers. The asterisk serves to “open the meaning,” allowing people to choose their categorization as they see fit. The main body of the essay focuses on the less-known history of feminists and trans* folks. He references essays from the 1970s and other literature that help paint a more complete picture. In current times, the tension between radical feminism and trans* feminism remains, but changes that are good for trans* women are good for everyone.

This essay was adapted from Trans*: A Quick and Quirky Account of Gender Variability by Jack Halberstam. Halberstam is the Professor of American Studies and Ethnicity, Gender Studies and Comparative Literature at the University of Southern California. He is also the author of several books.

“Rebecca Solnit: How Change Happens” – Rebecca Solnit

The world is changing. Rebecca Solnit describes this transformation as an assembly of ideas, visions, values, essays, books, protests, and more. It has many layers involving race, class, gender, power, climate, justice, etc, as well as many voices. This has led to more clarity about injustice. Solnit describes watching the transformation and how progress and “ wokeness ” are part of a historical process. Progress is hard work. Not exclusively about feminism, this essay takes a more intersectional look at how progress as a whole occurs.

“How Change Happens” was adapted from the introduction to Whose Story Is it? Rebecca Solnit is a writer, activist, and historian. She’s the author of over 20 books on art, politics, feminism, and more.

“Bad Feminist” extract – Roxane Gay

People are complicated and imperfect. In this excerpt from her book Bad Feminist: Essays , Roxane Gay explores her contradictions. The opening sentence is, “I am failing as a woman.” She goes on to describe how she wants to be independent, but also to be taken care of. She wants to be strong and in charge, but she also wants to surrender sometimes. For a long time, she denied that she was human and flawed. However, the work it took to deny her humanness is harder than accepting who she is. While Gay might be a “bad feminist,” she is also deeply committed to issues that are important to feminism. This is a must-read essay for any feminists who worry that they aren’t perfect.

Roxane Gay is a professor, speaker, editor, writer, and social commentator. She is the author of Bad Feminist , a New York Times bestseller, Hunger (a memoir), and works of fiction.

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About the author, emmaline soken-huberty.

Emmaline Soken-Huberty is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon. She started to become interested in human rights while attending college, eventually getting a concentration in human rights and humanitarianism. LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, and climate change are of special concern to her. In her spare time, she can be found reading or enjoying Oregon’s natural beauty with her husband and dog.

Feminism - The truth behind the controversies

FEMINISM - THE TRUTH BEHIND THE CONTROVERSIES

With all the talk on feminism recently, we’ve had some good coming out of the nascent conversations around the topic but we’ve also had even more misunderstanding on a very basic issue. So let me define it as google would, feminism is equality in political, social, and economic rights for people of all gender. Why feminism then? Why not simply humanism? So let’s address the question that gets asked not because there’s a valid argument behind it but to shun a valid movement.

Feminism because it’s the female gender that we are striving to bring at par with the male gender in terms of the opportunities at equality. Don’t tell me “ it’s the 21st century, there isn’t any disparity” , because it’s there. Right from high-tech companies in America paying unequal wages to men and women for the same work to women in rural India dropping out of school when their menstrual cycle begins, gender equality is there, very much there.

So we have talked enough about the problem, let’s for a change discuss solutions here. How you, as a man, can ensure you support a woman in bridging this gap and how you as a woman can make active efforts to progress on the path to equality.

Women, This One’s For You

It’s about making it okay to flaunt your legs unwaxed. Heck, why women undergo so much pain is beyond my understanding.

I have read diverse literature but some of the new literature disgusts me. It’s not new to see male writers portray a submissive devoted picture of a woman as the ideal heck; our mythologies have done it for the society but to see women actively carrying on the crusade is problematic. “I’m not like other girls, “I don’t wear make-up,” no this isn’t boys locker room talk. This is the basic plot of many of the stories floating around.

Feminism is about freedom and equality, it’s about putting on the boldest shade of lipstick for your happiness; about wearing whatever you want to because surprise it’s your life. It’s the freedom to choose to become a housewife if that’s where your heart lies, to live a life on your own without getting attached to the stigma of being ‘’unmarried’.

It’s about making it okay to flaunt your legs unwaxed. Why women undergo so much pain is beyond my understanding. Human hair is as natural as it gets, why the forced need, why the unrealistic standards of beauty? It’s about picking your chair and not looking for a man to do it, not if you are capable enough to do it on your own. If we are to fight for equal rights, we’ve to learn to take equal responsibility too.

I unlearned a lot of stereotypes and prejudices as I grew up and one of them was a beauty. I’ve realized I’m not going to take being beautiful as an achievement simply because I never earned it. Genetics can take all the credit but I won’t. So I don’t tell a woman she’s beautiful. I tell her she’s strong and funny and caring, and fierce as a lioness when it comes to protecting her loved ones, and free as a dove when flying towards her dreams and an amazing friend great at what she does because that’s what I would like to hear too.

So don’t compliment me about my beauty, don’t tell me my earrings look nice, do not praise me for what isn’t mine and what I didn’t create and what is but a temporary possession. But tell me that you read something of mine that ignited your soul, that when you heard my story, you realized mountains can be broken down too, tell me you look into my eyes and know there’s a soul inside, beautiful alive and ready to set the fire because that’s what I would search in you too.

So women, bring about the change. I am glad of the barriers we have broken, thank the feminists before us for we have the right to live but there’s a long way ahead. So I hope the next time you don’t settle for an unequal salary, the next time your relatives tell you short dresses are exactly what ‘excites’ males, I hope you give them a piece of your mind. I know you are strong, and we’re stronger together. So be there for each other. Let’s fight injustice anywhere and everywhere.

Men, This Is For You

Dear men, fight for equal rights in your workplace. Do not settle for higher wages for the same work. Normalize menstruation.

It’s amazing to see your work for the cause and even better to see you creating conversations on the topic, we need it, the society needs it. And it’s okay if you misunderstand feminism right now, we’ve got you on the side of the movement, now the movement will guide you. Feminism is equality, really actually it’s that simple.

No, we feminists aren’t on a holy crusade to harass and suppress men. Believe me, that’s exactly what we’ve been fighting against for centuries, we won’t wish it on you because trust me it sucks. We’re not here to put blames, we are here simply fighting for a change, and trust me it’s a beautiful change, one that is for the betterment of the whole of humanity and we all will benefit from it. So here’s how you can contribute towards this change because it is sure as hell is on its way.

Fight for equal rights in your workplace. Do not settle for higher wages for the same work. Normalize menstruation.

Yes, women bleed once every month, yes the period blood is red well no surprise there, just thought some advertisements could take notes here. So do not freak out of your senses if you see a pad in a woman’s bag or you see a red stain on her clothes, it’s normal. Create an environment of equality in your home. No, it’s not your mother’s job to slave in the kitchen all day, and no, just because it’s lockdown and you’re at home, it’s not her duty to make you five snacks a day.

Help out in the kitchen, in the household works, it does not make you less of a man; if anything at all, it makes you a better one. Call out sexist conversations, no it isn’t funny; no the casual remark passed in meetings intended to be taken lightly is against every professional ethics rulebook there is.

No, women don’t like oppressive men full of toxic masculinity, I don’t think we’ve spoken loud enough for you to hear or maybe you’re better at turning a deaf ear, so here’s it, women like men who appreciate equality.

Yes, I would like a man to support me as he would expect me to in any relationship. It’s equality and trust that’s the foundation of any relationship not your romanticized cold obnoxious draining version of love. So come join in the change. Help us bring it about sooner, help us bring in a world where I can walk on a deserted street less afraid of being harassed than being robbed, where the most beautiful natural process that is the reason humanity sustains be normal, let periods not be a calamity anymore. Let’s bring in this change together.

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Essay on Feminism

500 words essay on feminism.

Feminism is a social and political movement that advocates for the rights of women on the grounds of equality of sexes. It does not deny the biological differences between the sexes but demands equality in opportunities. It covers everything from social and political to economic arenas. In fact, feminist campaigns have been a crucial part of history in women empowerment. The feminist campaigns of the twentieth century made the right to vote, public property, work and education possible. Thus, an essay on feminism will discuss its importance and impact.

Importance of Feminism

Feminism is not just important for women but for every sex, gender, caste, creed and more. It empowers the people and society as a whole. A very common misconception is that only women can be feminists.

It is absolutely wrong but feminism does not just benefit women. It strives for equality of the sexes, not the superiority of women. Feminism takes the gender roles which have been around for many years and tries to deconstruct them.

This allows people to live freely and empower lives without getting tied down by traditional restrictions. In other words, it benefits women as well as men. For instance, while it advocates that women must be free to earn it also advocates that why should men be the sole breadwinner of the family? It tries to give freedom to all.

Most importantly, it is essential for young people to get involved in the feminist movement. This way, we can achieve faster results. It is no less than a dream to live in a world full of equality.

Thus, we must all look at our own cultures and communities for making this dream a reality. We have not yet reached the result but we are on the journey, so we must continue on this mission to achieve successful results.

Impact of Feminism

Feminism has had a life-changing impact on everyone, especially women. If we look at history, we see that it is what gave women the right to vote. It was no small feat but was achieved successfully by women.

Further, if we look at modern feminism, we see how feminism involves in life-altering campaigns. For instance, campaigns that support the abortion of unwanted pregnancy and reproductive rights allow women to have freedom of choice.

Moreover, feminism constantly questions patriarchy and strives to renounce gender roles. It allows men to be whoever they wish to be without getting judged. It is not taboo for men to cry anymore because they must be allowed to express themselves freely.

Similarly, it also helps the LGBTQ community greatly as it advocates for their right too. Feminism gives a place for everyone and it is best to practice intersectional feminism to understand everyone’s struggle.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Conclusion of the Essay on Feminism

The key message of feminism must be to highlight the choice in bringing personal meaning to feminism. It is to recognize other’s right for doing the same thing. The sad part is that despite feminism being a strong movement, there are still parts of the world where inequality and exploitation of women take places. Thus, we must all try to practice intersectional feminism.

FAQ of Essay on Feminism

Question 1: What are feminist beliefs?

Answer 1: Feminist beliefs are the desire for equality between the sexes. It is the belief that men and women must have equal rights and opportunities. Thus, it covers everything from social and political to economic equality.

Question 2: What started feminism?

Answer 2: The first wave of feminism occurred in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It emerged out of an environment of urban industrialism and liberal, socialist politics. This wave aimed to open up new doors for women with a focus on suffrage.

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Mapping a global view of feminism

Search online for the terms “feminism” and “global feminism,” and you’ll discover that feminism today comes in a variety of flavors, largely dictated by differences in the causes, concerns and condition of women around the world. Yet, while culture, politics, education and society may differ from one country to another, the commitment to obtain equal rights and freedom of choice for women remains constant among feminists no matter where they are.

In an interview with “Gender News,” noted research scholar Dr. Zilka Spahić-Šiljak discusses her views on global feminism and why “we need to bring the discussion about feminism back to the issue of social justice for women and all other marginalized groups.” Šiljak, who was born in Bosnia-Herzegovina, has dedicated the past two decades of her career to advocating for women’s rights as a research scholar and human rights activist in non-governmental organizations. Her most recent research at Stanford University focuses on the intersection of leadership, gender and building peace.

GN: Is global feminism really moving forward? Does it mean the same thing in Bosnia-Herzegovina as it does in the U.S.?

ZS: Global feminism is not a special type of feminism, separate from others. It’s the result of the world’s global economy, and enables women from different contexts to be connected and networked, and to learn from one another’s experience. As such, it should not focus exclusively on the predominantly liberal discourse on politics and economy of the West. It needs to be open and sensitive to the problems of women from third-world countries.

Feminism is obviously affected by the social and political realities of our respective societies and cultures. Feminism in the U.S., for example, differs greatly from feminism in a post-war, impoverished and ethically divided region like Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Balkans, which suffer from injustice, oppression, exclusion and ethno-nationalist exploitation. It’s important to distinguish between the concepts of global feminism and what I would call liberal feminism.

While global feminism has improved women’s lives in terms of their rights to education, economic and reproductive rights, and freedom of movement, women outside of liberal societies continue to suffer other forms of oppression like racial, class and religious persecution. Liberal feminism might work for developed, stable Western societies and for women who enjoy economic independence and comfort, but it does not take into account the oppression of marginal groups.

I would say that the main ideas of feminism--a project of social justice and equality--are being betrayed. Some women built careers that benefitted from globalization and the corporate world. They became proponents of the meritocracy in patriarchal neoliberal political and business structures that made women preoccupied with competing in the existing neoliberal political and economic frameworks. Today in the Western world, feminist studies are focused on the themes of identity, sexuality and our bodies, while the key social justice questions remain outside of their horizons.

GN: What makes you optimistic about feminism in your country?

ZS: It’s hard to be an optimist in a country where everything is falling apart due to the ethno-national divisions that resulted from the war between 1992 and 1995. In that context, the women’s movement is fragmented and divided across ethno-national lines. 

The good news is that feminism is still alive and vibrant in various forms and resists ethno-national divisions. I think that feminists in Bosnia have done a great job: they provided a “safe space” to survivors of war traumas and torture in shelters and therapy centers; they did an incredible job building peace and reconciliation and re-building communities and relationships. They struggled hard to lay legal foundations for gender equality, anti-discrimination and protection from domestic violence. Women’s groups and organizations became a reference point on the civil scene of Bosnia and Herzegovina as the strongest voice for equality and justice.

Gender equality can no longer be avoided in any discussion regarding politics, business and even constitutional reforms.

GN: For you, what has been an important turning point for feminism in the last three years?

ZS: Particularly in 2014, feminism became part of the discussion in art, sports, business, politics, fashion, music and world media. Newspapers and broadcast companies brought us stories about celebrities and successful businesswomen and men who supported gender equality and feminism. 

It is important to see celebrities like Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe and Benedict Cumberbatch support feminism, to learn that a woman became chairperson of the United States Federal Reserve for the first time in history, or to celebrate Malala Yousafzai as a Nobel Prize winner. But we have not seen profound changes. 

These stories did not help women in Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Ukraine or Bosnia, or women in Chile or Sudan to get more political and economic stability and prosperity. However, they certainly initiated a discussion about these issues, and reminded all of us that women still face discrimination, gender-based violence, human trafficking and glass ceilings in politics and business.

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The Controversial Issues of Feminism in Contemporary Women’s Rights Movements

I. introduction.

Feminism refers to a political, cultural, and social movement that advocates for the rights and equality of women. The history of the feminist movement has been marked by significant progress toward gender equality. However, there are some challenges and issues of feminism. This includes debates on the definition and goals of feminism, as well as resistance from those opposed to the feminist movement. The history of the feminist movement can be traced back to the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries, with the suffrage movement, where women fought for the right to vote. This movement eventually led to the passage of the 19 th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920 , granting women the right to vote.

The second wave of feminism took place in the 1960s and 1970s . It broadened the focus to include issues such as reproductive rights, gender equality in the workplace, and ending gender-based violence. The third wave of feminism started in the 1990s . It focused on intersectionality and the experiences of marginalized groups. The #MeToo movement, which started in 2017 , is seen as a continuation of the third wave of feminism. It has a focus on ending sexual harassment and assault.

The purpose of this essay is to explore the ongoing controversies and challenges faced by the contemporary women’s rights movement, often referred to as feminism. The essay will examine the different perspectives and arguments in support of and against feminist ideals, as well as the intersections of feminism with other social justice movements.

Thesis statement : Despite significant progress made toward gender equality, the feminist movement continues to face ongoing challenges and controversies. It includes differing opinions on the definition, goals, and methods of feminism.

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II. The Positive Aspects of the Feminist Movement

A. empowerment of women in the workplace:.

One of the key goals of the feminist movement is to empower women in the workplace. This can be done by advocating for equal pay, equal opportunities for advancement, and ending workplace discrimination. This has led to significant progress in closing the gender pay gap, as well as increased representation of women in leadership positions.

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 is an example that was signed into law by President Obama. This makes it easier for women to challenge pay discrimination in the workplace. This legislation is a result of the efforts of the feminist movement to address the persistent gender pay gap.

B. Advocation of reproductive rights:

Feminism also advocates for reproductive rights. These include access to safe and legal abortion, affordable birth control, and comprehensive sexual education. These rights are seen as critical to women’s health and autonomy. They allow women to make informed decisions about their bodies and lives.

For instance, The landmark Supreme Court case of Roe v. Wade in 1973 established a woman’s right to obtain an abortion, protecting her reproductive freedom and autonomy. This decision was a critical victory for the feminist movement and reproductive rights advocates.

C. Promoting gender equality in various aspects of life:

The feminist movement aims to promote gender equality in all aspects of life, including education, politics, and the media. This includes ending gender-based violence and addressing the systemic biases that limit the opportunities and freedoms available to women and gender-nonconforming individuals.

For instance, the W omen’s March, which first took place in 2017 , is a global demonstration in support of women’s rights, including gender equality, ending violence against women, and reproductive rights. This annual event is an example of the ongoing efforts of the feminist movement to raise awareness and promote change.

These positive aspects of the feminist movement have helped to improve the lives of women and gender-nonconforming individuals, and have contributed to a more equitable and just society.

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III. The criticisms of the feminist movement

A. lack of inclusivity and diversity:.

One criticism of the feminist movement is that it has not been inclusive and diverse enough, with a focus on the experiences and perspectives of middle-class, cisgender, white women to the exclusion of other marginalized groups. This lack of inclusivity has led to criticism that the feminist movement does not adequately address the intersectional experiences of women of color, transgender women, and other marginalized groups.

B. Essentialism and biological determinism:

Some critics argue that the feminist movement promotes the idea that there is a biologically determined essence of femininity, and that this essence is used to justify the unequal treatment of women. This essentialist view is seen as limiting and harmful, as it fails to account for the diversity of women’s experiences and reinforces harmful stereotypes about femininity.

C. Conflicts with other social justice movements:

The feminist movement has also faced criticism for conflicts with other social justice movements, such as the LGBTQ+ rights movement, the anti-racism movement, and the anti-ableism movement. Critics argue that the feminist movement has failed to fully incorporate the experiences and perspectives of individuals from these other marginalized communities and that this lack of collaboration undermines efforts toward true social justice.

These criticisms of the feminist movement highlight the ongoing issues facing the movement, and the need for continued efforts toward inclusivity, diversity, and intersectionality. Examples of these criticisms can be seen in the ongoing debates within the movement, as well as in the media coverage of feminist events and activism.

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IV. The Intersectionality of Feminism with Other Movements

A. intersection with the lgbtq+ rights movement:.

The experiences of transgender women, gender non-conforming individuals, and other members of the LGBTQ+ community are often intertwined with experiences of gender-based discrimination and oppression. Feminist movements must therefore work to address these intersectional experiences and ensure that their efforts toward gender equality are inclusive of the diverse experiences of all individuals.

B. Intersection with the anti-racism movement:

Women of color face both gender-based discrimination and racism, and the feminist movement must work to address these intersectional experiences and ensure that its efforts toward gender equality are inclusive of the diverse experiences of all women. This includes acknowledging and challenging the ways in which systemic racism affects the experiences of women of color, and working towards a more inclusive and equitable society.

C. Intersection with the anti-ableism movement:

Women with disabilities also face both gender-based discrimination and ableism, and the feminist movement must work to address these intersectional experiences and ensure that its efforts toward gender equality are inclusive of the diverse experiences of all women. This includes acknowledging and challenging the ways in which systemic ableism affects the experiences of women with disabilities, and working towards a more inclusive and equitable society.

These intersections between feminism and other social justice movements highlight the importance of understanding and addressing the complex and interconnected ways in which various forms of oppression and discrimination intersect and affect individuals and communities. By working together, these movements can promote greater equality and justice for all.

Also Read: Social Progress is Synonymous with Economic Progress Essay

V. Conclusion

In conclusion, the feminist movement has made significant progress toward promoting gender equality, but it continues to face challenges and criticisms, particularly with regard to inclusivity and diversity. However, it is important to acknowledge the positive impact that the movement has had on the lives of women and gender-nonconforming individuals and to continue the work towards greater equality and justice for all.

One important aspect of this work is to understand and address the intersections between feminism and other social justice movements, such as the LGBTQ+ rights movement, the anti-racism movement, and the anti-ableism movement. By acknowledging and challenging the ways in which various forms of oppression and discrimination intersect and affect individuals and communities, these movements can work together toward a more inclusive and equitable society.

The ongoing challenges facing the feminist movement highlight the importance of continued advocacy and activism, and the need for continued efforts toward greater gender equality in all aspects of life. The feminist movement has made significant progress, but there is still much work to be done.

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