Feminism

What is Feminism?

The term “Feminism" comes from the French Word // féministe // which in turn comes from the Latin word // femina // or woman . Originally it was used to describe the "qualities of women". It was only after the First International Women’s Conference in 1892 that the expression “feminism” was used regularly in English. According to the Stanford Encyclopedia feminism is “… a belief in and advocacy of equal rights for women based on the idea of the equality of the sexes.” This is based on the belief that women are intellectually, socially, politically and economically equivalent to men.

‍The History of Feminism

Due to the movement of Feminism throughout history, many people favor describing it in “waves”. The first wave is from the mid-19th century to 1920, or the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. The second wave occurred from the 1960s to the early 1970s. And we are currently within the third wave of Feminism.

“The key concerns of First Wave Feminists were education, employment, the marriage laws, and the plight of intelligent middle-class single women.” Although we now refer to these activists as “Feminists”, back then they did not actually consider themselves as feminists in the contemporary sense. Their foremost accomplishments were advancement in divorced women’s child custody rights, the Married Women’s Property Act of 1870, higher edification (or education) rights for women in the form of a reform of the secondary –school system, and admittance to more career paths, especially in medicine.

The second wave occurred mainly in America, Britain, and Europe from the late 1960s to the early 1970s. In America, Feminism came back because of Anti-war and Civil Rights movements which caused women to come together to compete against discrimination. In Britain, the Feminism comeback was more strongly based in working-class socialism. Second Wave Feminists campaigning strategies differentiated from very public activism, such as a remonstration (protest) against the 1968 “Miss America” Beauty Contest, to the founding of small informative groups. Their slogan was “personal is political”, which shows that they wanted feminism beliefs to not only be applied to public and social interactions, but also to their personal household life. While some may believe that women have achieved equality with men, or that feminists have overcome the most imperative challenges, and that there is no more need for feminism, statistics say otherwise. According to Amy Richards and Jennifer Baumgardner in “Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism and the Future”, “Women make on average 35% less than men. So far we have been unable to raise women’s wages because women are clustered in the kind of jobs that don’t pay much.” Another source in the “Roots of Wisdom: Fourth Edition” by Helen Mitchell stated that “… women make about seventy-five cents for every dollar men earn.”

‍What are the Feminism Goals?

Feminists have and continue to push for an end to the objectification of women and “… greater equality across the board… in education, the workplace, and at home.” Feminists have been working since the nineteenth century to win women the right to vote, get the education they want and deserve, and hold whatever occupation they want and are fit, educated, and trained for. Feminists proved that women are equel to men intellectually. They fought for every woman in the world to have the unalienable rights men were guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution.

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Feminism Quotes

“Feminism is grounded on the belief that women are oppressed or disadvantaged by comparison with men, and that their oppression is in some way illegitimate or unjustified. Under the umbrella of this general characterization there are, however, many interpretations of women and their oppression, so that it is a mistake to think of feminism as a single philosophical doctrine, or as implying an agreed political program.” - Susan James

I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a door mat or a prostitute. ~Rebecca West

Because I am a woman, I must make unusual efforts to succeed. If I fail, no one will say, "She doesn't have what it takes." They will say, "Women don't have what it takes." ~Clare Boothe Luce

Opposing Views

"Feminists leave their husband, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians." - Pan Robertson (Washington Post 1922) Many girls, especially young women, do not want to have that kind of label, and are therefore not willing to stand up for themselves in such an obvious way. A lot of girls shy away from the idea of feminism because it can be seen as especially unattractive to some men. Feminists are often stereotyped as man-hating, bitter women. This is true for some, but definitely not all.



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Fun Facts

From 1860-1880, 'womanism' was used in place of 'feminism'. Some believe that if girls dress a certain way, they should not be allowed to be feminists.

Personal Effects of Feminism

“My family has fought for feminism for almost half a century now. My grandmother was one of the first ten women to become a police officer in Dallas, Texas. They tried to put her in records, and she went to the city manager and fought that for three months. She won and eventually became the first female swat officer in Dallas.

My aunt joined the army as soon as she graduated from college, stayed in for four years, and then was discharged. She then got her master’s degree in counter terrorism, and is currently in the FBI training academy.

My dad started working as a police officer twenty five years ago, and has seen women work and gain more respect over the years. Now he is the chief of police, and says that the change in equality between men and women is not only noticeable, but remarkable.”

-Bailey Brownell

Baumgardner, Jennifer and Richards, Amy. //Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism and the Future//. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2000

Mitchell, Helen Buss. //Roots of Wisdom: Fourth Edition//. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Thomas Learning, 2005.

Fisanick, Christina. //Feminsm (Oppsing Viewpoints)//. Greenhaven, 2007. Print

Mr Chesterton in Hysterics: A Study in Prejudice," //The Clarion//, 14 Nov 1913, reprinted in //The Young Rebecca//, 1982 James, Susan. 1998. Web

Klein, Henri F. "Feminism." //The Encyclopedia Americana//. 10 Jan. 2012. Web. 