Feminism in Society: What is the Reality - Essay Example

Running Head: Feminism in Society: What is the Reality Feminism in Society: What is the Reality ) Feminism in Modern Society: What Is the Reality Gender has been a divisive agent in society since the human race began, with the emerging view of women as the weaker sex, a debatable issue that has continued throughout the twentieth century and into the twenty-first. Feminism as a term defining women's rights came into usage in the mid-1800s, and in the 1960s and 1970s became a major theory, usually considered more political than humanistic. The liberal approach to feminism defines it as an effort to gain equal rights and respect in a society that does not treat women equally (Haslanger 2006; Haralambos and Holborn 2000). Is this a true assumption If so, is it possible to gain equality for women Can women as a group be compared with men as a group How do the different types of feminism relate to modern society Have women attained equal standing in the workplace Does radical feminism contradict liberal feminism Liberal vs. Radical Feminism Liberal feminism can be defined as equal rights feminism, and those who advocate this approach look to the law to change individual attitudes regarding women's rights, for instance, the Sex Discrimination and the Equal Pay Acts in the 1970s in Britain (Livesey: Liberal Feminism, 2005). According to the Sex Discrimination Act, put into force in 1975, it is unlawful to discriminate because of sex in "employment, education, advertising, or when providing housing, goods, services, or facilities" (Sexual Discrimination 2006, par. 3). The Equal Pay Act, also activated in 1975, says that "women must be paid the same as men when doing equal work and vise-versa" (SDA/EPA 2006, par. 3). As is the case with most legal documents, different situations call for different interpretations. For instance, if an employee is receiving higher pay than a member of the opposite sex for what seems to be the same work, it can be considered legal if there is a genuine reason for this that is not related to sex. Both of these Acts have been amended several times over the years in an effort to cover all bases. As society changes, meeting the challenges of equal opportunity and equal rights becomes more complicated. The liberal feminist must continue to look to areas of perceived discrimination and, through education and legislation, continue the effort to equalise the playing field for women. Radical feminists do not accept that sexual equality is possible through legal means, and they do not think the effort to educate will change anyone's mind. It is their contention that sexual inequality is a patriarchal institution in society, and that men are the natural enemy of women. They claim that women can be considered "a sex class in that they share a common interest in freeing themselves from male oppression" (Livesey: Radical Feminism, 2005). One solution by radical feminists to this patriarchal exploitation is through lesbian relationships and female support groups, with the object of lessening dependence on males. With such pronounced differences between these two types of feminism, the concern becomes whether or not women ever can be seen as a single group. The Hypothetical Unification of Women The fact that feminism has split into several factions over the years indicates that it might be difficult if not impossible to look at society as simply men vs. women. Each faction has its followers and its advocates, and each is separate from the others. As noted previously, liberal feminists believe legislation is the answer. Radical feminists consider men the enemy. Marxist feminists are concerned about what they see as the economic exploitation of women. Back feminists blame racism for the inequality of both men and women. Socialist feminists attribute what they call women's lower status to male power consolidated by ideological myths about women, and eco-feminism connects men's oppression of women with overuse of Nature's bounty, since they believe that women represent earth, reproduction and nurture (Welch 2001). There is no doubt that women have been discriminated against over the years, and only in the 20th century did the portrait of a woman as a power source begin to emerge. The question raised by Judith Butler in her 1990 book Gender Trouble was whether men and women are fundamentally different and separate; if so, equality could never be reached. According to Young (1998), Butler also claimed that women couldn't be categorised as a unified group because there are so many definitions of feminism within the gender itself. Liberal feminists look to the individual woman and believe that equality with men is a possibility only on an individual basis with the removal of barriers in the public sphere. Radical feminists consider men the oppressor of women, and Butler claims that this thinking exacerbates the problem instead of moving toward a solution (Young 1998). Some radical feminists see the exploitation of women as a dual problem, at work and in the home, with men always in control (Livesey, 2005). But they believe that because of their common oppression, women form a social group that overrides differences between them (Welch, 2001). Status of Women in UK Society Feminism in the UK has always been a multi-faceted subject, but now, the country is experiencing a multi-cultural revolution as well, with the refugee population and different racial profiles and cultures a necessary consideration in determining the current status of women. Beasley (2005) defines Humanism as the notion that "human beings intrinsically possess a foundational core (essence) which sets them apart from other animals and nature" (Beasley, p. 28). If this is true, any power that men might hold over women could be cancelled through efforts by women. That means liberal feminism, in which legislation and education are instruments of change, is the reasonable definition of feminism in general. If, however, gender difference is the intrinsic basis for feminist thinking, women can never be equal to men. Possibly, however, women could be superior to men, and that premise seems to be inherent in radical feminist thinking. In fact, some radical feminists feel men are not necessary at all, with scientific advances eventually making natural procreation obsolete. While liberal feminists advocate the individualist tradition, radical feminists consider the collective tradition, in which differences in class, race and gender are detrimental to equality of women. The problem is how does one go about annihilating class, race and gender issues without annihilating society In early Western societies, "political equality [was] associated with the [human] ability to reason" (Beasley, p. 30). Unfortunately, in the not-so-distant past, women and certain lower class men were considered less capable of reason, and therefore less than human. Even with all the efforts made over the last 200 years to give women equal rights in every area of society, inequality still exists in the so-called "civilised" countries, for instance, equal pay for equal work. In 2004 UK, the median annual wage for women was 18,531 and the median annual wage for men 24,024. The key word in this whole debate is "balance". If balance could be achieved both between the genders and within the individual, the debate would end. The Women and Work Commission recently found that women in full-time work earn on average 17% less than men. Even so, any career or occupation they choose is open to them. Social status at birth and determination of sex at birth should not be the basis for discrimination. One change that has occurred in this century is that professional and elite women enter the work force as individuals rather than as daughters, mothers and wives (Wolf, 2006). The balance continues to be tipped, but being female is no longer a drag on earnings or on progress. It is up to the individual. A rapid growth of female part-time work has occurred, but studies have indicated that this is probably due to choice (Wolf, 2006). Major changes have been made in the workplace in childcare, maternity leave and flexible work hours. The liberal conclusion is that women should not hide behind group status; they should take responsibility for their own lives. Women can be empowered through individual effort. It would appear that radical feminism has lost impact in a society that has turned its attention more to humanity than to gender. Radical feminists believe that society is an oppressive patriarchy, which primarily (or solely) oppresses women. It would appear, however, that the emergence of meritocracy, in which those of the working class have the opportunity to increase their status through education and legal effort, has given women a chance to rise above oppression. Although every effort is being made to eradicate it, class division still exists in the UK, perhaps more so than previously due to multi-cultural aspects, and the so-called lower classes, both men and women, must break through the barriers of discrimination to become successful. The issue then becomes more a class issue than a gender issue, and liberal feminism becomes the chosen terminology for the future of women's rights. References Beasley, C. 2005. 'Modernist Emancipatory Feminism: Liberal Feminism - Wollstonecraft to Wolf'. 2/4/2005 pp. 28-36. http://www.sagepub.co.uk/PDF/Books/011149ch02.pdf [6 April 2006] Butler, Judith. 1998. Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. Routledge, London, 256 pp. Haralambos, M., and Holborn, M. 2000. Sociology: Themes and Perspectives, HarperCollins Educational, 5th edition, London, pp. 136-163. Haslanger, Sally, and Tuana, Nancy "Topics in Feminism", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2006 Edition), Edward N. Zalta(ed.), forthcoming URL = http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/feminism-topics/ Livesey, Chris. 'Feminism: Basic Principles'. 2005, pars. 1-5). [online] Available from: http://www.sociology.org.uk/as4i4c4.pdf [5 April 2006] 'Radical Feminism'. 2006. Reference.com Encyclopedia. Available from: http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Radical_feminism [7 April 2006] 'Sex Discrimination and Equal Pay Acts'. [online: last updated 17 February 2006]. Equal Opportunities Commission, pars. 1-3. Available from: http://www.eoc.org.uk/Default.aspxpage=15501 [5 April 2006] Walters, Margaret. 2005. Feminism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 176 pp. Welch, Penny (2001). 'Strands of Feminist Theory' [online]. Available from: http://pers-www.wlv.ac.uk/le1810/femin.htm [5 April 2006] Wolf, Alison. 2006. 'Working girls' Prospect Magazine, Issue 121, April 2006. Available from: http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/printarticle.phpid=7398 [7 April 2006] Young, Sally. 'Is Judith Butler's approach to gender politics an improvement on previous forms of feminism' 1998. Media/Gender/Identity Resources. Available from: http://www.theory.org.uk/ctr-b-e1.htm [5 April 2006] Read More