The Relevance of Feminism in the Contemporary Society - Essay Example

The relevance of feminism in the contemporary society by The of the The of the School The City and State where it is located The Date The relevance of feminism in the contemporary society Introduction If one takes a close look at the society, one can not help noticing that it should be regarded as one of the essential prerequisites for the development of the inner potential of a human. However, there are might be situations when a part of the population is not able to live life to its fullest due to being oppressed by a different part. No matter how sad it may be, but human civilization primarily witness patriarchal societies which conditioned an inferior position of women. In response to that, the latter developed their own philosophy that received the name of feminism. One might argue that it became extremely active in the previous century and since then the world has changed. This paper will examine how feminism is relevant in the contemporary society, suggesting that women succeeded in achieving what they wanted in the majority of cases, but some of the fundamental principles were re-evaluated. Waves of feminism and their modern interpretation To begin with, it may be particularly important to analyze different waves of feminism and see if they are relevant to the current state of affairs. Thus, the first wave of feminism was primarily preoccupied with achieving equality in terms of fundamental social rights. Indeed, the right to vote was considered to be the most desirable goal and women did their best to ensure that they are able to influence the social life with the help of this process (Magarey, 2001, p. 151). Taking into account the modern reality, when the majority of countries granted women votes, one might conclude that the ideals of the first wave of feminism are no longer relevant to the modernity. The second wave feminism is thought to originate in the second half of the previous century and had a broader perspective on the notion of equality. While there is still a debate regarding whether this wave is continuing, one might be said for sure: the goals of this wave will not be achieved in the foreseeable future. In spite of the fact that the governments of the world are working together to promote social equality for women, the pace of this improvement is ridiculously slow. That is why it is clear that the concepts which are discussed by this wave are still relevant to the contemporary society. The third wave of feminism is a rather controversial term per se. There is an opinion that it coexists with the second one, so it can hardly be seen as its successor. Nevertheless, the proponents of it point out that their view was developed as a response to failures of the second wave and takes a completely different perspective on ideas of feminism. Indeed, sexuality, variations of it and freedom are some of the core components of their outlook. Keeping in mind the fact that the discussion about sexuality is carried out in the societies all over the globe, it would not be a mistake to suggest that this approach of feminism is also relevant to the contemporary situation. Finally, there is another wave that is identified within this philosophical framework, in it often referred to as post feminism. The proponents of it suggest that the revolution that women of the earlier decades wanted to see has already happened and the world is currently living in a post feministic state. On the one hand, this view is valid as feminism nowadays plays an important role and had become one of the major forced of the global development. However, on the other hand, one can not omit the fact that the contemporary societies are still patriarchal and are deeply opposite to the fundamental ideas of feminism. Therefore, this position may not be found as absolutely relevant to the current state of affairs. Peculiarities of the contemporary society Having considered the interpretation of different waves of feminism, one should turn the attention to the present days, trying to analyze the way in which the modern world features or does not feature the outcomes of the struggle that was carried out in the previous century. Thus, one of the major peculiarities of the contemporary life is that in the majority of the world women are fully recognized as citizens and enjoy all the right that they are entitled to. Indeed, it is not only the right to vote, but also a whole range of other rights as well. This means that there is not difference between men and women in terms of social activity. There is not doubt in that such state of affairs is exactly what some of the early feminists wanted to achieve. On the other hand, one should point out that there are many phenomena that prove that the world still is unfair to women, though it is not manifested so much. A wonderful example is the concept of glass ceiling (Murray, 2010, p. 115). Indeed, there is no explicit reason why wage gap exists and why senior managers are primarily men; women often debate this in courts, but the rulings are rarely in their favour. This means that patriarchal society has been able to find a way to advance its interests in a manner that would not enrage the public, but still be quite effective. That is why there are some flaws in the contemporary society that should be addressed. However, if one compares the latter with the state of affairs which existed in the previous century when feminism emerged as a unified movement, one will be able to notice that the amount of freedom that is granted to women is significantly bigger. In spite of the fact that it may not be a glorious victory of feminism, but women who run businesses are not rare today. They also might gain some roles which were often regarded as peculiar to men only. For example, there is a shift in family structure, when women are breadwinners and men are househusbands – something that was absolutely unthinkable many decades ago. That is why the modern world might be regarded as a platform that helps feminists pursue their goals further, even thought some of them have already been accomplished. The significant changes in the society As one can have already seen in the previous section, the world nowadays features many peculiarities that make the current age exceptional. That is why one should carefully examine some of the fundamental changes that occurred since feminism first emerged. First of all, it is clear that nowadays there is an entire corpus of legislature that protects rights of women. Indeed, if in the previous century women had to fight, sometimes literally, to gain equality, the applicable law prohibits any gender direct discrimination. That is why a woman is protected by the government and her fair part in the social life is secured. This support from the government should be seen as the major change that conditioned others. Another point that should be mentioned in particular is the readiness of the public to discuss controversial matters. One would make no mistake suggesting that the activists of the first wave of feminism sometimes had to use dramatic measures to gain the opinion of the social environment and start the relevant discussion. Nowadays, there are groups which urge the society to re-evaluate some issues and promote peaceful solution of different problems. It is quite understandable that this leads to a more civilized interaction of different parts of the population and minimizes the risk of any violent oppression. With this in mind, one should note that the future of feminism is not endangered by hostile actions. Finally, one of the biggest changes that occurred in the world is introduction of women to some of the key positions within the society. While the concept of a queen existed for many centuries, she often reigned, but did not rule. Nevertheless, at the present moment many high governmental posts in democratic societies, for example, the President’s office, minister of defence, are taken by women, and the countries include some of the leading actors of both global and regional scene, such as Germany, Brazil, Argentina, Lithuania, Norway and many others (Ford, 2002, p. 145). That is why one should note that the dream of the early feminists came true and their desire to influence the social environment is now satisfied. Similarities between cultures and nations through a feminist perspective The world has truly changed much which resulted or sometimes was conditioned by several features that countries around the globe share. To begin with, one should point out that there is no single culture that puts emphasis on male function in the society. So, every nation has a long tradition that features some appreciation of women. There is no doubt that this might be seen as common ground for feminists around the world as they are always able to point out the way one nation has treated women in the past. Though the practices might be different, one can be said for sure: women have always occupied a specific place in the society. In addition to that, one may also analyze the religious practice of various cultures and point out that female figures are present in every religion (Sharma, 1987, p. 7). Indeed, in Christianity Mary the Virgin is one of the central characters, Shia Islam recognizes many Holy women, there are many female deities in Hinduism, even in Buddhism there are bodhisattvas that take primarily female form. This shows that every nation was able to develop a spiritual understanding of the world which inevitable includes women. One might conclude that without female figures, the religious concept would not be full. That is why it would not be an exaggeration to suggest that some spiritual notions are inseparably connected to femininity. Finally, if analyzes the shifts that occurred in many countries over the previous century, one can not help noticing an important trend: the quality of lives of women has been improving. Indeed, while some developed countries granted absolute freedom which sometimes even crosses the conventional values, such as adoption by lesbian couples, some countries which were traditionally extremely conservative feature some positive changes as well. For example, in Saudi Arabia women are prohibited to drive a car; however, recently they were allowed to ride a bicycle. While this might seem as something ridiculous to those who come from other countries, one can not omit the fact that this should be treated as a sign of a significant social shift as a partial departure from conservative values that place obstacles on the way of self realization. Differences between cultures and nations through a feminist perspective However, it would be a rude exaggeration to omit examination of differences that exist between various societies when it comes to designing role of a woman in the social environment. Thus, one might point out the fact that different nations have historically provided different amount of freedom to women. For example, in the Roman Empire the latter did not have any legal rights, in the Middle East they obeyed in many aspects to the men, while in the Easter Europe and Scandinavia women often played an important role in social life, even becoming rulers (Malki, 2012, p. 190). There is no doubt that this resulted into a certain inertia which can be traced in the next centuries. The next framework that should be engaged for a better understanding of the issue in question is moral relativism. Indeed, feminism originated in the West, but was quickly spread around the world, facing a unique problem in every country it entered. With this in mind, one should note that the concept of morality was also quite different in many cultures. That is why some goals that feminists fought for in the West were completely unacceptable in the East. However, as the history developed, one is able to see that the former was able to heavily influence the latter. For example, nowadays feminist organizations fight for rights of all women, including sex workers in such as countries as India or Thailand, in order to make sure that they are treated fairly. Finally, one should also note that women around the world may feature a different approach towards their social role which will greatly affect their behaviour. For example, those who come from the Western countries may be willing to adapt a pro active civil role, while those from Arabic countries may not have such ambitions at all. In other words, feminism is a movement may not be appealing to women in equal measure. This reflects the traditional way of life as well as the readiness of the people to cross some boundaries in order to introduce changes. All this results in the fact that feminism may not always find active followers in each country. Sex versus Gender dichotomy Considering the relevance of feministic ideas to the contemporary society, one should also place emphasis on one of the fundamental ideas that guide thinking of many proponents of it. For example, Simone de Beauvoir was one of the many who pointed out that there is an essential difference between the two and that an incorrect understanding of the relationship between the former and the latter leads to inevitable oppression of women (Fallaize, 1998, p. 29). In the pair that was mentioned above, the concept of sex refers to the anatomic term. In other words, there is an objective difference between men and women and it would not be logical to deny it. This means that to a certain extent there is a certain distinction that is can be observed on a biological level. However, the feminist, including Simone de Beauvoir, also point out that such anatomic evidence does not provide enough grounds for putting gender labels on people. So, the idea of gender is seen as a socially designed notion the primary function of which is reinforce the social roles. Indeed, the already discussed concepts of a breadwinner and a housewife is a good example of gender roles: the former is primarily thought to be a male role, while the latter is often seen as a female role. However, feminists would suggest that while gender of these role is defined, the sex of the subject might vary, resulting in emergence of female breadwinners and househusbands. The discussion about these two concepts is a carried on in the contemporary society as well. Indeed, after the Sexual revolution and recognition of rights of sexual minorities, the notions of sex and gender are different in the view of the public. This means that the latter is able to gain a better understanding of the ideas which were promoted by feminists. What is more important is that nowadays medicine allows a person to change one’s sex which is something which seemed unrealistic a century ago. That is why one might suggest that all these advancement provide the society with useful tool to find a common ground with feminists. As a result, the latter will no longer seem as a radical movement, but a well grounded and objective position on various issues. The relationship between feminism and sexuality In order to understand if feministic concept can be successfully applied to the modern day issues, one should also take a look at one of the core notions that this philosophy is grounded on, namely sexuality. First of all, one should examine the relationship between feminism and heterosexuality. There are some views, according to which the latter is an artificial concept that is promoted by the society to ensure male dominance. Indeed, the institute of family has always been regarded as one of the must important ones that is why attacks that are made by feminisms are doomed to criticism since it undermines an important part of the society. In addition to that this movement often argues that heterosexuality places limits on the freedom of people, not allowing them to live life to its fullest. Keeping in mind all these statements, one can easily see that the most conservative part of the society will always oppose this movement. On the other hand, feminists often see homosexuality as liberations, especially for women. They point out that little girls might find a particular joy in relationships with their own sex, but the society distorts this by making they follow specific gender roles. Nowadays, the society becomes more and more tolerant to people to openly practice their homosexuality. This provides enough ground to assume that in the future feminism will not be relevant since the problem of gender identification will not exists as there will be no strict rules about it. Nevertheless, one should make an important reservation: there has been a major shift in the mentality that is spread in the society. Indeed, nowadays, nobody makes a strong connection between women and procreation. While in the previous century and even earlier women were often seen as factories that produced humans, today such image is considered to be barbaric. That is why there is no wonder in the fact that the philosophy of feminism originated under such conditions. However, as it has already been proven in the paragraphs above, the world has changed greatly; so, the claims which were originally made by feminists, including ones concerning sexuality can hardly be seen as relevant at the present moment. Conclusion Having examined all the points which were brought up in the paragraphs above, one might come to the following conclusion: the philosophy of feminism may not be fully relevant to the contemporary society as many of the goals which women were struggling to achieve are not the reality; nevertheless, the world still features many phenomena, such as glass ceiling that does not allow one to suggest that there is gender equality in each aspect of social life. What is more important is that there are many differences between the nations that do not allow the global community to advance on this path quickly enough. However, it is beyond any doubt that the world has changed dramatically living to the expectations of the early feminists. References Fallaize, E 1998, Simone de Beauvoir: A critical reader, Psychology Press, London. Ford, L 2002, Women and politics: The pursuit of equality, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, MA. Magarey, S 2001, Passions of the first wave feminists, UNSW Press, Sydney. Malki, A 2012, Arab women in Arab news old stereotypes and new media, Bloomsbury, London. Murray, R 2010, Cracking the highest glass ceiling a global comparison of womens campaigns for executive office, Praeger, Santa Barbara, CA. Sharma, A 1987, Women in world religions, State University of New York Press, Albany, NY. Read More