Feminism: Are We Headed in the Right Direction - Coursework Example

Feminism: Are we headed in the right direction? For a long time now, the age-old stigma attached with holding back women in the of confinement within the walls of a house has taken a U-turn and the situation has thus changed. The societies have thus sat up and started to take notice all of a sudden. There has been a huge shift in the attitudes of the people who are in one way or the other attached with the notion of feminism, the consequences faced in the wake of it and everything else that is concerned with it in one way or the other. The situation has changed for the better in the developed nations like US and Australia but the usual scenes are rampant in the developing countries every now and so often. There seems to be a similar kind of feeling and attitude towards the women as the society does towards its men that in a way is pretty good since it provides the basis for an equally balanced approach towards the two sexes and thus the gender discrimination role is also abolished due to the same. (Ramazanoglu, 1989) asserts that there are certain contradictions along the manner in which feminism is adopted and eventually seen in the broader context of things. She gives the insight pertaining to the differences in the way in which women are approached at workplaces, in homes and even in general day to day situations, not to forget the amount of mistakes men do in understanding what these women actually would like to see happen right in front of their selves. There are contradictions all around which need to be rectified as the writer suggests. Some of the famous feminists of all times include Marie Dentiere, Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, Elizabeth Blackwell, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, Emily Anne Eliza Shirreff, Mary Wollstonecraft and George Sand to name a few. All of these were the early pioneers of the feminism movement. However the early wave comprised of Elisabeth Altmann, Rosa Luxemburg, Clara Zetkin, Antoinette Brown, Maria Deraismes and Sarah Grimke. The second wave feminists were Bella Abzug, Susan Faludi, Carol Hanisch, Donna Haraway and Joss Whedon. The radical feminists include D. A. Clarke, Nikki Craft and Andrea Dworkin. Apart from these, there are a number of Ecofeminists, anti-feminists and dissidents and not to forget the individualist feminists and a whole list of other feminists. To start with, we need to define what feminism stands for in the present scheme of things so as to make us understand the attachments with it as well as the issues that may so arise from time to time. Feminism is indeed a mere collection of a number of different theories related with the society, movements of the political nature and not to forget the philosophies which are of moral existence which are more or less instigated by the experiences courtesy the women who are very much an important part of those very societies in the first place. A number of these feminists are very much concerned with the social, political as well as the economic inequalities that in essence exist between the men as well as the women and some have even gone further to suggest the fact that there is no sexed identity as a man or a woman, rather the same are mere sexed identities. Thus these two encompass the social constructs which need to be driven away. Feminists usually outline the issues related with sources that come in line with the inequalities which are aplenty as well as the manner in which justice in the name of equality can be attained but one should also remember that it is important to understand the exact means by which gender and indeed the distinct identities need to be spoken about and discussed in a broader manner. The critical analysis therefore has to be much substantiated and on the dot. The subtypes of feminism are aplenty but for this paper, we will list and try detailing only a few. Amazon feminism is devoted to the picture of a female hero which has its basis from fiction and the role that is present in linkage with the art and literature held safely in the physiques and feats courtesy the female sports players, athletes, martial artists and so on and so forth. Black feminism discusses the argument raised that sexism and racism are inextricable from each another and they cannot survive in entirety without the other one. Lesbian feminism looks at the specific cultural movement as well as the critical outlook of the popular 1970s drive as well as that from the early 1980s. It looks at the positioning of women and homosexuals within the society. Some of the famous lesbian feminists included Audre Lorde, Mary Daly, Jill Johnston, Robin Morgan, Urvashi Vaid, Monique Wittig and Sande Zeig to name a few. Socialist feminism relies on the public and private spheres that a woman has within her life and puts forward the notion that liberty and freedom can only be achieved by her when the women’s oppression is brought to a halt through the economic and cultural means and ways. Lastly, womanism is a form of feminism which is another name for the African American feminism but with the passage of time the same has developed into a broad view related with feminism which does not take the barriers along its way regarding the lines encompassing races and different classes. Modern day feminism has supporters in the belief that preaches that the discrimination which exists in the world against women must go away immediately and that they should be treated in a manner which is commensurate with men if not more. However there are a number of issues related with the substantial basis of severity in the wake of the problems that remain in the present times and the manner in which the same could be solved as well. (Buhle, 1998) views that feminism entails the psychoanalysis factors which come under it and the role of a secular society in this whole discussion cannot be denied its due role. (Brennan, 1989) discusses the ways and means under which a woman starts feeling pretty much terrible within the realms of the whole society. For this, (Brennan, 1989) suggests that feminism is indeed the key. This states that the modern day extremists in the name of feminism like Gloria Allred and Mary Daly has some weight in the rationalization which involves the argument thus raised in favor of the human society as being a better place for one and all only if there are fewer men. However this is a mere proposition to start with and has no practical application which can be embedded in the feministic scheme of ideas related with the subject at hand. But one should remember that there are dissidents who on the same lines call themselves as the feminists but have a say regarding the anti-male prejudice that the whole movement entails within itself. These comprise of Christina Hoff Sommers and Camille Paglia to name a few. A number of these feminists have thus different beliefs and ideas when we speak of their role that they have to offer to the whole movement, thinking ideology and so on and so forth. Some are of the view that feminist means only for women which indeed is not the correct way to defend the rights of women. It would thus mean that everything is in line for women and thus there would be nothing at all for the men of the society which in a way in inequality right from the onset. Also the fact that some women believe that there are some differences between the two sexes and thus the movement should continue while on the other hand a number of them remain of the view that there are no differences whatsoever and hence the movement should take a back seat, raises quite an interesting debate nonetheless. (Flynn, 2002) is of the view that feminism is indeed the existence and creation of a counter society which is not good for the whole of the society if taken and understood from a broader context and perspectives. As concerns to the Western society, feminism has played its due role. It has been able to bring in a number of changes to the Western mindset and indeed the whole of the society. This includes issues like the women’s suffrage, the context related with the employment for women with regards to equitable adjustments, the right to have divorce started, the manner in which they could go ahead with the abortion and contraception matters and lastly the way in which they could acquire university education. Thus the effect on civil rights is something that we can ponder upon whilst discussing the topic at hand. Next, we need to delve into the ocean of criticism as far as the theory of feminism is concerned. We find out that feminism as a whole ideological basis or even as a social progression basis takes criticism left, right and center. A few of the feminists which might include the Canadian journalist Kate Fillion, Carol Tavris and Camille Paglia raise the issue related with emphasis on the women’s role as a moral, sexual and even a sociological actor in the whole feminism debate and they suggest that women at times do a number of bad things in order to become accountable. This is indeed interesting as we witness a wholly separate view as we have been discerning since now. A number of postcolonial feminists are of the view that the whole ideology related with feminism is indeed flawed as the Western forms have fundamental feminism embedded deep within them and the racial and/or class oppression is something that focus should be emphasized upon so as to study further. The view offered by the theory of masculism suggest that indeed the women make the men feel oppressed by the conventional gender roles and sexism which has been, from time to time put in straight down the society’s throat by these feminists. A number of family and men’s rights groups are of the view that the role played by these feminists in the wake of their support towards the lesbian agendas is something to ponder upon and which indeed undermines the whole basis of the conventional role played by the men in the family. This holds a lot of weight if studied in line with the feministic issues and the ideology thus brought forward. The feminist issues have had their fair share of academic insights so as to support their very basis. Anne Fausto-Sterling’s book Myths of Gender has made sure that it studies the different assumptions raised in the wake of the scientific research that claims in the support of the biologically important view held in the name of gender. Apart from this, Carol Tavris’s book The Mismeasure of Woman has adopted the line of looking at the women psychology and sociological basis in order to highlight the failing perspectives raised to substantiate the differences present between the two genders as well as to determine as to how the same can be tracked down. Evelyn Fox Keller has pinpointed the argument in the wake of the rhetoric related with the scientific reflection of a masculine point of view and has thus questioned the manner in which the scientific objectivity could thus be achieved with the passage of time and rational thinking mindset. Furthermore, Sarah Blaffer Hrdy has emphasized on the incidence of masculine oriented stereotypes as well as the theories that might just exist and which have a basic meaning attached with the very same. These could include the non-sexual female and many others. There also have been other researches that have been carried out by Barbara Ehrenreich, Coontz and Luker. All of these were anti-feminists to raise a point of clarification here. When we see that the feminism is not a single issue or ideology for that matter which has been shelved in separation from the rest of the beliefs, we find out that there is interaction along the way with the other movements that have happened from time to time and have had their say in one way or the other on the ideological basis of feminism as well. A view is raised by Martin Luther King Jr.’s suggestion that a threat to justice which might arise anywhere might just be a threat to the whole basis of land, i.e., everywhere. This notion is held fast onto by the feminists. Civil rights movements are thus whole heartedly supported by the feminists who say that they are in line with the King’s view and thus they seem to agree in one way or the other with the justification of women’s rights as King has proposed in the form of his renowned statement. As discussed before, some Black feminists prefer the terms womanism over the feminism concept and they seem to relate with the concept of womanism in a much better manner than the idea of feminism. Because of the inter linkage of these movements, feminism is at times related with the gay, lesbian and transgender issues and indeed the movements that have happened from time to time. Now we need to find out whether we are headed in the right direction or not. After reading the paper, we discern that the movements of feminism which have been going on and on for so long have something to offer to the women if not being their complete messiah in the wake of all the troubles and problems. But one should not forget the fact that feminism has to entail the rights of the men as well as they are the other halves of the society. Men and women combined form the basis of any relationship or for that matter the existence on which society is built. Thus for the feminism ideology to succeed it is essential to understand that it has to keep in view the rights of the men as well and balance the rights of women in an equal and fair manner, without over-doing the same in any capacity imaginable. The way to look forward surely has some understanding on the part of the people who are running it in the first place and without their proper guidance and comprehension it would be unjust to bracket the women in a zone which is completely separate from the men and that looks at aiming to solve the problems and issues of the women and women alone and no one else. Having said that, feminism is a pretty effective tool for fighting against the injustices that are meted out to the female gender. But then again we need to see where the line is crossed over and where the inequality issue crops in all of a sudden. Then the whole discussion on feminism might just take the backseat and thus there would be no use whatsoever to highlight the plight of women when there is no justification possibly available for the men who would be the losing party in all of this. BIBLIOGRAPHY Ramazanoglu, Caroline (1989) Feminism and the Contradictions of Oppression Routledge Buhle, Mari Jo (1998) Feminism and its Discontents: A Century of Struggle with Psychoanalysis Harvard University Press Brennan, Teresa (1989) Between Feminism and Psychoanalysis Routledge Flynn, Elizabeth A. (2002) Feminism beyond Modernism Southern Illinois University Press Caine, Barbara (1997) English Feminism, 1780-1980 Oxford University Press Hudson-Weems, Clenora (2001) Africana Womanism: The Flip Side of a Coin The Western Journal of Black Studies Vol. 25 Phillips, Anne (1998) Feminism and Politics Oxford University Press Holmstrom, Nancy (2003) The Socialist Feminist Project Monthly Review Vol. 54 Smith, Paul (1987) Men in Feminism Routledge Feminism & Art (9 Views) (2003) The Early 20th Century (2003) History Today Taylor, Joan Kennedy (1995) Feminism and Public Policy Free Inquiry Vol. 15 Sylvester, Christine (2001) Feminist International Relations: An Unfinished Journey Cambridge University Press Women’s Movement (2004) The Columbia Encyclopedia Sixth Edition Daly, Lois K. (1994) Feminist Theological Ethics: A Reader Westminster/John Knox Press Word Count: 2,525 Read More