FEMINISM ESSAY

Feninism is a range of social movements, political movements,

and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic,
personal, and social equality of the sexes. In today’s society
feminism’s meaning took a different turn than it was expected. The
word that best summarises what feminism means is equality, whereas
in this day and age I think many women are trying to prove that
women are superior to men which I think is totally disrupting to the
interpretation of feminism.
Personally, I am a feminist . I believe that men and women
should be paid the same, treated the same and most of all both sexes
should respect and accept eachother . Misogyny, sexism and
discrimination can be practised by every sex, ethnicity , gender and
race and should not be acceptable under any circumstances. Many
women lost the meaning of the movement and are desperately trying
to fix “issues” that are not actually important . Things like posting
your body hair on Instagram and then getting offended if one person
doesn’t accept that, are exactly the reason why feminism isn’t taken
seriously anymore. People are entitled to their own opinions and have
the right to state their opinion online just as much as you even if their
opinion is narrow-minded. Obviously, you should be able to do
whatever you want with your body as long as you’re not hurting other
people. Its not important that people see you grew your body hair or
that you “freed the nipple “ on social media, it’s important to feel
good enough with yourself that you are humble and don’t feel the
need to prove something.
A feminist is a person who believes in the social, political, and
economic equality of the sexes.
Next, I’m going to talk about some real issues involving sexism
and male privilege. When you search “why are women” on google ,
the first recommendation you are given is “why are women paid less”.
This is called the gender pay gap. The reason why this concept exists
are related to legal, social and economic factors . A 2005 meta-
analysis by Doris Weichselbaumer and Rudolf Winter-Ebmer of more
than 260 published pay gap studies for over 60 countries found that,
from the 1960s to the 1990s, raw wage differentials worldwide have
fallen substantially from around 65% to 30%. The bulk of this decline,
was due to better labor market endowments of women (better
education, training, and work attachment). Differences in payment are
caused by men working in higher paid industries than women. Some
variables that help explain the non-adjusted gender pay gap include
economic activity, working time, and job tenure. Gender-specific
factors, including gender differences in qualifications and
discrimination, overall wage structure, and the differences in
remuneration across industry sectors all influence the gender pay gap.
At the end of the day this is also a type of discrimination that is the
cause of earlier century’s mindset. Of course there are exceptions in
this matter as there are women who earn a lot of money, maybe more
than many men in the same industry. Another reason as to why this is
happening is that women were used to being housewives until, maybe,
the 1920s ,and started going to college and working later in history
than men did , because it was expected of men to be the “boss” in the
house while women were expected to obey their husbands and stay
home to cook and clean. I personally believe that is a big part of why
women are not paid as much as men.
Secondly, another important matter that is really discussed lately
is the obscenity of many men. Catcalling and inappropriate touches as
well as sexualizing women have a very negative impact on women
and on society itself. It’s not normal to say sexual things to a woman
while she is walking on the street or to touch her (or anyone for that
matter) without their consent, and sadly, this happens a lot. Women
are being overly sexualized and abused by men who touch their bodies
without permission or saying overly sexual things in the streets and it
has become a great issue, because many men think that if a woman is
dressed more revealingly it gives them the right to do so. Clothes are
just clothes . That doesn’t mean women want men’s attention under
any circumstance. Women dress for themselves , not for others. I think
there should be real legal consequences in our country for touching
someone without their consent in an inappropriate manner or
catcalling 13 year old girls as a 40 something year old man. It has
been happening to me since I was maybe 12 or 13 and I’m sure it
happens to most girls . And then comes the question “Why don’t
women take action against this behaviour ?” we do. But it keeps
happening because this is the kind of society we live in . This is the
way we grew up. In today’s society girls are sexualized in every way
possible. Why? Because it sells . The movies, the adds we watch , the
music we listen to, sexualize women and this is why some men think
its ok to behave in such a grotesque way. Parents tell their daughters
they have to be delicate , they have to be feminine, but why should
women be like that to men who treat them like objects? Why is it
normal for boys to swear but girls shouldn’t , or why can boys be
sexual but girls can not? This is the inequality between genders that
still exists to this day . Of course, women were able to get themselves
the right to vote, which they won in 1920, but in my opinion there are
still some inequalities in the way men and women are treated in
society.
“The first real efforts to achieve equality for women occurred in
the 1800s. During the early part of that century, coeducational studies
at the university level were offered for the first time. State laws were
passed which allowed women to retain their property after marriage.
Also, the first women's rights convention was held. Many who
supported women's rights became active in the abolitionist movement
during the Civil War era. Some even became well-known public
orators, an uncommon occupation for women at the time.
The quest for equality continued after the Civil War. In 1869, the
Wyoming Territory passed a law which allowed women to vote and
serve on juries. Several other western territories and states
subsequently granted women the right to vote. Women's rights
advocates were outraged that the Fifteenth Amendment, which was
ratified in 1870, prohibited the states from denying voting rights on
the ground of race, but not on the basis of sex. In 1878, Congress
considered a Constitutional amendment giving women the right to
vote. Although the amendment failed, it was revitalized every year for
a period of 40 years. The movement for women's suffrage was led,
among others, by Susan B. Anthony, who was arrested for voting in a
presidential election, and by Lucy Stone, who was one of the first
American women to retain her maiden name after marriage. In 1920,
women were finally given the constitutional right to vote in the
Nineteenth Amendment, which provided that "the right of citizens of
the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United
States or by any State on account of sex."
The women's rights movement lost its impetus after the
ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment. It was not until the 1960s
that it regained its momentum. With more women rejecting the
traditional role of housewife and entering the work force, there was an
increased demand for equal rights and opportunities. In response,
Congress passed the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which prohibits
employers from discriminating against employees on the ground of
sex with respect to the terms of compensation. The following year,
Congress enacted Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which
bans discrimination in employment on the basis of sex, among other
grounds. Males, as well as females, have been granted protection
against sex discrimination under both the Equal Pay Act and Title VII.
In 1972, Congress submitted the Equal Rights Amendment
(ERA) to the states for ratification. Basically, the ERA barred all
discrimination on the ground of sex. However, the ERA suffered
defeat after the necessary number of states failed to ratify it within the
mandatory ten-year deadline. To date, women are still struggling with
the issue of equality in their personal and professional relationships.
Thirty-five years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act, women have
still not achieved equality in wages.” ( source:
https://law.jrank.org/pages/22615/Gender-Discrimination-
History.html ) This is a very important move made by women
throughout history and it is one of the events that was crucial for the
rights we have won for ourselves . This just proves how powerful,
determined and ambitious women are .
Back in time, women were required to surrender control of their
property to their husband upon marriage and were expected to obey
their husbands and live by their rules, but now with the help of some
very intelligent and independent women in history ,we have the same
rights as men and this mentality of obedient house wives only partially
remains in some parts of the world.
Next, I am going to list milestones in women’s history: On the
rd
23 of January 1849, Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman to
graduate from medical school and become a doctor in the U.S.
On the 29th of May 1851, a former slave turned abolitionist and
women’s rights activist, Sojourner Truth delivers her famous "Ain't I a
Woman?" speech at the Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio.
“And ain't I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed
and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And
ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man—
when I could get it—and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I
have borne 13 children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and
when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me!
And ain't I a woman?”.
On the 16th of October 1916, Margaret Sanger opens the first birth
control clinic in the United States. Located in Brownsville, Brooklyn,
her clinic was deemed illegal under the “Comstock Laws” forbidding
birth control, and the clinic was raided on October 26, 1916. When she
had to close two additional times due to legal threats, she closed the
clinic and eventually founded the American Birth Control League in
1921—the precursor to today’s Planned Parenthood.
On the 2nd of April 1917, Jeannette Rankin of Montana, a longtime
activist with the National Woman Suffrage Association, is sworn in as
the first woman elected to Congress as a member of the House of
Representatives.
 These are just a few of the milestones women achieved
throughout history and undoubtedly, there are more to come in the
future because as I said earlier , there are still some inequalities here
and there that have to be fixed.
Another subject I wanted to reach is breastfeeding. Women are
often judged for breastfeeding in public. It has been called ‘disgusting’
or ‘inappropriate’ and many other things, but is it any of those things?
Breastfeeding is the action of feeding a baby with milk from the
breast. Should it be considered vulgar? The answer is NO. It’s a
biological need for babies to be fed by their mothers with milk from
the breast and it should be allowed under any circumstances ,
anywhere at anytime. It is not shameful, it is not wrong to feed your
baby in public and it is sad to think that even today, there are people
who have this mindset. What are you supposed to do if your baby
starts crying and you need to breastfeed him while you are in a public
place? Let him cry his eyes out or leave him hungry? Of course not.
In the past , women who breastfed babies were an inspiration for
art, and the most known example is Virgin Mary, whose icon is in so
many churches and houses of religious people. It is God-given to
breastfeed a child and if you don’t believe in God , it is a biologic and
scientific need for a human to grow healthy.
Recently, in some countries abortions were banned. In some
countries it has never been legal . This is a matter which feminist
activists should really focus on. I agree that some people are really not
careful when having intercourse and get pregnant and have an
abortion and it is really not fair for women in countries where it is
illegal . They could get pregnant from being raped and wouldn’t be
able to get rid of it. I think that abortion should be legal everywhere
around the world.
In conclusion, feminism is a very important movement and has
done a lot of good for us and where we stand today, but I think that we
should start focusing on more important issues than we do at the
moment. There are really big issues that should be dealt with before
the small ones that social media activists portray on their platforms.