...Feminism can be defined as a series of political movements originating in the USA to abolish gender inequity and gain equal rights and opportunities for women (Ritzer and Ryan, 224). The women’s movement is broken down into three consecutive waves of feminism. The first wave of feminism began in the early eighteenth century, with it’s main objective to gain women’s suffrage (Ritzer and Ryan, 224). Much of the first wave was characterized by women breaking societal norms and roles imposed upon them and redefining the stigma attached to the perceptions of what women ought to be. As a result of the first wave, the second wave of feminism began in 1972 and provided new information about feminism, as books, such as The Feminine Mystique, began publication (Ritzer and Ryan, 225). The highlights of the second wave consisted of legislative victories over sexism in education and the right to an abortion. The second wave, however, consequently noted the interaction between race oppression and gender oppression, also known as ‘intersectionality’ (Ritzer and Ryan, 225). The third wave of feminism was influenced by the first and second, with it’s existence being debatable. Scholars argue that the movement has changed forms and has indeed continued into the twenty-first century. In actuality, this generation is educated about feminism. Their knowledge derives from the first two waves, with which they draw their own political views to live their lives by, thus the creation of...
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...The Television series Charmed can be interpreted as a postfeminist text in popular culture. Yvonne Tasker and Diane Negra’s book “Interrogating Post Feminism: Gender and the Politics of Popular Culture” (2007) discusses the importance of post feminism in contemporary popular culture. In this book, Tasker and Negra focus mainly on film, television and advertising. According to the article “The Myth of Postfeminism”, the United States entered a postfeminist era around 1990. (Hall, J. E. (2003) p. 878) In America Charmed was television series which ran from 1998 up until 2006. Post-feminism, also known as third wave feminism emerged after second wave feminism and was a response to what second wave feminism excluded. The shows central characters are three sisters who are witches, the show is hailed as a feminist text because of its portrayal of strong female characters, and the fact the...
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...Feminism is the belief that women should be treated as both potentially intellectual and socially equal to men. It embraces the thought that all people are entitled to freedom and liberty within reason; including equal civil rights and the discrimination that should not be made based on gender, sexual orientation, skin color, ethnicity, religion, or culture. Feminist movements have campaigned and continue to campaign for women's rights, including the right to vote, to hold public office, to work, to earn fair wages, to own property, education, and to have equal rights within marriage. Feminists have also worked to promote bodily independence, integrity, to protect women from rape, sexual harassment, and domestic violence. Feminism underlies five major concepts. First, we have patriarchy which is the authority of men in society and the oppression of women for men’s gain. Second, discrimination that leads to the unequal treatment that women receive. Third, we have gender stereotypes which are negative misconceptions about women. Forth, economic dependency; where women are forced to quit their job in order to take care of their household responsibilities. Fifth, emotional work; where women are predicted to do the majority of emotional care of their family. As feminism started to rise, it encountered three waves. The first wave of feminism took place in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, where it emerged out of an environment of urban industrialism and...
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... which turns out to be anything but for women. The policies imposed in the criminal justice system affect men and women in extremely dissimilar manners. I plan to examine how gender intersects with the understanding of crime and the criminal justice system. Gender plays a significant role in understanding who commits what types of crimes, why they do so, who is most often victimized, and how the criminal justice system responds to these victims and offenders. In order to understand the current state of women and the way in which gender relates to crime and criminal justice, it is first necessary to provide a comprehensive analysis of the historical evolution of women in the criminal justice system and the affect that the different waves of feminism have had on policies and practices towards women in this system. I plan to argue that the criminal justice system is another form of patriarchal control, a sexist organization which creates conflict between the private sphere of a woman's life and the public. This control extends far beyond the just incarcerated women, it affects all women. Despite the fact that there have been changes to certain policies and prison regulations, though made with resistance, none of the changes have been for the better. By looking at past and present situations as well as the differing feminist perspectives on the justice system, I hope to offer ways and opinions on how to improve this system and allow women to equally balance their life in the public...
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...The first-wave of feminism, which is also known as “The Suffragettes”, began in the United Kingdom and the United States around the nineteenth century and lasted until the early twentieth century (Writer, M. 2007). This wave was centered around women wanting to denounce gender inequalities and demand the right to vote, therefore making them official citizens. However it is important to recognise that in Australia aboriginal women were not among those who were granted the right to vote and become involved in political activity (Seibert, A & Roslaniec, D. 1998). The wave formally began at the Secna Falls Convention in 1848, which is where the first women’s rights convention in history was held (Lewis, J. 2001). In 1840, two women; Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stranton were attending a convention in London as delegates with their husbands. It was here that the credentials committee ruled that women were “constitutionally unfit for public business meetings.” (Lewis, J. 2001). The men were permitted to speak, the women were not and there was a curtain that separated the women from the men in the building (Lewis, J. 2001). These two women decided to hold a mass meeting to address the rights of women, which over 300 women and men attended on the first day to rally to the cause of equality for women. Elizabeth Cady Stanton drafted the Seneca Falls Declaration outlining the new movement's ideology and political strategies (Rampton, Martha. 2008). This was only the beginning...
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...Feminism in Bangladesh: Establishing equal rights between men & women in young generation. SADMAN ANIS Students University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh ABSTRACT This is basically exploratory study and was conducted at University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh & United International University, Dhanmondi,Dhaka, Bangladesh over a period of 10 days started from 1st December, 2012 to 10th December, 2010. The main objective of this study is to describe what the condition of feminism in Bangladesh and what is the thinking of our varsity girl about feminism. Total 21 respondents were selected based on age class of 18-22. Feminism is a belief in the right of women to have political, social, and economic equality with men. It is a discourse that involves various movements, theories, and philosophies which are concerned with the issue of gender difference, advocate equality for women, and campaign for women’s rights and interests. According to some, the history of feminism can be divided into three waves. The first wave was in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the second was in the 1960s and 1970s and the third extends from the 1990s to the present. Feminist theory emerged from these feminist movements. It is manifest in a variety of disciplines such as feminist geography, feminist history and feminist literary criticism. Although feminism has emerged in nineteenth in the world, it is yet unknown to women of our country. The concept of feminism in Bangladesh has...
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...active in China: "One of the most striking manifestations of social change and awakening which has accompanied the Revolution in China has been the emergence of a vigorous and active Woman's Movement." Beginning in the 70s and continuing in the 80s, however, many Chinese feminists began arguing that the Communist government had been "consistently willing to treat women's liberation as something to be achieved later, after class inequalities had been taken care of."[9] Some feminists claim that part of the problem is a tendency on the government's part to interpret "equality" as sameness, and then to treat women according to an unexamined standard of male normalcy.[10] Chapter two: definition, development, and categories of feminism 1. Definition of feminism Throughout history, women have always struggled to obtain equality, respect, and the same rights as men. This has been difficult because of patriarchy, an ideology in which men are superior to women and have the right to control women. This ideology has spread...
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...Joshua Osemwengie English II Mr. Saldivar 4/10/15 TEWWG Literary Analysis In “The Three Waves of Feminism” by Martha Rampton, she describes the second wave of feminism as the wave of obtaining equal rights for both genders. Rampton refers to the protest of the Miss America pageant in 1968 and 1969 where the women “crowned a sheep as Miss America and threw ‘oppressive’ feminine artifacts such as bras, girdles, high-heels, makeup and false eyelashes into the trashcan” (Rampton). Janie demonstrates a similar type of protest in the story after Jody dies. Then Janie gets remarried to Tea Cake and develops herself more as a feminist through the performance of task that were considered to be masculine. Janie goes in to visit her husband on his death bed. She talks and tells him how he oppressed her and wasn’t “de Jody ah run off down de road wid”. Once Jody finally does die in front of her, Janie “tore off the kerchief from her head and let down her plentiful hair” (Hurston 87). Janie is showing her protest of the oppressive clothing pieces that Jody had her wear by taking them off and letting her true self be shown and it represents the principles of the second wave of feminism. By not wearing the “appropriate” attire for a woman, Janie is showing how she is doing everything for herself and not to please men and fulfill their gender stereotypes. When Jody dies, Janie is single and rich so many men in the town try to come and marry her. She feels that she can live without a...
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...Aviva Hurvitz 24 November 2015 Feminism and the Media Representation of Women in the 1970’s Major social change happens when enough people strongly believe in it. The media influences public opinion and thus has the ability to support or destroy these social change movements. In the 1970’s, the second wave feminist movement was attempting to create wide spread social change. Its leading organization, the National Organization for Women (NOW), was focused on dismantling workplace inequality, such as denial of access to better jobs and salary inequity, and protecting women’s rights, such as stopping domestic violence. They attempted to do this through creating legislation and changing public opinion. The media’s representation of women overall at this time counteracted these goals. By creating a derogatory picture of the “feminist”, the media made her unsympathetic to the public. Rather than creating support for the core goals of the feminist movement, the media focused on more controversial topics, specifically gay rights. This negative media coverage of the women’s movement hurt its ability to implement meaningful legislation, such as the Equal Rights Amendment. The way in which print media degraded women, demonized feminists, and connected feminism to controversial topics damaged the progress of second wave feminism in the 1970’s. The definition of a feminist is a person who believes in the social, economic, and political equality of the sexes (Miriam Webster...
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...At first I would like to give a brief simplified definition of Feminism because I know that the majority here still find it obscure. Feminism can be roughly defined as a movement that enhances the quality of women’s lives by defying the norms of society based on male dominance and the emancipation of women from the shackles, restrictions, norms and customs of society. It demands that women should be treated as autonomous subjects, and not as passive objects. (Autonomy: an action which is determined by the subject's own free choice) It seeks to achieve equality between men and women in moral, social, economic and political fields. The objective of that movement is the creation of a new identity for women and making them aware of their rights. At its core, it is the belief in equality. It seeks to eliminate the social, cultural, and legal barriers between men and women. Its goal is to create a truly egalitarian society. Origins: People and activists who discussed or advanced women's equality prior to the existence of the feminist movement are sometimes labeled proto-feminist.[8] Some scholars, however, criticize this term's usage.[6][19][why?] Some argue that it diminishes the importance of earlier contributions,[20] while others argue that feminism does not have a single, linear history as implied by terms such as proto-feminist or postfeminist Around 24 centuries ago, Plato, according to Elaine Hoffman Baruch, "[argued] for the total political and sexual equality of...
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...The role of men and women in a family are not explicitly defined and vary vastly from across many countries. In Iran for example, men’s roles are normally more valued and rewarded than women’s roles. This research report will outline the basic assumptions about families prior to any feminist changes and explain the rationale for this. It will then discuss the initiation of the feminist movement and the way in which it affected the roles within a family and the structure of a family. The report will analyse the implications of feminism and discuss the types of feminism, which have affected the basic assumptions of families. In order to fully understand the challenges feminist have posed, the report will consider the importance of feminism in today’s society, assessing our assumptions about families and to what degree it is considered a priority. As a matter of interest, there will also be a discussion on the effect of feminism on families on an international scale. This research report will seek to conclude concisely the ways in which feminists have challenged the basic foundation and ideas in relation to families. In the seventeenth and eighteenth century Cheal cites that the term nuclear family emerged describing a couple who are legally married and have their own children residing in a permanent home. (Cheal, D. 2002) Talcott Parsons (1956) has suggested a possible rational justifying why the basic assumption of families exists. Parson’s view was based on the facts...
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...Have fourth wave feminists turned the feminist movement into a man-hating movement? Fourth wave feminism began in 2012 and is associated with the use of social media. The fourth wave advocates for women who have been victims of sexual harassment and violence. Since this movement uses social media as its main outlet, it impacts society greatly because in this day in age more people are using social media than ever before. Anything this movement does or says is heard by millions around the globe, especially young women. Although some fourth wave feminists have the right idea about change in this world, they have transformed from being real progressives to man-hating and stereotyping other women. If extreme feminists could come together with the men in America, they could make a huge difference exceptionally fast because men and women work better together than apart....
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...Feminism is known to be the belief of equality between the sexes and also the movement created around belief. In relation to equality, it is the idea to end sexism and to end a patriarchal society. The word feminism was created in the 1880’s in France and the Netherlands, which only connects to Caucasians (Hobbs, Rice 1B). Feminism started with Caucasians before it got established to people of color. The Feminist Movement is entirely about the change for women but the movement consists of only a White women’s viewpoint, which they view the male as the enemy. Reading about feminism only makes references to European men and women but not people of color. During the Feminist Movement, three waves were created; the first wave was women’s suffrage, the second wave was the women’s liberation movement, and the third movement was centered on sexuality (Hobbs, Rice 23). The movement was focused on women and poverty, women and education, violence against women, women in the economy, and women and politics. These were standard movements that were fought for but it was the perspective of the White women but it may have applied to all...
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...Black Feminism Michelle Smith African American History Winter Quarter 2010 Purdue University Instructor: Professor Wilkens Introduction When the Black Feminist movement was developed, it was a revolution for black women. It gave them power, liberation, and a voice to overcome the emasculating efforts of white male power (Harrold, Hine, and Hine, 2009). When I first began this research, I discovered that Black Feminism is too broad of a topic to elaborate on as a whole. This paper defines the term “Black Feminism. It will explore two published articles that report on the theory and practice of how black feminism is making waves and what role of education in the development of the Black Feminist Thought from 1860 to 1920. This paper will examine when the National Black Feminist Organization was founded and lastly, how two outstanding women who made an impact in the Black Feminist Movement. According to Encyclo (n.d.) online encyclopedia the definition of black feminism is “A strand of feminist thought which highlights the multiple disadvantages of gender, class and race that shape the experiences of nonwhite women. Black feminists reject the idea of a single unified gender oppression that is experienced evenly by all women, and argue that early feminist analysis reflected the specific concerns of white, middle-class women.” In other words, black feminist argue that the liberation of black women entails freedom for all people since it would require the end of...
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...Like many, I find it most concrete to view the history of the feminist movement in three waves. First-wave feminist took place around 1920’s and focused on overturning legal inequalities, particularly women's suffrage movement, rights to vote and general political rights. Second-wave feminism took place between 1960s–1980s and was aimed towards more unofficial liberation, such as equality in the workplace, reproductive rights, as well as the broadened debate to include cultural inequalities, gender norms, and the role of women in society. Third-wave feminism, (1990s–2000s) refers to diverse strains of feminist activity fighting against gender violence and derogatory terms and is seen as both a continuation of the second wave and a response to its lack of successes. There is an abundance of visions that bell hooks holds for feminism in the world today. If I were to try to sum it up in one idea, it would be the self-empowerment and comrade of women to overcome the sexist preconceptions that limit their opportunities to express and reach their full, most actualized/idealized selves. It is an expansion and continuation of the second wave of feminism that moves beyond just the explicit legal rights of women to unraveling the unwritten, culturally derived limitations that are placed on us. I absolutely agree and support why she views feminism to be continually importance in the world today and the deeper the idea sinks into my skin, I become more strongly rooted within the feminist...
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