...Feminism is most commonly known as the political ideology fighting for equality between all genders in many different areas, including economic and social aspects (“Feminism”), but this definition is not concrete. The meaning of this movement varies from person to person, whether it be defined as what lies beyond these man-created ideas in a man-created world or a pathway to lesbianism (Ruth 5). Feminism has many subcategories due to the wide range of topics and differing interpretations. Despite this fact, society and mainstream media, with white normativity at their cores, seem to clearly portray who is and is not a feminist (Jonsson 1013). This bias produces the concept of white feminism which I will be exploring in full throughout this...
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...Feminism and other ideologies notes Liberal feminism derives from a belief in individualism, which suggests that gender differences are at best secondary and should not affect the rights and opportunities of women and men. This form of equal-rights feminism aims to establish for women and men equal access to the public sphere, bringing about change through incremental reform. Socialist feminism uses the socialist critique of capitalism to explain gender inequality, implying that class exploitation and sexual oppression are linked social processes. For Marxists, both have their root in the institution of private property. For example, liberalism is mainly concerned with the individual rather than with gender identities which are collectivist in nature. Similarly, socialists have often regarded sexual politics as less important than class politics, seeing the struggle for social justice as more important than the struggle for sexual justice. Radical feminists challenge the idea of compatibility with other doctrines, as neither liberalism nor socialism acknowledges the fundamental political importance of gender divisions and its roots in family and personal life. Traditional Conservatives believe that the traditional role of women as housewives/mothers is natural and creates social order/stability, eg mothers are seen as neglecting their children if they put their education or career before their family duties. Rise in crime and vandalism can be blamed on working mothers...
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...‘Ideologies have become irrelevant to the discussion of politics since the collapse of the communism in East Europe.’(Fukuyama francis,1989) I disagree with this statement in a large extent. Overview Fukuyama published the idea of ‘end of ideology’, which became a controversial issue in 1989. No doubt, fascism and communism had both lost their appeal after the collapse of the communism in east Europe. In the postwar period, the three ideologies-liberalism, socialism and conservation –came to accept the common goal of capitalism. ( Lee, 1990) However, it does not mean that capitalism is a triumph of the world. Jacques mentions that there are many types of Marxism. For instance, orthodox Marxism is produced by the unique history tradition. Therefore, when one specific communism is collapsed, it does not mean that the communism is collapsed. In fact, there still are states that pursue other types of communism. People reflect and become interested in Marxist if capitalism cannot bring them into utopian era. There is no way to say that ideologies are becoming irrelevant to the discussion of politics. Also, All human are political thinkers. We all have difficult thoughts and diverse perceptions when the things happen around us. Modern ideologies such as feminism and ecologism are witnessed. From the observations and judgments, we can find out our own belief of what our world is and what we ought to be. ‘equality , ’rights’ ,’freedom’ ,’justice’ are the expression...
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...more accepting of feminism. They agreed to label themselves as feminists and the majority of them supported this movement. Both men and women most likely support feminism’s main goal and belief, but it is true that males are not likely to consider themselves feminists. However, within the active followers that support this idea, there are in fact men that fully support this movement. They break the stereotype that men cannot help create an equal society (Spoto, 2013). In a news article, it states 53% of people argue that there is a need for feminism (Dahlgreen, 2015). Nevertheless, everyone should be willing to support gender equality. If people viewed feminism for only its main goal, everyone would consider themselves as feminists (Schlage 2016). When analyzing the secondary sources it states that females are significantly more accepting of...
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...Perhaps the largest misconception about modern feminism is that it is a negative ideology with women against men, the domination of one sex over another, etc. Though named for the sake of proclaiming women’s rights, feminism is an all-encompassing ideology; in short, feminism is for everybody. Feminism, as a faction of liberation ideology in general is about social equity in the form of equal opportunity. We live in an age where many people have forgotten that while women have obviously surpassed significant limitations, we as a gender are still trying to forge an easier trail for those who follow; the wage gap is real, and the stigmatization of women in certain career fields is certainly still a problem. Ultimately, feminism itself has been...
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...Michelle Barrett (1980) argues that the role ideology plays in convincing women that unpaid domestic labour is fulfilling is important. Barrett discusses the ideology of ‘familism’ the notion that female fulfillment lies in the family. For Marxist feminists, the cause of female oppression is rooted in capitalism. They argue that although individual men benefit from women’s subordination, the main beneficiary is capitalism. Women are an unpaid labour force, as unpaid housewives, and have been used in WW1 as a reserve army of labour. This oppression is believed to be maintained by the role women adopt within the capitalist’s system as the unpaid homemaker in the family. Women are conceived that this unpaid role is natural and normal, through the ideology of ‘familism’ that promotes female fulfillment as achieved through motherhood intimacy and sexual satisfaction. Marxist feminists believe that in order to end female subordination, we must overthrow capitalism as well as the ideology of familism. This would free the sexes from restrictive family roles and ensure that domestic labour was shared equally. Strengths of Marxist feminists include the fact that they have demonstrated the power of structural factors, such as capitalism and ideology in constructing an explanation for women’s subordination. However, Marxist feminists have been criticised for failing to explain women’s subordination in non-capitalist societies. Marxist feminism also places insufficient emphasis on the way...
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...Feminism comes from a white, upper middle-class female perspective and is known for their ideology of eliminating and attacking men. However, black women have a different set of issues than white women. The struggles of black women are going to be different, causing them to want to be equals to men and not want to eliminate or attack men. It is clear that Their Eyes Were Watching God is a womanist novel. Their Eyes Were Watching God does not represent traditional feminist ideology. Throughout the years, people have only focused on feminism and its ideologies, and ignored womanist ideologies and its impact on society. Feminism can be described as a belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities, to the point at which women can completely exclude men and not rely on them at all. Feminism comes from a white female perspective and ignores the challenges that most African American women have to deal with. (McDowell, 153) Patricia Hill Collins gives an African American woman’s view on feminism and womanism. She goes on to say: “Again, Walker's definition provides guidance where...
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...In this manner, many of the “revolutionaries” are examined through an anthropological gender analysis to identify the reactionary nature of post-war identity that continues to divide communities and also creates the “trans-border” family. More so, Silber (2010) argues that many women are presented as being symbolized as “masculinized” women, but the underlying patriarchal values of El Salvadoran society continue into the post-war era. Therefore, the issue of gender roles continues define some of the myths of “feminism” that have been historically defined as part of the women’s movement in the FMNL during the revolution....
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...Power Feminism In accordance with feminist views, the stronger sex has always oppressed a woman. At some point, this movement arose for the purpose of equalization of the rights of men and women. First, the woman was weak, and then she became equal. But over time, this also was not enough. The next logical step was to become strong and powerful. That is what “power feminism” seeks. But does it accord with long-standing principles of feminism and feminism at all? Feminism is a social and political movement, which goal is the elimination of gender discrimination and the fight against the sexism. In recent centuries Women’s Movement in America made several shifts in understanding the women’s role and place in the society. Looking in depth, the movement stands up for two ideologically different ideas. Liberal feminism comprises the idea that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities due to being equal human creatures. On the other hand, cultural feminism denies the equal nature of men and women; therefore, they must separately have different roles in the society. In spite of such an ambiguity, the main adherent point in those ideologies is that men must not suppress or violate women and...
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...Liberal Feminism and Radical Feminism The goal of feminism as both a social movement and political movement is to make women and men equal not only culturally, but socially and legally. Even though there are various types of feminism that focus on different goals and issues, the ultimate end to feminism is abolishing gender inequality that has negative effects on women in our society. The issues and goals that a feminist may have are dependent on the social organization or the type of economic structure that is present. However, an ultimate end (a goal, achievement and/or accomplishment) would have to be social equality between men and women. This would mean the elimination of bias and discrimination towards women and the elimination of all forms of established hierarchy, whether it’s mandatory or enforced. The two types of feminist theories I have chose to compare are liberal feminism and radical feminism. Even though they seem to aim for the same objectives, in the following paragraphs, I will compare and prove that they are very different in the sense that liberal feminism is form of reform feminism and radical feminism is a form of resistance feminism. They are both strategically different, and they have different ideas and beliefs that are almost the opposite of each other, which revolve around the reasons of why gender inequality exists, why women are oppressed, and why gender inequality won’t be easily abolished. The differences between radical and liberal feminism...
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...political courage-a cynosure of resistance to institutions that would smother the free spirit and stifle the right to be different.” (Miller 13) I will be exploring how the present days views are reinforced; the dominant message of how a wedding should be and then how in some movies, the post-feminism is displayed which slightly alters this dominant image. I will be also exploring the mix of cultural traditions within the wedding to see how the structure is similar or drastically different. I will discuss Marx’s Materialism ideology aspect of the domination of the ruling class and explore the aspect of the base and superstructure with the mode of production/the system of economic relations within the institutions surrounding wedding ideology. Through close textual analysis, I will show the dominant ideology of the wedding industry as illustrated through media and the attitudes of various woman; comparing views of two extremes to the leading up to that of the dominant American wedding ideology of the industry and secondly, I will then contrast this structuralism to that of a few other cultural films to explore the obstacles as well as end result of the dominant media ideology. “Capitalism is not only an economic...
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...How I Met Your Mother Show and the Sexist Ideology The television show, How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM) was first aired on CBS television in the year 2005. Its airing continued until March 2014 with its different episodes eliciting a lot of public attention and curiosity partly because of the unique way in which its core theme was being passed to the audience. Throughout the TV show, Ted Mosby emerges as an unmatched main character. It is through the activities of Ted and his group of close friends that live in Manhattan that Ted manages to articulate to his daughter and son the various issues, activities, and challenges that he addresses as he falls in love with their mother – Ted’s wife. In this paper, I argue that the show has a sexist ideology that emphasizes the fact that women are easy to manipulate and can be used in any way that a man desires (Matterhorn 4-13; Capps 1-3). The sexist or feminist ideology is very dominant in the show. The relationship between Ted Mosby and other characters plays an important role in communicating critical love relationships in a comic way. The use of comedy greatly helps the film writers and actors to incorporate vital messages in a rather jovial manner. Issues that would otherwise be considered sensitive are therefore portrayed in a keen and very peculiar manner that also addresses the challenges and good experiences that people in relationships often experience. Indeed, Ted is a character in the CBS television show that is over focused...
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...Feminist Theories Liberal / Reformist Feminism * Concerned with civil rights and freedom of individuals * They believe that all human beings should have equal rights * Reformism is the progress towards equal rights and freedoms through gradual reforms * They feel that laws against sex discrimination will lead towards a rise in equal rights * Also they feel that changes in culture will help equality, e.g. stereotypes being abolished Sex and Gender * Like Ann Oakley liberal feminists find a difference between sex and gender; * Sex refers to biological differences * Gender refers to culturally constructed differences between masculine and feminine roles * While sex differences are fixed, gender is different for different cultures, this is the part Liberal feminists want to change * Want to promote equality in education and the media * Take political action to introduce anti-discriminatory laws * Liberal feminist criticise the Funtionalist views of Parsons, regarding the Instrumental and Expressive roles * They feel that men and women are equally capable of performing either role, however society is constructed to tell us which role to adhere to * Liberal feminists do have a consensus view on society – they accept that there are conflicts between men and women but argue that it’s a product of outdated attitudes Evaluation of liberal feminism * Experiments conducted by liberal feminists have produced evidence legitimising...
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...© Guillaume Herbaut © Guillaume Herbaut Feminism & FEMEN Abstract Through feminism protest, women have been trying to get equal rights to men for decades. Different movements have appeared through the years. Radical feminism is one of them. Where does it come from? What differences does it have from “classical” feminism? For a few years now, we can often see in the media pictures of those bare breasts women protesting, the FEMEN. Where do they come from? What are they fighting for, or against? In this paper, we will have a closer look at where from comes their movement and what defines their ideology in order to understand their message and what they protest against. Methodology For this work, I used what the FEMEN movement wrote, its manifesto and different articles, and tried to find feminist theories on radical feminism in order to understand the basis of the FEMEN movement. Table of content Abstract 2 Methodology 2 Introduction 4 What is radical feminism? 4 The notion of patriarchy 4 The Marxist feminism 5 The FEMEN movement 6 Brief history of the FEMEN movement 6 Bare breasts as a weapon 7 Manifesto 7 FEMEN 8 Ideology 8 Objective 8 Missions 8 Exigencies 8 Tactics: sextremism 8 Symbols 9 Structure and activity 9 Financing 9 Information 9 Controversy 9 Ethical points of view on feminism 10 Conclusion 10 Afterword 11 References 12 Introduction Already at the beginning of the 15th century, a woman, Christine...
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...changing their lives of countless men and women. Gender, Ideology, and Historical Change: Explaining the Women’s Movement was a great chapter because it explained and analyzed the change and causes of the women’s movement. Elaine Tyler May’s essay, Cold War Ideology and the Rise of Feminism and Women’s Liberation and Sixties Radicalism by Alice Echols both gave important but different opinions and ideas about the women’s movement. Also, the primary sources reflect a number of economic, cultural, political, and demographic influences on the women’s movement. This chapter really explains how the Cold War ideologies, other protests and the free speech movements occurring during this time helped spark the rise or the women’s right’s movements. In Cold War Ideology and the Rise of Feminism by Elaine Tyler May, May examines the impact of political changes on American families, specifically the relationship of a Cold War ideology and the ideal of domesticity in the 1960s. May believed that with security as the common thread, the Cold War ideology and the domestic revival reinforced each other. Personal adaption, rather than political resistance, characterized the era. However, postwar domesticity never fully delivered on its promises because the baby-boom children who grew up in suburban homes abandoned the containment ethos when they grew up. They challenged both the imperatives of the cold war and the domestic ideology that came with it. The first to criticize the status...
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