...Across the world, humankind is synonymous about the fear of the big F-word: feminism. This fear generally emanates from the misconception about the true definition about the people supporting this movement. The definition of feminism has been distorted over the years, molded to fit the stereotype of a “feminist”. Feminist: A person who believes in the social, political, economic, equality of the sexes. A feminist is often associated with the stereotype of an irate, manipulating man-hater although, only the few minority actually fall into this generalization. Feminists can come in all sizes: ebony, white, Asian, female, male, European, masculine, feminine etc. Many people do not understand the significance of feminism in our world and to do...
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...Assess the contribution of feminist sociologists to an understanding of family roles and relationships. In this essay I will explore the different schools of feminism such as Marxist, liberal and radical feminism, who share the view that women are oppressed in a patriarchal society but differ in opinion on who benefits from the inequalities. Each school of feminism has their own understanding of family roles and relationships which I will assess through this essay. Firstly one must look at the division of domestic labour and conjugal roles. Conjugal roles refer to the roles performed by men and women in relation to housework, childcare and paid work. Traditionally men had the instrumental ‘bread-winning’ role which the women had the expressive role (childcare and primary socialisation). Feminists say that the traditional division of labour is neither natural nor beneficial to women as their expressive role is unpaid and taken for granted. However different feminist views disagree on who benefits from this unpaid labour. Marxist feminists would argue it is capitalism that benefits most as wives keep their husbands happy and therefore they are left with a content workforce. On the other hand, radical feminists would argue that men are the main people to gain from women’s oppression as we live in a patriarchal society. A functionalist view from Wilmott and Young says that there has been a ‘march of progress’ in which the family has become more symmetrical with more joint conjugal...
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...of my brain. Therefore I am left to hypothesize in conjecture to what feminist claim feminism is. In Roxane Gay’s essay, “Bad Feminist” she claims that, “Essential feminism suggest anger, humorlessness, militancy, unwavering principles, and a prescribed set of rules for how to be a proper feminist… This is nowhere near an accurate description of feminism, but the movement has been warped by misperception for so long that even people who should know better have bought into this essential image of feminism” (Gay 169). Here we have what started off to be a clear and distinctive definition of feminism, and then quickly dissolved. Which leaves me to wonder, do feminist actually know what feminism is, or are women just formulating opinions about their personal struggle and labeling it feminism? Surely I am to believe that it is both, and that feminism is too ambiguous to be understood, and be of any concern. Nevertheless there seems to be multiple definitions of feminism, a more economical definition is presented by a woman named Elizabeth Wurtzel who asserts that, “real feminists earn a living, have money and means of their own” (qt’d in Gay 169). Does this mean when someone who earns a living, has money and a mean of their own are feminist? Or do they have to be strictly female with the addition of this definition? Because I, a male, earn a living, have money and means of my own. So does this make me a feminist? Or in this case does it take a male pronoun meninist? If so, I must...
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...Hana Davis PHIL 1010 4/26/2012 Commonplace Book XII-Man Child For parents, regardless of sexual identity and preference raising children has its obstacles. There are many situations/circumstances parents have to deal with regarding raising children. In the essay Man Child: A Black Lesbian Feminist Response, Audre Lorde gives her point of view regarding raising her children-specifically her young male son Jonathan. This essay reveals that despite the obstacles of raising children, regardless of what type of relationship couples are in, most parents want to raise children who possess the balance of being caring, independent and strong. Our daughters have us, for measure or rebellion, or outline or dream; but the sons of lesbians have to make their own definitions of self as men. Heterosexual couples aren’t the only couples who worry about the development of their children. In the essay Man Child: A Black Lesbian Feminist Response, Audre Lorde, a black writer, lesbian, and feminist describes the obstacles of raising her two children. She specifically explores the obstacles of raising her fourteen year old son Jonathan. Lorde realizes that because she is a woman and in a lesbian relationship, her daughter has a guide/outline of how to be a woman but her son will have to define who he is as a man. She also realizes that in being a lesbian she can teach her son survival instincts and acceptance, but she cannot layout what he needs to be a man. Women are taught at a young age...
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...Should Mary Wollstonecraft and Hannah More be defined as feminists? Like any ideology, there is not a defining answer as to what feminism means. The Oxford English Dictionary defines feminism as the “advocacy of equality of the sexes and the establishment of the political, social, and economic rights of the female sex”. The term ‘feminist’ itself has been used in the United Kingdom since the 1880s but it’s philosophy had been dated back centuries before. Since then it’s meaning has evolved into different branches from radical feminism to liberal feminism for example, and is used on a political platform. It is fact that both Mary Wollstonecraft and Hannah More are examples of women who philosophised about women’s rights and their place in society. They both produced published works discussing women in society focused upon educational reform, and many have debated the extent to which they should be considered feminists. However, although their views contradicted each other, based on the modern day definition of feminism, both Wollstonecraft and More should be considered feminists for numerous reasons. Firstly, it is indisputable that Mary Wollstonecraft was a feminist and even as far to be considered as the “founder of western feminism”. In Wollstonecraft’s writings, a new female value is consciously introduced and effectively infused into a movement across the late eighteenth century. There are many books that focus on Wollstonecraft’s thought alone as they all depict the influences...
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...I haven’t always identified as a feminist, I previously conflated feminism with misandry, and that prevented me from embracing the term. After researching the topic I realized it was about the equity of the sexes, and any political or social actions based in that belief. I realized I wanted to be a feminist, but I wasn’t sure how to as the only ideas I had of what a feminist should be like were based upon stereotypes. Do I have to stop shaving and throw away my bras? Do I need to become an extrovert? I have decided is that being a feminist woman consists of knowing yourself, being excepting of individual differences and practicing female solidarity. No one can tell you how to identify. For example I remember being in middle school when...
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...Self-proclaimed lesbian Chicano Feminist, Gloria Anzaldua unfolds her tailored views on linguistic identity in her essay “How to Tame a Wild Tongue”. As a child growing up in south Texas to Mexican immigrant parents, Anzaldua found herself questioning her teacher’s unfair treatment of Spanish speakers at her school. Her essay continues by dissecting her problem of creating a self-identity through language in a suffocating Anglo-Saxon environment. Anzaldua’s main claim is that the strength of her Chicano roots over power any attempt to uproot her linguistic culture. Anzaldua’s self-identity is shaped through language by her writing style, evidence of robbed freedom and strong culture. In order to properly analyze Anzaldua’s text I will examine her use of language. After reading her essay it is evident that she manipulates her use of English and Spanish in order to raise a reaction from her reader. Linguistic use also drives home her thesis of a strong culture shaping self-identity. The next top of dissection will be Anzaldua’s person identity. As a feminist, she definitely uses language as a tool to express who she is as a person. She feels as though language robs her of her freedom to completely express herself. Lastly, I will examine the magnitude of Chicano culture. Much like a magnetic pull, Spanglish draw’s its culture participants in and gives the speakers an ultimatum: either speak Spanish or be considered a traitor. Each of the topics are thread that weave together...
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...The idea of exploring what is masculinity is an exercise mostly conducted by white, heterosexual men in North American and European societies (Blais and Dupuis-Déri, 2012), and seems to be based around the ramifications of feminism and the historic domination of women, both in public and private spheres (Petersen, 1998). Indeed, Petersen (1998) recalls that the basic assumption of the spokesmen for masculinity is that women, women’s values in general and feminist in particular, dominate men and the male identity. With men currently engaged in an identity crisis where they often depict themselves as victims of feminist struggles (Blais and Dupuis-Déri, 2012; Faludi, 1992). Often this crisis has led to warning that the feminist movement has...
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...BIOGRAPHY Virginia Woolf, an English author, feminist, essayist and critic, was born on January 25th, 1882 to Sir Leslie Stephen, the editor of Dictionary of National Biography, and Madam Julia Prinsep Stephen, a nurse who published a book on nursing. Virginia’s maiden name was Adeline Virginia Woolf. She grew up in an atmosphere conducive to her future career as a writer since her father, Leslie Stephen, was a respected and well-known intellectual and writer. Although she was not sent to a university as her brothers, she was able to educate herself thoroughly by delving into the volumes of her father's vast library. Woolf grew up during a period of intense feminist activity in London and was an active member of various women's organizations. By the time she came into her own as a writer, significant advances had been made in women's rights. By 1918, a limited franchise had been granted to women in England. During the interwar period, Woolf was a significant figure in London literary society and a member of the Bloomsbury Group. Her mother’s sudden death in 1885 and that of Stella, her sister whom she looked up to as a mother were the catalysts for Virginia’s mental breakdown. Modern scholars have suggested that her mental breakdown and subsequent recurring depression were as a result of the sexual abuse which she and her sister Vanessa were subjected to by their half brothers, George and Gerald Duckworth. Virginia married Leonard Woolf, a journalist, in 1912 and they collaborated...
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...semester, we have studied different theories and texts presenting ethics and feminist ethics contextualized within a variety of issues. While modern philosophers such as Mill and Kant have taken an approach to ethical questions that is more rule-based, their ancient counterparts (namely, Plato and Aristotle) have taken an approach to ethics that relies more on character and ethical way of being (Landes, 2013). The former attempts to create a set of rules which we can apply to our actions whereas the latter argues that rather than creating a system of ethics, we ought to focus on the very character of people; adopting good habits of character will lead us to doing was is right and what is essential for us to be a fully happy...
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...Responsibility February 3, 2014 Many argue that pornography is degrading, and believed that it denigrates women and in some cases even men. Feminists argue that it’s harmful to society promoting rape, violence, and sex discrimination. Pornography is often seen by others as an erotic art that has been around for thousands of years. Technology today makes access to pornography very easy by video, text, and the internet. Pornography raises many moral questions, but mainly, are pornographic materials morally offensive or not? The ethical issues pertaining to pornography are abundant, considering protecting personal privacy, computer crimes, materialism and cultural expansionism. Anti-pornographic believe that it’s immoral and that pornography should be censor. Pro-pornographic, believe to be education and inspirational, and argue that by taking away the constitutional rights are begging violated. Even though there are many different opinions about pornography, does not seem to be an accurate definition. Some argue that porn is violent, portrays unequal power in sexual relations and showing that many of its acts are judged as immoral. What does pornography mean in the dictionary? Pornography stems from the Greek word porno, meaning prostitutes and the word graphos meaning writing. Pornography is defined to include the definition of actual sexual contact, meaning hard core, and portrayal of merely nudity. Within society many consider sex itself as evil, and disgusting...
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...How feminists are awful for gender equality Now I know what you're thinking “How dare you talk badly about feminism, you white cis male!” Look i'm not bashing feminism, because the concept of feminism itself is a good concept. Feminism by definition is “the advocacy of women's rights on the ground of political, social, and economic equality to men.” What I will be talking specifically is “third-wave feminism.” (which was coined by Rebecca Walker in her 1992 essay titled “Becoming the Third Wave.)” Now for those of which who do not know what “third-wave feminism” is, allow me to explain what I have gathered and experienced. In my eyes “Third-wave feminism” is like cancer, it spreads and grows and takes over different parts of a fully functioning system and eventually killing it. But in the average “third-wave feminist” eyes, they think that they are helping gender equality by...
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...word was just beginning to be transformed by the LGBT community and reclaimed as a term for empowerment rather than a term of abuse directed at the community. The term queer has gone through many shifts in definition since it’s original use to mean “unusual”, “odd”, or “abnormal”, and it is expected it will continue shifting as societal needs change. It has even been argued that putting an accurate definition on the term queer means to limit its potential in ushering...
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...“Canada is an unknown territory for the people who live in it, and I’m not talking about the fact that you may not have taken a trip to the Arctic or to Newfoundland, you may not have explored as the travel folders have it – This Great Land of Ours. I’m talking about Canada as a state of mind, as the space you inhabit not just with your body but with your head. It’s that kind of space in which we find ourselves lost. What a lost person needs is a map of the territory, with his own position marked on it so he can see where he is in relation to everything else. Literature is not only a mirror; it is also a map, a geography of the mid. Our literature is one such map, if we can learn to read it as our literature, as the product of who and where we have been. We need such a map desperately; we need to know about here, because here is where we live. For the members of a country or culture, shared knowledge of their place, their here, is not a luxury but a necessity. Without that knowledge we will not survive.” Margaret Atwood, Survival As Atwood’s statement demonstrates, Canadian literature is concerned with place and displacement, and with the development of an effective identifying relationship between self and environs. Canada’s literature whether written in English or French reflects three main parts of Canadian experience. First, Canadian writers often emphasize the effects of climate and geography on the life and work of their people. Second, frontier’s...
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...say that his theories still evoke a considerable amount of debate to this day. Out of all of Freud’s theories, however, it can be argued that his views on women and feminine psychology are the most controversial. The debate between Freud and feminists has been well documented through the writings of many authors. The Enigma of Women is one of several books that have been published that analyzes the issues between Freud and feminism. In The Enigma of Women, Sarah Kofman comments on Freud’s prediction that feminists would take to the warpath against his writings on the women arguing that Freud’s theories are “rife” with masculine prejudice (11). Other credible books, such as Samuel Slipp’s The Freudian Mystique raise important questions on Freud’s theories of feminism. Why did Freud make such grossly biased and incorrect statements about women, while in other areas he was a very perceptive and accurate observer? Slipp argues that it was Freud’s genius and his monumental discoveries in other areas of mental functioning that lent credibility to his theories on women (12). Some of the earliest disagreements about Freud’s feminine psychology had been voiced by the German female psychoanalyst Karen Horney. Horney composed a series of essays between 1922 and 1935 arguing against...
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