Premium Essay

The Feminist Movement Research Paper

Submitted By
Words 1915
Pages 8
mong the various struggles for equal rights that have characterized US history, the Feminist Movement has had a profound impact on American culture and politics (Hooks 2-3, 15). Perhaps the most compelling element of the Feminist Movement is the emergence of Black Feminism, which aimed to reshape the structure and direction of the movement (Burrell 9-10). Although the Black Feminist Movement reached its peak in the 1960’s and 70’s (Burrell 10), many attempts had been made previously by African American women to highlight the persistent oppression faced by their counterparts (Simien 2). Most notorious are the words of activists Sojourner Truth during the Civil War; as she repeated “Ain’t I a woman”, she sought to emphasize the racism, as well …show more content…
According to Simien and Crensaw, studies done by several scholars have only been able to focus “either on race or gender consciousness” (Simien 22, Crensaw 1244-1245); such approach does not allow them to examine the “multiple jeopardy” that black women face in American society (Burrell 10; Crensaw). This approach is apparent in Shingles study of “black consciousness” and political participation (76), in which he only considers ‘race consciousness’ among African Americans (89). Shingles does not distinguish the experiences of black women from black men but gives a rather general account with regard to black political participation (89-90). To the contrary, other scholars such as Gurin concentrate on ‘gender consciousness’, as she draws attentions mainly to how women identify themselves as ‘women’ (149). Gurin examines this specific identification by testing women’s reaction to statements such as “women’s place is in the home” and “men and women should have an equal role in running business, industry, and government”(149). In similar fashion, Andersen asks the exact same questions in her study in 1972, in order to examine to what degree the examined women would agree or disagree with the statements (449). Consequently, Gurin focuses only on gender consciousness by further measuring solely whether women identified with the “label women” and to what extent they thoughtfully did so(149). Gurin concludes that women are becoming increasingly aware of patriarchy and the disadvantages they face in terms of being subordinate to men on different social levels, but they also realize that they have the ability to gradually erase these inequalities

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Feminist Movement In America Research Paper

...Chustz 1 Sara Chustz Mrs. Cirigliano Literature and Composition III 3 April, 2015 Ms. Magazine and the Feminist Movement in America In 1920, a remarkable thing happened where women fought for their rights and were given the right to vote. The fight for this was a huge struggle and took many years before it was approved. Women had already started the feminist movement in America when they started fighting for any and all equality between men and women. Feminism is not just about women, many people think that since it’s called feminism it must be only having to do with women, but the truth is men can be feminists as well. Feminism is usually defined as being a belief or idea that men and women should be equal, in all ways. At this time, women...

Words: 1422 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Feminist Views on Rape

...------------------------------------------------- Feminist Stances on Rape ------------------------------------------------- Causes, Activism and Prevention [Author] Abstract Understanding the many different studies and work done by feminists regarding rape and sexual violence. Table of Contents Introduction…………………………………………………………….3 Anti-Rape Movement………………………………………………4 Feminist Perspective…………………………..…………………..7 Amelioration Vs. Backlash……………………………………...9 Conclusion………………………………………………………….…11 Bibliography……………………………………………….…………12 Introduction The definition of rape has been something of dispute for the last number of years. Rape usually is understood to involve some sort of sexual penetration of a person by force or without consent. Rape is committed more by males, usually on a female. In the last three decades, feminist have worked and studied rape with the collective agenda to work towards changing rape in a social and legal manor. Feminist thought and activism have challenges the myth that rape is rape, showing that it is a common experience among girls and women. Although feminists have different theories on why rape occurs, and how to eliminate it, they share the notion that rape is wrong and work towards learning and teaching about rape prevention. This paper will touch on the anti-rape movement, the feminist perspective, and different hypothesis in learning about the different feminist theories of rape. Anti-Rape Movement Feminists have been working for decades towards raising...

Words: 1571 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

African American

...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 racism, sexism and class oppression...

Words: 1725 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Porn in Canada

...During the 1950's there was a social movement against the pornography industry in Canada. Religious and Feminist groups were concerned about the harmful effects regarding the danger and degradation of women. The opposition to this movement was that pornography was a freedom of expression and sexual orientation. This brought about many political debates and controversies about what is ethically right and what is a personal freedom. This created many problems for the Canadian government on how to legislate pornography and up hold the Common Rights of Canada. First Legislation on Obscenity and Criminal Law In 1959 the Canadian government passed the first law regarding obscenity after a social movement by feminist groups. The Canadian law stated "For the purpose of the Act, any publication of a dominant characteristic of which is the undue exploitation of sex, and any one or more of the following subjects, namely, crime, horror, cruelty and violence shall be deemed obscene." The addition of this law did not settle the conflict between Liberals and Conservatives over the value of pornography and sex itself. Everything was based around one question: Were representations of sex socially and morally dangerous or sexually liberating? Feminist Movement During the 1980's another Feminist movement began because they felt the current law didn't do anything to protect women and it didn't criminalize pornography in any way. Feminist groups argued that pornography oppressed women and...

Words: 1804 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Feminism: Implications of Language in Organisational Theory.

...may choose a particular industry or occupation to illustrate your argument). Introduction to the feminist movement: In an constantly evolving society, theories of work organisations have undergone drastic changes over the past few decades (Tosi 2009). Organisational theory developed from the work of Taylor and Weber (Reed & Ross-Smith 1994) along with the management theory of Mintzberg (Bartram 2005). The application of these concepts needed to change to reflect the desires and expectations of the current working demographic. The ‘highly visible’ (Stanley & Wise 2000) feminist or women’s movements, particularly in developed countries throughout the past century, have allowed women to enjoy substantially increased levels of equality and the ability to enter male-dominated occupations which their predecessors could not. Modern philosophers such as Foucault and de Saussure (Kelemen & Rumens 2008) have been considering one facet of ‘poststructuralism’ (Tosi 2009, p. 263), leading to a new stream of though on the implications of language interpretation. Modern poststructuralist feminists such as McNay and Weedon (as cited in Kelemen & Rumens 2008) have been debating ways in which to instigate and enhance a shift from a male-centric organisation compositions towards a more female conscious approach. Modern philosophical approaches on structure have aided in the application of feminist theories to the organisational and managerial literature but as some critics argue: at the expense...

Words: 2245 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

America History

... WOMEN IN AMERICA 2 ! In the history of the world, women have ruled the world, shaped the world, and changed the world and in the United States, women have had a storied and grand history that has evolved the role of women from typical housewife to leaders of women's rights movements and has shown their true worth and true potential to their male counterparts. In this paper, I will be talking about six key events and time periods that have changed not just women's history but the overall history a nation. Three of these events and time periods will be before 1930 and three of them will be after 1930 to give the reader an overall sense of the evolution of the role women have played. The events that I will be talking about are the roles that women played in World War One beginning in 1914, the second historic event is the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote, the third time period I will be talking about before 1930 is that of the roaring 1920s. After 1930, the changes were still happening for women and World War II was a major point in the evolution of what it means to be a woman, this time period was quickly followed by the baby boom. The final time period I will discuss is the Feminist Movement in the 1960s and how those efforts have led to a lasting impression of who women are in today's modern era. WOMEN IN AMERICA Annotated Bibliography: Rochman, H. (2001). Those extraordinary women of world war I. The Booklist, 98(6), 564-564. Retrieved from http://search.proquest...

Words: 1613 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Masculism and Feminism

...Philosophical Paper: Defending Men Through the Study of Masculism and Explaining 3rd Wave Feminism Further Submitted by: Xiayra Mae B. Magtibay 1LM2 Submitted to: Mr. Emmanuel De Leon Abstract This paper will be discussing gender equality through further explanation of Masculism and 3rd Wave Feminism by depending on essays and articles made by 3rd Wave Feminists and the philosophies of Plato. This paper will be pointing out the objectives of Masculism and Feminism and their similarities. This paper will also attempt to explain that the demands of both genders can be met. Defnition of Terms * Masculism: is a movement that advocates for the rights, equality and dignity of the male sex in an egalitarian framework. * Egalitarian: believing in the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities * Feminism: the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men and an organized movement for the attainment of such rights for women. * Misandrist: a person who hates men * Gender : the state of being male or female * Gender Roles: is a theoretical construct in the social sciences and humanities that refers to a set of social and behavioural norms that, within a specific culture, are widely considered to be socially appropriate for individuals of a specific sex. * Gender Equality: is the measurable equal representation of women and men. Gender equality does not imply that women...

Words: 3062 - Pages: 13

Premium Essay

Female Genital Mutilation Theoretical Analysis

...rights. Hehir explains how the 2004 Female Genital Mutilation Act, a legislation to criminalize FGM in the United Kingdom, is indicative of the the way anti-FGM leaders impede on women’s autonomy. To support this claim, the article outlines how the government has the power to remove passports, restrict movement and inspect the genitals of young “at risk” girls. Through the use of up to date statistics, Hehir demonstrates the prevalence of circumcised women currently living in the United Kingdom who she believes are in need of support regarding their access to personal...

Words: 1215 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Women and the Inequalities of the Art World

...need to explore these inequalities to see if they still exist and how this may impact on other young artists. The research methods that I chose were interview, statistical analysis and content analysis, which would provide me qualitative results, as well as quantitative by being able to collect data and statistics. Originally, I planned on conducting a focus group discussion, however as my project progressed, I decided on content analysis as it allowed me to observe a variety of sources and immerse myself in the art world. By choosing an interview I was able to gain insightful knowledge from four females who were either art curators or historians and one male who is an art historian. This gave me qualitative results as I was able to receive in-depth answers from numerous people and allowed and exploration of my cross-cultural by interviewing both genders and gaining their perspectives on this. However, there were some limitations such as by completing my interviews through e-mail, I was not able to ask any follow up questions for answers to be further elaborated. Additionally I only had one interview with a male and four with females, which may cause more perspectives from females and thus, a gender bias. By conducting interviews it supported my secondary research on the representation of women and by interviewing art historians it allowed me to have more research from people who have relevant and experienced knowledge on the topic. My second...

Words: 5041 - Pages: 21

Premium Essay

Misuse of Women Protection Laws

...empowering women and hence the feminist movement. This research project aims to comprehend and analyze the very essence of Feminism in terms of the 3rd wave and in Indian context. It also analyses the myths associated with feminism and the flaws which lead to the ambiguity in the whole concept of feminism. Further, the paper discusses as to whether the term “feminism” can be brought under one general definition or there is much more to it.   INTRODUCTION DEFINITION "A woman should be barefoot, pregnant and chained to a stove," stated Ben Glantz, a high school senior. Drew Pershing, another senior, also shared a joke, "What does a woman do after she leaves a battered shelter? The dishes...if she knows what's good for her!" Daily jokes and comments such as these, no matter how harmless, are detrimental to the status of women and a dangerous undermining of their accomplishments. Shared by both genders, sexually discriminative comments are widely accepted in society as normal and harmless. "I didn't mean anything by that; I was just kidding," whimpered Ben Glantz after receiving several cold stares from young women who overheard his bashing, sexist comment. The word ‘Feminism’ seems to refer to an intense awareness of identity as a woman and interest in feminine problems. The subjugation of woman is a central fact of history and it is the main cause of all psychological disorders in society. Feminism is basically a collection of movements and ideologies aimed at defining...

Words: 5715 - Pages: 23

Free Essay

Discourses of Standpoint Feminism in Ir

...0 Term Paper Discourses of Standpoint Feminism in International Relations Shipra Shukla M.Phil Student Subject: Advanced International Relations Theories Department of Political Science University of Delhi 1 1. 1 Introduction Feminism can be simply defined as the study of and movement for women not as subjects but as subjects of knowledge. During the 1980s, feminism and the role of gender have gained entry in the study of international relations. Prior to this feminism was greatly ignored. However, over the last decade, feminism has emerged as a key critical perspective within the study of international relations. The initial thrust of this critique was to challenge the fundamental biases of the discipline and to highlight the ways in which women were excluded from analyses of the state, international political economy, and international security. According to O'Callaghan (2002) feminism in international relations can be framed in two main domains. The first wave of feminist scholarship in the 1980s is now called feminist empiricism; in which international relations scholars have sought to reclaim women’s hidden voices and to expose the multiplicity of roles that women play in sustaining global economic forces and state interactions. For example, women’s participation and involvement facilitate tourism, colonialism, and economically powerful states’ domination of weak states. The maintenance of the international political economy depends upon stable political and...

Words: 2805 - Pages: 12

Free Essay

Issue Analysis

...Issue Analysis Child rearing and career pursuit are commonplace during early adulthood although men and women experience the two differently for obvious reasons. Women have the biological requirement to carry the growing child during pregnancy and giving birth. Nature also wired women with a maternal instinct to nurture and care for their children. Biology places women in a position that often puts them at odds with their career objectives. The level of success of the feminist movement to place women on an equal platform in the workplace with men is debatable. Further, whether professional women are opting out of the workplace by choice or are forced out by socio-cultural pressures is in question. Some observers suggest that the feminist movement has not gone far enough whereas others suggest that the movement has already served its purpose. In this paper, I examine the pros and cons on either side of the issue. I will also explore optional roles adults may adopt through their primary roles as parent, spouse, or through career pursuits. Often professional women leave their careers giving family priority. However, the rationale that drives that choice is debatable. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Pro Side Linda Hirschman in an article titled “Homeward Bound,” takes the position that while publicly and professionally attitudes toward women’s roles have changed allowing them greater opportunity in the business world. However, Hirschman (2005 p. 341) notes “private lives have...

Words: 1475 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Women and Communications

...Matt Klaus Professor Firestone Com 4030 4 March 2012 Feminist Criminology, Aileen Wuornos, and the Future of Third Wave Feminism Crime committed by women is on the rise, especially in the area of violent crimes such as murder (Balfour’ 739). This has produced a new form of feminist studies in an area called feminist criminology. What hasn’t been studied as extensively is the question of why women kill. I argue that by using the individuality concept of third wave feminism and doing more research in the field of feminist criminology, patterns of criminal behavior may be established which may prevent severe female crime such as murder. This paper seeks to explain how advancing the study of feminist criminology is good for the U.S. legal system and could have changed the outcome for Aileen Wuornos. In this paper I will discuss what third wave feminism is, then I will discuss what feminist criminology is and how it applies to the Aileen Wuornos case, and lastly I will show that with advanced studies into the field of feminist criminology, odds of severe crimes committed by women could decrease. The third wave of feminism is not easily describable. However, it can be framed by saying that it is a movement that continues to advance the women’s rights agenda of the second wave (Zimmerman et al. 77). Unlike the second wave which was intended to give a voice to all women, the third wave tends to reflect more on the individual. By focusing on personal narratives, responsible...

Words: 1769 - Pages: 8

Free Essay

Empowerment

...women's movement has been engaged with over 25 years.THE National Policy for the Empowerment of Women 2001, is an attempt to institutionalise the gains of women's movements across the country. Taking the Constitution as its point of departure, the National Policy outlines the historical context within which it is located, which interestingly, is the historical context of the women's movement as well: the international conferences from Mexico (1975) through Nairobi (1985) to Beijing (1995) and the follow up on Beijing; the women's movement and the widespread network of non-government organisations with a mass base; the landmark "Status of Women" documents in the country - Towards Equality and Shramshakti. The objectives and goals of the National Policy include the creation of an enabling environment for women through economic and social policies, active protection of rights, equal access to decision making and social sector needs, strengthening institutional support systems and legal machinery, and forging partnerships within civil society. In short, the active and committed elimination of all forms of discrimination against all women. These objectives, the Policy affirms will be realised through a review and formulation of positive measures in the judicial legal system, decision making, through the economic and social empowerment of women. A cursory reading of the Policy gives the impression that it is a feminist charter. A feeling that we have a government with a feminist imagination...

Words: 1552 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

What Role Does Masculinity Play In Violence

...Violence from a gender view what role does masculinity play in Ethiopia context. Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Main concepts in feminist approach 3. Hegemonic masculinity theory 4. The subculture of violence in peace and conflict 5. The perception on gender versus sex in Ethiopia 6. Gendered dynamics of violence 6.1 Masculinities and violence 6.2 Femininities and violence 7. Conclusion 8. References   1. Introduction The paper critically evaluate the theory which claims that violence has a strong gender dimension and what role does masculinity play in violence. There are feminist theories and assumptions regarding the societal construction of gender, as it is divided into two major categories...

Words: 4327 - Pages: 18