Feminist Movement of the 1970s
Ending the "The Problem with No Name"
The Golden Age of marriage and family, the 1950s, was statistically a time when most women married and few divorced (Smith, lecture notes). On the surface, American society seemed to be content with the status quo; however, the existence of pervasive racial and gender inequality was preventing the oppressed from fully taking part in the Golden Age, let alone enjoying full citizenship.
Women in the 1950's began to suspect their happiness might depend on factors other than marriage, home, and three and a half children (Smith, lecture notes). Alcohol and valium were helping women find some relief from their unrealized dreams and unrelenting melancholia, in their role as domestic servants. With most of society expecting women to be happy as wife and homemaker this pervasive sense of unfulfillment became known as the "problem with no name." When the poet Ann Sexton…...
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References
Rosen, Ruth. (2000). The World Split Open. How the Modern Women's Movement Changed America. New York: Viking.
Tinker's analysis brings into fore the issue of women subjugation in Catholicism in general, regardless of the cultural context in which Catholicism is applied. Unlike Robert's case, Tinker's presented the other side of the coin, a case in point that explains why there are feminist constructions around the relationship between gender and religion, specifically of Catholicism and its female followers. From the last case, a feminist reading is negotiated, wherein the author questioned the roles imposed upon women by Catholicism. Robert's case further intensified the need to answer Tinker's question, for there actually exists cultures wherein women are not subjugated, but instead, assumed significant roles and functions in their communities. This contrast between two cases under the same religion, Catholicism, illustrated that there is a special need for women whose roles remained relegated to being subordinate to males and still subjected to the rules of patriarchy.
A feminist reading of Tinker's…...
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Bibliography
Pears, a. (2006). "The problematization of feminisms and feminist informed theologies in the twenty-first century." Political Theology, Volume 7.
Robert, D. (2006). "World Christianity as a Women's Movement." International Bulletin of Missionary Research, Vol. 30, No. 4.
Tinker, T. (2006). "Response to Roundtable Discussion: Native/First Nation Theology." Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion.
Vaggione, J. (2005). "Reactive politicization and religious dissidence: the political mutations of the religious." Social Theory and Practice, Vol. 31, No. 2.
Feminism
The feminist movement, like many other social movements in American history, has become tainted and infected by the negative opinions of those within and without the feminist circle. Stereotypes have been a significant hindrance as well as motivational factor to the feminist movement. One way in which stereotypes are interwoven with feminism is the stereotypes about women that have been held long and hard in Western culture which gave birth to the movement through necessity. Other ways in which stereotypes are strongly interlinked with feminism are the stereotypes that are held by society regarding feminist culture in specific, and the stereotypes that are held by many people that identity as feminists regarding other cultures and social groups. Additionally, specific stereotypes about women in certain social and ethnic groups, such as African-American women and Indian women, have greatly affected their role in the women's rights movements and their place as feminists.
Feminist Art as Evolution Rather Than as a Movement
Feminist art as a named movement evolved in the context of the late 1960's early 1970's political climate. The movement contextually cannot be separated from larger civil rights movements and specifically those relating to women; like the sexual revolution, the women's liberation movement, and the formation and growth of groups like the National Organization for omen. Strictly speaking there can be no real separation of the feminist art movement from the civil rights movements in its context because so much of art of the era acted as the voice and vision of the messages of the movements as a whole. Though there are of coarse exceptions to this rule art as a whole during this period was a demonstrative agent for social change.
In this analysis of both feminist art and its contextual school of thought, during the civil rights era I will…...
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Works Cited
Norma Broude and Mary D. Garrard eds., The Power of Feminist Art, (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. 1994)
Lucy R. Lippard, The Pink Glass Swan: Selected Feminist Essays on Art, (New York: The New Press, 1995)
Ana Mendieta "Siluetta" 1976 series Photograph by artist of site specific work in Mexico seen in Lucy R. Lippard, The Pink Glass Swan: Selected Feminist Essays on Art, (New York: The New Press, 1995) 56.
Cindy Nemser, Art Talk: Conversations with 15 Women Artists, Revised ed. (New York: IconEditions, 1995).
Adultery and any sort of infidelity turns out to be a different story for men as Rosenthal stresses: "prohibition against adultery is not about property, pregnancy, misdirected male desire, or bloodlines, as one might have thought, but about the prevention of female comparison" (Rosenthal, 2008) as sharing men would be established by the size of their sexual organs.
A recurrent theme in the play from a gender perspective relates to the fact that the play is generally a patriarchal type of play in which paternal figures are predominant and the evolution of the other characters is a direct result of this way of using power. The women in this play, especially Doralice and Melantha are victimized as women had lesser rights to speak their minds or act according to their decisions. The paternalistic environment is also observed in the way Palamede and Rhodophil behave, as all four of them find…...
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Bibliography
Denman, J. (2008) "Too hasty to stay": Erotic and Political Timing in Marriage a la Mode. Restoration: Studies in English Literary Culture, 1660-1700, Volume 32, Number 2, pp. 1-23
Dryden, J. (1981) Marriage a la Mode. University of Nebraska Press
Frank, M. (2002) Gender, Theatre, and the Origins of Criticism: From Dryden to Manley. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Hansen, C. (1993) Woman as Individual in English Renaissance Drama: A Defiance of the Masculine Code. New York: Peter Lang
" Cultural and social differences, then, between men and women are not so much reflections of differing social roles and expectations as they are reflections of basic genetic differences between men and women..." (Groenhout 51)
3.1. The family
To understand this criticism of feminism and the reaction to the attack on female domesticity, one has to know something about the background that initiated this reaction. This refers especially to the view of the family as a valued institution central to the structure of society that is in decline throughout the world.
A number or critics note how the feminist view and the "new" role of women in society has negatively affected the family. This has resulted as well in many feminists turning against the more radical views of feminism as they feel that they endanger the integrity of the family and family life. As one critic notes, "From the early days of…...
Abrams, Kathryn. "From Autonomy to Agency: Feminist Perspectives on Self-Direction." William and Mary Law Review 40.3 (1999): 805. Questia. 14 Nov. 2008 http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5001258482 .
Kozol W. Fracturing Domesticity: Media, Nationalism, and the Question of Feminist Influence. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, vol. 20, no. 3, 1995.
Is Feminist Theory an Independent Social Theory?IntroductionAs itzer (2011) notes, a starting point of agreement among nearly all varieties of feminist theory is an understanding of gender as a social construction, something not emanating from nature but created by people as part of the processes of group life (p. 455). This is an important point because it provides the framework or underlying fundamental principle of feminist theory: it is a critical response to traditional concepts of gender, advanced by the revolutionary framework of feminist thinkers and activists like Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem (The Feminine Mystique and Ms. Magazine, respectively). Without the existence of traditional religious and cultural-based (i.e., Christian, Jewish, Muslim, East-Asian) values regarding gender, feminist theory would not exist, as it is a reaction to and often an attack on traditional views of gender. Today, for example, adherents of feminist theory position themselves against so-called conservatives who would…...
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ReferencesKhalifa, R., & Scarparo, S. (2021). Gender Responsive Budgeting: A tool for gender equality. Critical Perspectives on Accounting, 79, 102183.Ritzer, G. (2011). Sociological theory. McGraw-Hill.
As such, she fails to address the central problem of feminism in the Pontellier perspective, namely the impossibility of female individuality and independence in a patriarchal world. It is only in isolation that Edna can find any happiness, and she must make this isolation more and more complete in order to maintain her happiness, as the patriarchy has a means of encroaching on all populated areas, and Wollstonecraft's feminism does not offer an alternative to this need to escape humanity.
A final snort of disgust might be distinctly heard from Edna Pontellier upon her reading of this line of Wollstonecraft's, afterwards she might likely have flung the text aside (or into the fireplace, depending on the season): "Pleasure is the business of woman's life, according to the present modification of society" (ch. 4, par. 10). What Wollstonecraft means is that women are thought to be so fragile, so emotional, and…...
Hammer, Colleen. To Be Equal or Not to Be Equal: The Struggle for Women's Rights as Argued by Mary Wollstonecraft and Christina Rossetti. UCC [working paper].
Heilmann, Ann. The Awakening and New Woman cition.
In the 1986 Demme-directed film, Lulu/Audrey captures and upsets the mundane life of Charlie Driggs, bringing madcap spontaneity through her female dizziness. But in Ridley Scott's female road epic, Thelma must escape the madcap, silly housewife persona that leads her into a bad situation during the opening cowboy dance scene that nearly results in a rape. Thelma becomes toughed for the better by the proximity of the character of Louise and gaining a new outlook on female empowerment.
Audrey was also married, like Thelma, to a violent man named Ray. Her chosen protector Charlie finds the ray of his own manhood by saving Audrey, after she has playfully abducted this uptight yuppie from his rote, miserable job and dull daily existence. This suggests that men can rescue women from the tyrannies of patriarchy in exchange for female lightness and delights. But both the personas of Thelma and Louise suggest in their…...
Racial identity plays a strong role in the definition of self; Lorde recognized the importance of racial identity even in the struggle for gender equality. Her argument implicitly supports Jones' assertion that racial equality is "prior" to the cause of gender equality for African-American women. The implicit argument is that feminism could not be a united force because white women did not have the ability through their institutionalized advantages to cogently appreciate the tribulations of African-American women. As a result, there could never have been unity in the first place. In understanding this key point, the justification for African-American unity and the subjugation of the black feminist movement appears to be a more appealing strategy.
A final poignant comparison and relationship between the greater struggle for racial equality and black feminism rests in the internal conflict within African-American culture. One of the greatest ironies of the Civil Rights movement is…...
omen's Studies
Feminist Third ave publications: Reflection
One of the most striking aspects of Bitch Magazine is the plethora of topics it addresses. 'omen's issues' are clearly no longer confined to concerns narrowly pertaining to sexuality and gender. Somewhat 'expected' topics such as lesbianism on Glee are also paired with thoughtful articles on women and film and a positive article about how romance is presented in the culture on Valentine's Day. Rather than simply condemning the popular media, Bitch is interested in how it can be appropriated and used to express feminist ends. Or, conversely, how apparently feminist aspects of popular culture many not be as clearly manifest as one might suspect.
Diversity is clearly the watchword of modern feminism. There is no longer a feminist orthodoxy of behavior and belief. Rather than focusing on politics alone, questions of how identity is manifested are of equal concern. There is a series in Bitch…...
Half the Sky from a Feminist Perspective
In the last sixty years, women in estern countries and to a lesser extent the rest of the world have become outspoken about women's rights, demanding equal rights in political, economic, cultural, social, and domestic spheres. Their struggles and activism, generally known as feminist movements, helped to elevate the status of women in many countries. Yet, as Nicholas D. Kristoff and Sheryl udunn document in their book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for omen orldwide, the struggle for gender equality is far from over. Kristoff and udunn demonstrate the deeply troubling picture of gender relations around the world where women and girls are systematically subjected to brutality, mistreatment, and discrimination. In their attempt to expose gender inequality in the world, Kristoff and udunn are largely successful, but their analysis is not well-grounded in feminist scholarship, which weakens their argumentation.
Kristoff and udunn set…...
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Works Cited:
Einstein, Zillah. Global Obscenities: Patriarchy, Capitalism, and the Lure of Cyberfantasy. New York: New York University Press, 1998.
Harvey, David. A Brief History of Neoliberalism. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.
Healing, Raven. "White Stockings and Black Widows: Women in Chechnya -- Myths and Realities." Off Our Backs 35.3/4 (2005): 44-47. Web. 22 Oct. 2011. JSTOR.
Kristoff, D. Nicholas, and Sheryl Wudunn. Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. New York: Knopf, 2009. Print.
Because society compromises the value of the woman, it is allowed the life of domesticity and life. The speaker however remains forever beyond this because she chooses self-realization instead.
In Heaney's "Punishment," feminism can be seen from the male viewpoint, as it were. The corpse of a bog girl, an adulteress, educates the narrator regarding issues of gender and politics. The narrator, far from the conventional male reaction of disgust, instead becomes infatuated with her. It is as if he is the male representative of the feminist viewpoint; that women offer value and education rather than objects of sex or symbols of domesticity. The intimacy between the speakers involve no blame. Instead of man and woman, they are equals, in strong contrast with the society that would condemn them both for their actions and their association.
ources
Academy of American Poets. A Close Reading of "I Cannot Live With You." 2007. http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/310
Black FeministIntroductionThe black feminist roots can be traced to 1864 when slavery had not yet been abolished, and Sojourner Truth began selling pictures mounted to a paper card to fund her activism. After being enslaved, being in a position to own and sell her image for profit was revolutionary. According to Peterson (2019), Truth often commented that she used to be sold for other peoples benefit, but now she sold herself for her own. Her activism was mainly centered on the abolishment of slavery and securing the rights of women since she was convinced race and gender were inseparable. Truths activism is an early representation of the early black tradition. While the vision may differ in the different collectives of feminists in the cause of time, the foundational principles that exist are black womens experiences of racism, classism, and sexism; their distinct view of the world from that of white…...
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ReferencesCrenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory, and Antiracist Politics. University Of Chicago Legal Forum: V, 1(8). Retrieved 23 June 2022, from C. (2022). How Black Feminists Defined Abortion Rights. The New Yorker. Retrieved 23 June 2022, from https://www.newyorker.com/news/essay/how-black-feminists-defined-abortion-rights .Peterson, M. (2019). The Revolutionary Practice of Black Feminisms. National Museum of African American History and Culture. Retrieved 23 June 2022, from https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/revolutionary-practice-black-feminisms .Reed, A. (2019). The Combahee River Collective Statement [Ebook]. The University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved 24 June 2022, from https://americanstudies.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/Keyword%20Coalition_Readings.pdf .Taylor, U. (1998). The Historical Evolution of Black Feminist Theory and Praxis. Journal Of Black Studies, 29(2), 234-253. https://doi.org/10.1177/002193479802900206Webster, S. (2022). A Qualitative Study of the Evolution and Erasure of Black Feminism in Historic and Contemporary Sociopolitical Movements, And Black Men’s Resistance to Black Feminism. Mcnair Scholars Research Journal, 10(15). Retrieved 23 June 2022, from https://commons.emich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1124&context=mcnair .https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1052&context=uclf .Nast,
omen's Rights Movement In The 1970s
In A People's History of the United States, Zinn begins his narrative of the liberation of women with the women's suffrage movement of the early twentieth century. However, according to Zinn, even after women were granted their vote, their identity was still largely measured by their success in living up to the idealized role models of wife and mother till the overt feminist movement of the late 1960s. Till then, the only time that women were allowed to break the traditional stereotype mold of femininity and domesticity was during periods such as war, civil strife or extreme economic conditions (Zinn, 503-6).
Zinn, in his account, gives a detailed description of the events that occurred in the 1960s. omen of all ages took active part in the civil rights movement of the sixties, which in a sense laid the ground for women collectively voicing their needs and…...
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Works Cited
Friedan, Betty. "The Feminine Mystique." New York: Dell, 1974.
Rossi, Alice. "The Feminist Papers." New York: Columbia University Press,
Zinn, Howard. "Surprises." A People's History of the United States.
Here are some essay topics that explore different aspects of feminism:
1. The history of feminism and its impact on society 2. Intersectionality in feminism: How race, class, and sexuality intersect with gender in feminist movements 3. The portrayal of feminism in popular culture and media 4. The role of men in feminism and the importance of male allies 5. Feminist theory and its relevance in today's political and social climate 6. The challenges facing the feminist movement in the 21st century 7. Feminist perspectives on reproductive rights and bodily autonomy 8. The impact of globalization on women's rights and feminist movements worldwide 9. The relationship between feminism and....
I. Introduction - Definition of women's rights - Importance of women's rights in society
II. Early history of women's rights - Women's lack of legal rights in ancient civilizations - Women's rights in early modern Europe - The role of women in the American Revolution
III. Women's rights movements in the 19th century - Seneca Falls Convention and the Declaration of Sentiments - The suffrage movement in the United States - Women's rights movements in Europe
IV. Women's rights in the 20th century - Women's suffrage around the world - Women's rights in the workplace - The feminist movement in the 1960s and 1970s
V. Current challenges and victories in women's rights - The fight for....
Certainly! Here are some essay topics that cover East Asia modernity and women's roles:
1. The impact of modernization on women's roles in East Asian societies: a comparative analysis of Japan, China, and South Korea. 2. Gender equality and empowerment of women in East Asia: challenges and opportunities in the 21st century. 3. The role of women in shaping modern East Asian economies: a case study of female entrepreneurship in Taiwan and Hong Kong. 4. Traditional vs. modern gender roles in East Asian cultures: exploring the evolution of women's status in Confucian societies. 5. The portrayal of modern East Asian women in media and popular....
Women in the Meiji Restoration (Japan): Examine the changing roles and experiences of women in Japanese society during the Meiji period (1868-1912), focusing on the impact of modernization and industrialization. Women in the Xinhai Revolution (China): Analyze the role of women in the Xinhai Revolution of 1911-1912, considering their contributions, the challenges they faced, and the impact of the revolution on their status. Women in the Korean Independence Movement: Explore the experiences and contributions of Korean women during the Japanese colonial period, highlighting their role in the independence movement and their struggle for equality. Gender and....
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