Feminists Essays (Examples)

Feminists Unfortunately When One Hears the Word

Feminists

Unfortunately, when one hears the word "feminist," it is frequently in a derogatory context. From the ultra-derogatory use of the epitaph "feminazi" to describe working women, to those men and women who, while declaring feminist ideals, protest the use of that label to describe themselves, there is a taint associated with the word feminist that makes one querulous about self-identifying as a feminist (Crown). However, I understand that the reasons that the word feminist is considered tainted are the very same reasons that it is important for any person concerned with universal civil rights and liberties to be a feminist. Therefore, I proudly consider myself a feminist.

Declaring myself a feminist, begs the question, "ell, what is a feminist?" Ironically, that is a difficult question to answer and depends whom is being asked the question. To those that fear a disruption in power and family relationships will result from…… [Read More]

Feminist Sociologist's Contribution to the

(Hyde 2000:157)

In an attempt to counter the male dominated body prejudice Elizabeth Blackwell began a discourse on using a one-body image, this time female, to analyse and understand the physiology of the body. Blackwell, was one of the founding feminists, an abolitionist and the first female to become a doctor in the United States. As a doctor she may most assuredly also be viewed as a feminist physiologist and one of the first feminist sociologist and began to analyse the sociology of the body as it relates to the cultural and individual perception of women in the early twentieth century.

The tendency to use the male form as the baseline for anatomical or physiological comparison has more to do with the social meanings attached to the sexed body and to the gender politics of anatomy than with the physical structures involved. In many respects, the changes in technologies of…… [Read More]

Feminists Book Island of the Sequined Love

feminists book ISLAND OF THE SEQUINED LOVE NUN Christopher Moore. To, general trend feminism

Beyond Conventional Feminism

There are a number of reasons why contemporary feminists would find fault with Island of the Sequined Love Nun, a novel published in 1997 by author Christopher Moore which may be considered an example of postmodern literature due to the variety of subjects, cultures, and sexual orientations it deals with (Powell 1). The book is largely told through the male perspective of a fairly certified womanizer, Tucker Case. Subsequently, women are consistently objectified throughout this work, mostly in the author's attempt to be humorous. Yet the central notion that would more than likely present a problem for feminists who are reviewing this novel would be the conception of beauty as it applies to women that the author portrays throughout the text. Most contemporary feminists would strongly object to the notion that a woman…… [Read More]

Feminist Scholars Such as Cixous

The Young Lords suffered social seclusion within the society until they engaged in fighting for their own right. As exemplified from the text, they collected and hipped it in the middle of the street, and after the garbage spilled all over the streets, the department of health collected and since then paid great tribute to the young lords.

For a very long time, the Young Lords struggled to attain a public sphere, but they remained unrecognized until they acted. This means that there is more than concentrating on the Rhetoric of the streets, there is a need to embrace more complete image of social movement. The idea of the Enclave in the counter-public sphere theory is more than a protected space generated from necessity, intended to protect a group and shun away from unnecessary publicity. Indeed, it is certain that enclaves play a protective function in forming coalitions in addition…… [Read More]

Sociology - Theories Feminists and

(Frazer 8) to this end she develops the categories of "affirmation" and "transformation." In understanding Frazer's view it is imperative to bear in mind that older regimes of theory cannot achieve the synthesis that she is looking for and that new and more creative modes of political and social theory are necessary.

In essence what Fraser suggests is that in order to overcome this antimony between redistribution and recognition and to avoid the various reductive theories that have previously been put forward, she suggests a synthesis of various aspect of both critical theory as well as post -structural and deconstructive theory. In her view this would serve to overcome the false separation of these two central political and social elements.

In the final analysis Frazer's theory is based on a number of interrelated views. The first is that, " the redistribution - recognition dilemma is real" (Fraser 13). Secondly, Frazer…… [Read More]

Debate Regarding Whether Chicana Feminists Helped or Hurt Society

Chicana Feminists: How the Historical Debate Surrounding Them Came into eing

Gender roles in America have undergone a dramatic change since the Women's Movement began with women like etty Friedan and Gloria Steinhem leading the way. Friedan, for instance, was an avid activist and strong supporter of equal rights for women whose The Feminine Mystique literally sparked the gender roles revolution. In her book she stated "that she came to political consciousness out of a disillusionment with her life as a suburban housewife," and out of that consciousness grew the activity that would see women establish themselves in roles previously held and dominated by men.[footnoteRef:1] Likewise, Steinhem founded Ms. Magazine and called for women's liberation in 1969 when she penned an article about how admitting to having had an abortion had empowered her.[footnoteRef:2] Yet, the gender roles revolution in America also drew a great deal of support from Chicana feminists…… [Read More]

Examine the Contribution of Feminist Sociology Theory to the Sociological Understanding of Patriarchy

1960's sociological theory was dominated by male experts, professors, students and professors. This did not extend only to individual experts in the field. Most persons involved with professional organizations and associations regarding were also predominantly male. During the 1960's the movement known as the "second wave" of feminism began to challenge this paradigm, with considerable success in terms of increased female memberships in organizations. The leadership roles of women however, while increasing in number, were also disappointing. Whereas the first wave of feminism focused mainly on emancipating women from slavery and blatant exploitation, the second wave was then more subtle. It was focused on greater equality for women in the social, political and economic spheres. The first wave of feminism ended with the right of women to vote. This and other forms of blatant oppression ended with legislation. However, the danger of falling back into the biological determination of sexes…… [Read More]

Women Artists Feminists Must Not

" In other words, that art springs from within, rather than must be supported from without.

The author places the blame for female artists to be culturally central squarely upon culture itself, specifically Western culture's failure to create systems of educational nurturing for females. "The fault lies not in our stars, our hormones, our menstrual cycles, or our empty internal spaces, but in our institutions and our education -- education understood to include everything that happens to us from the moment we enter this world of meaningful symbols, signs, and signals." She prompts the reader, when asked, 'why have there been no great women artists?' To deal with it, as she states in her introduction to her work, as a "meaningful question" for our time, rather than a merely convenient or self-generated response on the part of feminists, to restate or reverse old cultural shibboleths about femininity, greatness, and what…… [Read More]

Feminism Males Can Be Feminists

Being a feminist is the radical idea that about half of all politicians at any given time should be women. Feminism is also the radical idea that a woman can serve in the hite House: a situation that still seems farfetched in the 21st century.

Men can proudly call themselves feminist if they find it appalling that women only received the constitutional right to vote less than a century ago, that dowry and other marriage customs are still practiced worldwide, and that women should be allowed to choose whether or not they want to carry a child to term. How a woman dresses, or whether or not she opts for breast enlargement surgery, are ancillary issues to the true values of the feminist movement, which simply advocates the radical notion that women are people.

orks Cited

Gwynne, Peter. "omen in Science: Shattering the Glass Ceiling." Retrieved Nov. 9, 2005 at…… [Read More]

Leading Feminists

Feminism today is especially being guided by the Feminists of old, prominent leaders of the past who continue to forge the path ahead for the modern women's movement: these are leaders like uth Bader Ginsburg of the Supreme Court and Gloria Steinhem of Women's Media Center. Many other prominent figures represent Feminism today and are actively working towards the advocacy of women's rights in social, political, economic, and religious spectrums. This paper will discuss the movement and individuals who make up the movement as it exists in today's day and age.

To understand Feminism today and the way its advocates represent it, it is important to understand how Feminism came into being and how it has evolved.

Betty Friedan had been shaped by much of what went on in early twentieth century America. An avid activist and strong supporter of equal rights for women, Friedan took the opportunity on the…… [Read More]

Feminist Reading Two Models of

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…… [Read More]

Feminist Art

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…… [Read More]

Feminist Interpretation of Aristotle and

Aristotle believed that human flourishing (NE: 12) is the definition of good. The mere presence of women in Congress suggests that voters rejected a man, but it is better to look at this not as the rejection of one (male or not), but as the result of human flourishing. This increased competition of more women pursuing what they feel is their own responsibility will result in more unemployment for men, a notion bolstered by Mill's belief that, "hoever succeeds in an overcrowded profession or in a competitive examination…reaps benefits from the loss of others" (Mill; Hirshman p. 239). This could be viewed as human flourishing, which is good, but it connotes competition and struggle and doesn't make the pursuit seem virtuous. Aristotle, if following his own ethics in the world today, would have to believe that women are where they are because of human flourishing and their pursuit of what…… [Read More]

Feminist Therapy and Postmodern Approaches

A teen might be asked to tell their own story from the point-of-view of other people they know, looking at themselves from other viewpoints. These clients are freed to invent stories and play parts in that serve the purpose of providing a framework of meaning and direction for themselves. The stories are never singled out as "true" or "false," but a recognition that truth is complex and no one story can encompass all of the truth aids the client in seeing him or herself as a complex and meaningful role-player. And in that context, since one story may not be claimed to be the whole truth, no one story may not dominate a person's life. Life, to the client and narrator of these "stories" becomes an adventure in which trials are meant to be overcome and designed to prepare one for the future, rather than to defeat. The religious story…… [Read More]

Feminist Evaluation Understanding Research & Research Methods

Feminist Evaluation

Understanding esearch & esearch Methods in Social Work

Feminist evaluation: An evaluation of the conceptual framework

According to ebecca M. Beardsley and Michelle Hughes Miller's 2002 article "evisioning the process: A case study in feminist program evaluation," feminist program evaluations are based upon three core principles. The first principle is cooperation, namely that all relevant stakeholders must be considered when setting the standards for evaluation, not simply the program designers. The second is one of a lack of hierarchy -- the evaluation team members are all regarded as equal partners. Thirdly, the program must be evaluated from the ideological perspective of feminism. Although this final standard might seem unrealistic to use in program evaluation in anything buy a woman-oriented program, such as the program targeting females in the article, Beardsley and Miller point out that the majority of consumers of social services are female. The authors believe that…… [Read More]

Feminist Analysis of Dryden's Marriage

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…… [Read More]

Feminist and Anti-Feminist Film The

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…… [Read More]

Feminist Thought Bristor J M & Fischer E

Feminist Thought

Bristor, J.. & Fischer, E. (1993). Feminist thought: Implications for consumer research. The journal of consumer research,19(4), 518-536.

Bristor and Fischer (1993) suggest that consumer research has long misrepresented women and that, because of the distortion of thoughts, it is up to feminist theorists to reorganize and critique consumer research in order to make sense of the way that it has been gendered. By attempting to reappraise and revise, a difficult task given that many perspectives that are biased are unconscious, a newfound sensitivity and fairness can be applied to consumer research theory in regards to the representation of women. The article, in shedding light on the issue, summarizes some of the major areas of feminist thought and then uses that information in order to locate biases that live deep within the major understandings of science.

ethodology: Bristor and Fischer (1993) apply three unique feminist perspectives to assess…… [Read More]

Feminist Reading of Austen's Persuasion I Will

Feminist Reading of Austen's Persuasion

"I Will Not Allow ooks to Prove Anything":

Women Reading and Women Writing in Austen's Persuasion

Feminist criticism is equally concerned with female authorship and with female readership and in the case of Jane Austen, both issues must be addressed. Frantz in 2009 noted that on one level Austen's influence on female readership has been immense: she claims that "readers and authors of contemporary romance claim Jane Austen as the fountainhead of all romance novels," a genre which constituted the "largest share of the consumer market in 2008" but which is assumed to have an exclusively female readership. Yet feminist criticism of the early novel overall has begun to focus specifically on the rationale offered for novel-reading in the eighteenth century, when the printer's apprentice Samuel Richardson wrote Pamela in imitation of what Jenny Davidson describes as "conduct manuals," or books of etiquette for female…… [Read More]

Feminist Diversity and El Saadawi's

I said my uncle was a respected

Sheikh, well versed in the teaching of religion, and he, therefore, could not possibly be in the habit of beating his wife. She replied that it was precisely men well versed in their religion that beat their wives. The precepts of religion permitted such punishment. A virtuous woman was not supposed to complain about her husband. Her duty was perfect obedience. [emphasis added]

Then Firdaus is escorted from her uncle's house back home to her husband's house, before even being served lunch. Sheikh Mahmoud's only welcome is first, to give Firdaus the silent treatment; and second, to remind her that she ought actually to consider herself lucky to have married him, since he alone, he reminds her, "can put up with you, and...is prepared to feed you" ("Read an Extract from oman at Point Zero (first published 1975), 2007)." After that Sheikh Mahmoud's…… [Read More]

Feminist Lit the Changing Views

e. women) (Millay 1611, lines 4, 2). But although the first and most commonly used definition of zest is "keen relish; hearty enjoyment; gusto," the word can also refer to "liveliness or energy; animating spirit" (dictionary.com). Taken this way, the seemingly passive and accepting sexuality seen in the beginning of he poem is disingenuous and even coy. This interpretation is borne out by another structural details of the poem -- the repeated use of so-called feminine endings in the closing six lines (or sestet). In adding an eleventh unstressed syllable to the end of a line of iambic pentameter, Millay is not simply marking the sonnet's structure as her own, but she is doing so in a way that coyly hints at the changing tide of feminine perspective -- the feminine endings in lines 9, 11, and 13 make the sonnet a feminine sonnet, just at the point where the…… [Read More]

Feminist Diversity Women's Liberation With

Interestingly, the Politics of Passion proves that just the opposite is true. Women who reject traditional paradigms also reject Western idealisms about sexuality, marriage, families, desire and identity. Through their sexual activities, the mati women described by Wekker embody each of these elements, and liberate themselves sexuality, which in turn leads to greater power, greater autonomy and greater independence. Women are encouraged in this environment to rely on their own instincts, knowledge and expertise to do what they feel is best for them. They are encouraged, contrary to what most women experience, to do what makes them feel good. In this way they escape the chains that bind and subordinate many women living in other cultures who are brought up to believe gender distinctions exist and women have certain responsibilities and places.

If one were to adopt the mati perspective and apply it to their life, they would find that…… [Read More]

Feminist Issues and Motherhood Concepts

For example,

Shante represented herself (falsely) as Dr. Roxanne Shanteb, a psychologist with a graduate degree from Cornell University. In reality, she attended only a portion of one semester at Marymount Manhattan College. She had claimed to have attended Cornell under a different name because of a domestic violence situation but never provided any evidence to suggest that she actually attended the university.

Lauren Hill provides a much more positive and legitimate image of urban motherhood and community consciousness. She has been actively involved in charitable organizations and causes and is a recipient of a 1996 award by Essence magazine for her involvement in various initiatives such as founding the Refugee Project, for supporting voter registration efforts in Harlem, and for helping to build clean water wells in Kenya and Uganda. Ultimately, all four of these female artists have contributed to the empowerment of females with respect to overcoming male…… [Read More]

Feminist Themes in Witi Ihimaera

FEMINIST THEMES IN ITI IHIMAERA'S HALE RIDER

The paper will present arguments to show the relative importance of the book "hale Rider" by Ihimaera. Its importance and possible impact on young girls will be discussed in the paper with special reference to the story of the book. After reading the book and after analyzing the story, the reader would know that the author wrote the book for his daughters. The paper will be technical and argumentative in nature. The paper will also provide a conclusion based on the findings and information.

Prolific Maori writer iti Ihimaera's early works were written with the intention of helping convey Maori heritage and legend to young urban Maori. Much of his fiction is based on fact and has autobiographical elements, exploring what it is to be Maori in New Zealand society. The hale Rider (1987), a mythical work about a young girl whose relationship…… [Read More]

Feminist Rhetorical Theory Women Have Been Historically

feminist rhetorical theory. omen have been historically minimized and isolated by the domination of the patriarchal majority. Although women have been able to make a degree of progress, finally achieving positions of social and political power, the number of women in these high offices is still far less than the roles that are filled by man. Modern women, far removed from the "angels in the house" of the Victorian age, are nonetheless still impacted by the sociological oppression of women which was reinforced during that era, according to the rhetorical theory of feminism. Given that this is the case, men and women need to be aware of these underlying gender biases so that they can both combat them and make sure that they themselves do not fall prey to them. People who deny that this subjugation of women may be enlightened by closer examination of the power dynamics which exists…… [Read More]

Feminist Point Critique of Feminism

" 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…… [Read More]

Feminist Perspective of the Sex Industry

Prostitution and Feminism: Questions for a Modern Society

In answer to the question of whether prostitution is just another line of work, the most comprehensive and simplest answer is to say, no, it is not. The reason for this is that there are too many complexities associated with prostitution -- not just ethical and moral issues -- but also social, legal, economic, political, safety, and theoretical issues that color the sex industry. True, one could argue that any field of labor or industry could be discussed using the same terms, but the issue with prostitution is that it is a term that can be used without being properly defined. As Hallie Rose Liberto points out, when feminists discuss prostitution, they are discussing much more than the sex trade: they are discussing women's rights, women's alienation, women's health, and women's equality.[footnoteRef:1] Because the issue is those so charged with underlying meanings,…… [Read More]

Feminist Epistemology Are Consistent Within the Values

Feminist Epistemology Are Consistent Within the Values of My Professional Discipline

Education as a profession is intensely self-reflective. There is a constant need to ask 'what is the purpose of learning' and 'what makes an individual educated in our society.' Currently, the nation is wrestling with this question in the era of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Schools are being judged as 'successes' and failures based upon predetermined standards. But this is not a new debate. Ever since Plato people have debated what individuals are teachable and the role of the state in educating young people. Critical theory helps to contextualize the debate about the nature of human intelligence and what constitutes an acceptable canon of knowledge. For example, during the 19th century for upper-class boys, knowing Greek and Latin rather than technical disciplines was prized. Today, the sciences are given priority in judging educational excellence, such as the sciences…… [Read More]

Feminist Advocacy of a Social Issue in Contemporary Culture

Post-Feminist Society

Contemporary Feminist Advocacy

Although there is not absolute consensus, popular writings about feminism suggest that there have been three waves of feminism: (1) The first wave of feminism is said to have occurred in the 18th through the 20th centuries and was characterized by a focus on suffrage; (2) The decades spanning 1960 to 1990 are said to encompass the second wave of feminism, to which a concern with cultural and legal gender inequality is attributed; and (3) The third wave of feminism began in the early 1990s partly in response to the conservative backlash the second wave engendered, and partly in recognition of the unrealized goals of the second wave of feminism up to that time ("NOW," 2009). This third wave of feminism made salient a more subjective voice that pointed at the intersection of race and gender with greater resolve than would have been possible when…… [Read More]

Feminist Scholars Have Made Important

Interviewers possess a certain power because they have both taken and been given authority to ask questions (and to expect answers) that most people do not get to ask the subject. The subject can claim or reclaim power by refusing to answer questions, or by lying. The researcher can reclaim some of that power by the fact that getting to serve as an expert can be deeply rewarding to the subject, who will not want to relinquish the role of expert.

The interviewer tends to have the power of a prestigious institution such as a university behind her or him, which can shift power to the interviewer, especially in research projects in which there is already a power social or economic differential between researcher and subject. However, sometimes the power that the interviewer holds because of her or his association with an institution can be countered by the power of…… [Read More]

feminist ethical virtues versus masculine

Three ethical virtues that are elicited by a feminist ethical philosophy include caring, empathy, and collaboration. Gilligan (1982) and especially Noddings (2010) traces the evolution of these three virtues to biology, claiming that their maternal instinct predisposes females of any species to exhibit traits that promote the behaviors that sustain families. Caring, empathy, and collaboration promote family cohesion and communitarian lifestyles, which are conducive to child rearing. Contrast these three classically “feminine” virtues with traditionally male ethical ideals like individualism, cunning, and power and it is clear how political, social, and economic institutions come to be presided over by men. If men create the normative culture of the public sphere, then the public sphere will be naturally dominated by men—or at least persons who fit the ideal framework for success in those realms. On the contrary, the private sphere continues to be dominated by women who establish the normative culture…… [Read More]

Reality and Feminist Therapy Order

"Briefly, feminists believe the personal is political. Basic tenets of feminism include a belief in the equal worth of all human beings, recognition that each individual's personal experiences and situations are reflective of and an influence on society's institutionalized attitudes and values, and a commitment to political and social change that equalizes power among people. Feminists are committed to recognizing and reducing the pervasive influences and insidious effects of oppressive societal attitudes and society" (Chappell 2000). In its current incarnation, feminist therapy's stress upon liberating individuals from oppressive social attitudes does not just pertain only to gender, but all negative social attitudes. Thus, at its most universal, feminist therapy's central tenant that the personal and political are intermeshed, and that one's political reality creates one's cognitive reality, can be applied to many contexts beyond gender.

Although it deals with the psychology created by oppression, feminist therapy still stresses personal choice…… [Read More]

Women's Studies Feminist Third Wave Publications Reflection

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…… [Read More]

Half the Sky From a Feminist Perspective

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…… [Read More]

Feminism Heaney and Dickinson Feminist

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."…… [Read More]

Solitude Feminist Crit the Power of the

Solitude Feminist Crit

The Power of the Feminine in Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude

Gabriel Garcia Marquez in his work One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967) spins a tale of postcolonial Columbia that will likely forever be thought of as a classic work of fiction, brought to light during what many think of a serious high point in Latin American Literature. The work is translated to many languages and even today sells a great many copies. (King) The development of the tale is that of the founding of a city by a single couple and all the ways in which this couple and their various offspring relate to the world, from within the scope of their town. The many generational tale encompasses a century and begins with the development of a core relationship, that between Jose Arcadio Buendia and his wife and cousin Ursula. This work will first…… [Read More]

Epistemology in On Feminist Epistemology Uma Narayan

Epistemology

In "On Feminist Epistemology," Uma Narayan states, "Feminist epistemology is a particular manifestation of the general insight that the nature of women's experiences ... have been systematically ignored or misrepresented," (247-248). Women have, for instance, been barred from participating in certain key areas of discourse, such as politics and law. When women participate in certain key social activities, such as subsistence work like agriculture or cooking, their experiences are deemed unworthy, according to Narayan. Therefore, epistemology has traditionally been a male-centered area from which women have been purposefully excluded. Adding women's perspectives to any or all epistemological debates can result in massive paradigm shifts and much broader perspectives. Narayan asserts that a feminist epistemology, one that includes the voices and experiences of women as fundamental, will "change the very nature" of all the sciences as well as the nature of "self-understanding," (248). Among the most powerful paradigms to be…… [Read More]

Black Feminist Thought by Patricia

Collins cites participation in the abolitionist movement, anti-lynching campaigns of the early 20th century, and recent civil rights work in the South, where Black women have not only worked on behalf of themselves but for all African-Americans (Collins, p. 218). The overarching theme, however is the belief that teaching people how to be self-reliant fosters empowerment. Collins cites Angela Davis (1989), who wrote that activism was designed to empower everyone: "We must climb in such a way as to guarantee that all our sisters, regardless of social class, and indeed all of our brothers climb with us" (Collins, p. 219).

Collins writes "epistemology points to the ways in which power relations shape who is believed and why" (Collins, p. 251). She charges that many Black women are not viewed as credible witnesses for their own experiences (Collins, p. 254) and that the ideas of a relatively select few are safe…… [Read More]

Literature Henrik Ibsen Feminist Issue in a Dollhouse

Ibsen's Nora

Although it is difficult to know exactly how audiences watching Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House felt about the content of the play when it was first performed, it is difficult for us reading or watching it in the 21st century to see it as anything but a strongly feminist statement.

hat is especially striking about the powerful feminism of the play - other than the year in which it was written - is the fact that Ibsen himself always claimed to be resolutely apolitical. And yet for a man who claimed in no way to be either a feminist or more generally an advocate for social change, his exploration of the ways in which women were continually infantilized by society in fact seems highly political to us, and in fact is one of the reasons that the play remains so compelling to us more than a century after…… [Read More]

Rebecca From a Feminist Standpoint

Most people who knew ebecca knew that she was beautiful, charming, and wealthy. Most people did not know her feelings of self-loathing, anger, and wishing for death. Maxim de Winter accommodates her by supplying her a decadent lifestyle, by catering to her every whim, even by murdering her -- she tempts and pushes him to fulfill her wishes: to end her life. She has terminal cancer and numerous affairs. Mrs. Danvers honors and accommodates ebecca with convergence with every breath; she accommodates the second Mrs. de Winter with divergence between her and ebecca. Mrs. de Winter spends the novel obsessed with ebecca -- who she was, and desires very much to be just like her. The only action taken that does not accommodate ebecca and is severely divergent, is the burning of the mansion, Manderley, and the de Winters fleeing after the fire. As for the future communication behaviors of…… [Read More]

Mary Daly Radical Feminist Philosopher

" Patriarchy perpetuates its crimes through "denial, tokenism, obfuscation and reversal" and traps its victims (particularly the women) in the semantic web of lies which, in the words of Daly, "constitutes the reality of the Foreground, and obscures ultimate reality, which is the Background." She advises women to take a leap of faith to break free from the necrophilic embrace of patriarchy to dis-cover their true human potential and "reclaim their primordial power, their gynergy, in order to spin new, gynocentric and biophilic realities."

Utopian Society of the Future:

Another controversial theory advanced by Daly in her book, Quintessence, describes a utopian society of the future, on a continent populated entirely by women, where procreation occurs through parthenogenesis, without the participation of men. She further asserts, "If life is to survive on this planet, there must be a decontamination of the Earth. I think this will be accompanied by an…… [Read More]

Parable of the Sower and feminist'scifi

Octavia Butler's novel Parable of the Sower depicts an America that has crumbled into complete chaos and disarray. ithin the dystopia of 2024, Lauren Olamina reflects on her family background and her past in order to help create a more ideal future for humanity. The key to the future is liberation, both personal and political. Therefore, the message of Parable of the Sower is revolutionary. Lauren does not just need to be a true leader; she needs to change what it means to be human. Butler reportedly said about the potential for female heroines to create a utopian society out of the ashes of the patriarchal dystopia: "I don't believe that imperfect humans can form a perfect society," (Zaki 239). Butler does not expect Lauren and the Earthseed community to become a Utopia because no matter how revolutionary and idealistic she might be, Lauren remains constrained by her past and…… [Read More]

Human Trafficking Feminist Issue

Theory -- Approach Linkage

Human trafficking in Vietnam: Article critique

Although no region of the world is immune to the problem of human trafficking, in certain areas the crime is particularly acute. In Asia, the ratio of trafficked persons relative to the rest of the population is even higher than it is worldwide, with 3 victims per every 1,000 inhabitants, and that is only of the persons who are known to be trafficked (uong 2012: 48). There are also a likely very high percentage of trafficked persons who are not detected by any legal agencies at all. "The exact number of victims of human trafficking, therefore, is likely to be much higher" (uong 2012: 49). The majority are likely thought to be women, specifically women in the sex trade. With this in mind, uong (2012) offers a gender-based analysis of trafficking, with a focus upon Vietnam. Vietnam is often called…… [Read More]

Defining Gender From the Feminist Perspective

Social Construction of Gender

Media creates meanings about gender by portraying gender in specific terms. Under the guidance of Edward Bernays, the "father of advertising" according to Jones (2000), advertising took on a "male-gaze" perspective that resulted in a particular depiction of gender from a "phallic-centric" point-of-view (Butler, 1990, p. 30). As Boundless (2014) asserts, "gender is a social identity that needs to be contextualized," and insofar as traditional media is concerned, the emphasis on the definition of gender as an object of the "male gaze" reinforces the concept of Mulvey (1975) that the male gaze "projects its fantasy" onto the object in question (p. 6).

This is manifested in our everyday lives: advertisements constantly sexualize gender using the Bernays formula of sex as a means to attract -- but this also serves to define gender in ways that are problematic because sex and gender are different and can identify…… [Read More]

Interpretations of Feminist Theology

Catherine Keller's On the mystery: Discerning divinity in progress envisions the creation as a living, dynamic thing rather than something that is static and unchanging. The central metaphor which governs Chapter 3 of her book is that of the fish: a fish is constantly moving with the ebbs and flows of the waters around him and instead of drowning or being swallowed up by the waters of change like a human being, the fish is able to move forward. The fish also supports Keller's ecological view of the universe. Keller stresses the need for human beings to see themselves as part of the universe, rather than dominators of it. Keller finds particular inspiration in the ambiguous "bi-gendered" vision of the divine in the first creation myth of Genesis, versus the second myth which portrays a more anthropocentric God and a more rigid gender hierarchy.[footnoteRef:1] [1: Catherine Keller, On the mystery:…… [Read More]

Feminine Criminology

Feminist Criminology and Victimization Theory

Feminist Criminology

Feminist criminology theory proposes that social and ethnic structures that lead to gender oppression will increase the prevalence of criminality among the oppressed (Bernard, 2013). In most cultures, including the west, there exists a history of subjugation of women at all levels of society. The feminist movement in the United States and elsewhere accordingly sought to reduce or eliminate the power of these social, legal, and religious sanctions that relegated women to second class citizenship. This was the driving force behind the emergence of the feminist criminology model.

In support of the feminist criminology model, Bernard (2013) points out that some women within society have a higher risk of incarceration. In the U.S., this high-risk demographic is non-white, young, living in poverty, under-educated, and unmarried with children. There also tends to be a multi-generational history of drug/alcohol problems and domestic violence. This demographic…… [Read More]

Power Dynamics of Society in Therapy

Feminist Therapy

From a feminist perspective, the foundations of contemporary psychology and therapy are a scandal. The origins of the contemporary therapeutic relationship are based on Freud's "talking cure" for "hysteria" -- and it is worth noting that "hysteria" was, one hundred years ago, a mysterious mental illness that mainly affected women, simply because they were women. The word "hysteria" itself derives from the Greek word for "uterus"! The illness that Freud began his career by examining -- and which he thought he could cure simply by talking with the patient -- was treated like it was simply a pathological form of womanhood.

As an African-American woman, myself am aware that we must bear witness to the past, and we must learn from the past, in order that we do not repeat it. So when we approach a feminist critique of contemporary therapeutic practices, think it is important to recognize…… [Read More]

Feminine Ethics

Feminist Ethics

Many arguments have in the past been presented in support of, and against euthanasia -- with each point-of-view presenting seemingly valid arguments in support of either position. It is important to note that active euthanasia is not permitted in any of the states of the U.S. In basic terms, active euthanasia has got to do with "using certain death-causing means to bring about or cause the death of a person" (MacKinnon, 2012, p. 82). Passive euthanasia, on the other hand, as the author further points out, "refers to withholding or withdrawing certain treatment and letting a patient die" (MacKinnon, 2012, p. 81). The latter case of euthanasia is permitted in most states of the U.S. egarding baby John Doe's case, the most viable alternative would seem to be intentionally ending his life so as to ensure that he does not live an extremely difficult life due to his…… [Read More]

Does Feministing Present an Intersectional Overview of Feminism

Feminist Blog Analysis: Feministing

While described in the assignment details as a blog, the website Feministing actually seems to go beyond the expectations of a mere blog. It considers itself an "online community run by and for young feminists,"[footnoteRef:1] and instead of offering just the social commentary one might expect going to a blog site, it actually offers a significant amount of reporting or, at least repackaging, of news, making it easily consumed by potential readers. Its stated goal is to provide an intersectional overview of feminist issues and to provide a way to connect emerging feminists with other activists and organizations. While the blog is not inappropriate for other people, its target audience is young feminists and one of its goals is clearly to help young people understand why feminism is still so critical to social equality, although this is not overtly stated in the blog's promotional materials. It…… [Read More]

Globalization and Feminism

Feminist Movement or Organization Challenging Globalization

What are the circumstances / background that gave rise to the movement or organization?

UN Women (UNW) was created in 2010 by the United Nations General Assembly, which also created the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UNEGEEW). Creation of these two bodies was intended to increase the rate at which the UN and its Member States were working towards empowerment of women and addressing gender equality, making this an historic step. The UN itself was undergoing change, with a reform agenda directed to unify mandates and resources in order to achieve a greater impact. The overall UN organization combined four separate older organizations to create UN Women. These were the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW), the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women…… [Read More]

Influence of Media on Audience Stereotypical Views

Feminist Critique

The primary distinction between the perspectives of Patricia Hill Collins and Esther Chow on feminism and gender consciousness stems from their diverse interpretations of the influence of culture. Chow assumes a near apologist stance in her justifications for the slow uptake of feminist theory by Asian-American women. Chow cites the many barriers to the gender consciousness and ability to organize around women's issues, and suggests that they have been particularly difficult to overcome and were won't to locate feminism in the midst of larger, more generic issues that garnered the attention of Asian-American women. But Chow's argument is not persuasive, as the same issues are endemic to Collins' treatment of feminist thought, but are clarified by the construct of intersectionality, as posed by Kimberle Crenshaw (2004, and as cited in Collins, 1990).

Intersectionality is the study of the intersections that occur between various forms of oppression, and that…… [Read More]

Maria Edgeworth's Belinda

feminist implications of Maria Edgeworth's novel, Belinda. In many ways, Edgeworth's Belinda seems to flaunt the 19th century ideas about the proper behavior of women in society.

Yet the novel also indicates and does little to challenge many the accepted roles of women in society. The relative success of Jane Austin's novels in comparison to Edgeworth's may be related to our modern conception of an English lady as cultured and demure above all. All in all, Belinda is an important look at women's roles in 19th century Europe.

A chapter-by-chapter summary of the plot may be useful in putting the rest of the essay in context. Edgeworth's novel is made up of an impressive 31 chapters. Chapter I simply introduces the reader to the characters, and chapter II Masks continues a conversation between Belinda Portman and the Lady Delacour, after which they leave to the house of Lady Singleton for…… [Read More]

Screw at Its Most Superficial

She is in the stereotypical subservient housemaid role, and she does not divulge her sexual identity either.

Sexual knowledge is also intimately equated with death in Turn of the Screw. The title suggests at once the screws in a coffin but also the sexual act. The governess sees ghosts instead of fulfilling her desire to have sex with the father of the children she hawks over. hile the governess seems assertive at times, brave enough to look into the eyes of a stranger and a ghost, she is also too timid to directly confront the father of the children. His request that she never contact him seems ridiculous, given Flora and Miles are his children. The fact that the governess obeys the orders at all shows that she lacks the internal conviction and self-confidence to assert herself. Feminist theories of identity formation therefore lend a considerable amount of insight into…… [Read More]

Great Artists of the Late 20th and Early 21st Century

women artists," feminists have reflexively responded by trying to find great women artists from the past who were undiscovered or to emphasize little-regarded female artists from past artistic movements dominated by men. However, this can create the impression of feminists being 'desperate' to find examples of female greatness and over-inflating the reputation of relatively minor artists. Other feminist art historians have criticized the notion of what constitutes 'greatness' as overly masculine in quality and tried to create a new, specifically female-centric notions of artistic greatness. Feminist critic Linda Nochlin sees this as problematic given that there is no clear feminine principle uniting women artists through the ages: in fact, women artists and writers are more apt to resemble males of their respective periods than they are of all women throughout the ages.

Instead, Nochlin asserts that the absence of great female artists is similar to the reason why there are…… [Read More]

Black Feminism Patricia Hill Collins

Solidarity created via black feminist discourse is empowering. The acknowledgment of a collective black female identity can lead African-American women to value rather than shun their identities and to embrace the fullness of their culture. Psychological empowerment is a precursor to economic and political empowerment. Empowerment ultimately does not depend on conformity to the predominant social institutions. Another reason why it is important to sustain black feminist thought is that this alternative discourse is the only means by which the voices of the oppressed may be heard. In the same way that empowerment means not having to participate in or condone white male institutions, black feminist ideology defines its own methodological tools. Those tools cannot rely on scholastic sources or the scientific method. A European-masculinist academic institution imposes positivism on all discourse. This shuts down valid voices offering personal opinion, immediate experience, narrative, and other means by which black women…… [Read More]

Black Fem Thought a History

Another distinction central to the Black feminist's thoughts is the alienation she suffers due to the omission of her presence in history. This omission is not only found in traditional examples of history, but also in Eurocentric feminist views of history. The following quotation from Lorde in her letter to Daly shows the frustration and lack of understanding about the reason such an omission is propagated even among those of her same sex. "…why doesn't Mary deal with Afreket as an example? hy are her goddess-images only white, western-european, judeo-christian…here are the warrior-goddesses of the Vodun, the Dohomeian Amazons and the warrior-women of Dan…Mary has made a conscious decision to narrow her scope and to deal only with the ecology of western-european women (Lorde, 1979, p. 94)." The exclusion of African goddesses from Daly's text, which described the historical roots of women's power, is only a slight example of the…… [Read More]

Elaine Graham's Transforming Practice Pastoral Theology in an Age of Uncertainty

Elaine Graham's

Transforming Practice: Pastoral Theology in an Age of Uncertainty

Major Schools of Thought and Actors

In Transforming Practice: Pastoral Theology in an Age of Uncertainty, Elaine L. Graham addresses Traditional, Postmodern, Empirical, Liberation and Feminist perspectives on Theology and ultimately on Pastoral Theology. In order to address these perspectives, Graham traces the historical development of each, current theological realities, and prospective "horizons." The result is an extensive review of the Pastoral Theolog (y)(ies) of the Church and its faith communit (y)(ies), viewed very strongly through the feminist pastoral perspective.

As presented by Graham, the Traditional perspective is built on Scripture that is rife with patriarchy and an overarching patriarchal hierarchy. hile providing conventionally binding values and norms, the Traditional perspective is decidedly male-centered: traditionally-based pastoral theology tended to focus on the traits of a good male pastor and was essentially restricted to the pastoral ministry of ordained males.…… [Read More]

Advocacy From the Margins

Advocacy From the Margins: Identifying Opportunities to Facilitate Social Services Delivery to the Disadvantaged

Across North America, women account for slightly more of the population than men, yet their earnings and opportunities for career advancement remain far less than their male counterparts. Certainly, some of these disparities are based on biological reasons involving the need for women to care for young children, but many other gender-based factors that marginalize women are founded on religious grounds or spurious rationale that has historically favored men in many world societies. Given the enormous numbers of people who are involved and affected by the outcome of advocacy efforts it is therefore important to identify opportunities to facilitate the delivery of social services that are by definition scarce in a fashion that is timely and effective. To this end, this paper provides a review of the relevant literature to compare advocacy from the margins to…… [Read More]

Sociological Theories Sociology of Gender

Sociology and Feminist Theories on Gender Studies

Postmodern Feminism in "Cherrie Moraga and Chicana Lesbianism"

In the article entitled, "Cherrie Moraga and Chicana Lesbianism," author Tomas Almaguer analyzes and studies the dynamics behind Moraga's feminist reading of the Chicano culture and society that she originated from. In the article, Almaguer focuses on three elements that influenced Moraga's social reality as she was growing up: the powerful effect of the Chicano culture, patriarchal orientation, and homosexuality that she experienced within the context of her nationality.

Chicano culture centers on race as an indicator of one's cultural orientation, while patriarchy serves as the ideology that is prevalent in Moraga's social reality. Homosexuality, particularly, lesbianism, is Moraga's release from the somewhat repressing role that she perceives women receive in her culture. Thus, lesbianism becomes Moraga's alternative sexual orientation to a heterosexually conservative Chicano culture. Using the following factors concerning the cultural, social, and…… [Read More]

Religion in Cross-Cultural Perspectives

eligion in Cross-Cultural Perspectives

Salime's notion of the entanglement and interdependant trajectories of the feminist & Islamist movements in Morocco

Last century was spent fighting for human rights. Zakia Salime was among those who joined movements for women rights in middle east. She discusses how decades of fights over widening the expression and rights transformed Moroccan feminism and Islamism. She is active in feminist movement since 1990s. She wrote extensively on Moroccan feminism highlighting that here was not enough research on the topic already. There had been serious influence on feminism in Middle East and the efforts led to development of a clear gender policy. She showed light on how Islamist women influenced public representations of feminism and the rights of women (Salime, 2011). In her book "Between Feminism and Islam: Human ights and Sharia Law in Morocco" she defies approaches causing pressure on division of the women's movements on…… [Read More]