Antifeminism Essay Example

Antifeminism is the disagreement and obstruction against particular or all forms of feminism. It often takes various forms addressing different issues against women in the society. Most antifeminists have dedicated their lives to ensure that the world remains male-dominated. Women have been discouraged from conducting themselves in specific ways and doing some activities in the public domain (Clark, n.p). Moreover, various cultures have also adopted the antifeminism spirit thus preventing women from transcending beyond certain limits. Therefore, this paper focuses on how both men and women undermine women in the society. It also traces the history of antifeminism and how men have used the theory to exploit women in the community. In the early 20th century, the dominant form of feminism practices in the significant societies arose against suffrage, the right of women to vote. Antifeminist advocated against allowing women to participate in the democratic and civic activities such as voting. Moreover, women were also denied the right to education, marital and property rights. Most of these rights were suppressed because women were devalued by the society and expected less from them as their role was reduced to necessary home affairs. However, in 1915 when the government realized that the antisuffragist ideology was propelled by the male force, the government abandoned the move and allowed the women to have voting rights.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Moreover, when the Equal Right Amendment was passed to enable all citizens to have the same equal right despite gender, many individuals remarkably opposed the idea. It divided the citizens into two distinct groups (Anderson, n.p). Most women from the lower and middle class aggressively support the antifeminism move because they were vulnerable and dependent on the men for their daily survival. However, those from the uppers class and independent women were pro-feminism proving that men and women who believe in the dominance of the male in societies drive the idea of antifeminism.

Another form of antifeminism emerged denying the women to participate in significant decision making in the families, education institutions and even in leadership positions. Antifeminism has led to negative consequences because it has incorporated several prominent and influential individuals in the society that neglect is protecting women despite their ability. It has enabled domestic violence to thrive in most families, rape, and gender-based violence among many youths and adults (Martin, n.p). As the antifeminism continues to grow and mature, the more social problems continue to emerge. Therefore, antifeminism despite most individuals

Furthermore, according to sociologists, they argue that antifeminism is deeply rooted in the social humiliations against feminism and that it is a purely relational movement that has no basis and thus should be discouraged. Moreover, antifeminism, though not spoken loudly, it dictates many religious institutions in the society. For instance, most women are usually discouraged from transcending into higher positions in the church. Most lucrative areas in the church are dominated by the men leaving the minor post to the women. For example, the church advocate against feminism as it will enable women to access the male-dominated positions such as the clergy, and women threaten the overrated values of men (Tornberg and Petter, 401-422). Also, in the political arena, most developed and developing nations have severally opposed the third gender rule that would encourage nomination of more women to the administrative positions. However, the antifeminism ideology would soon be eradicated by the same advocates of the theory.

I believe that the advocates of antifeminism are men driven with the urge to undermine, discriminate and marginalize women in the society. Women are the basis of social and economic life. Advocating that women should be denied other rights that the male are enjoying is inhuman and should be strongly discouraged. Moreover, only over-dependent women would imagine promoting antifeminism for they fear to go against their husbands (McRobbie, n.p). Antifeminism makes the women become a man's puppet that cannot do anything without his approval. The society also has portrayed women as weaker sex that needs the man's masculine power to survive. For example, in most communities, the man is the head of the family regardless of the woman's social, economic and political status (Nussbaum, n.p). The antifeminism philosophy elevates the social orientation and gender discrimination against women. For example, the American citizen discriminated Hillary Clinton for being a woman. Despite the native white being the majority in America, Hillary failed the presidency position because she was a woman and according to the societal status they are not fit to lead the male-dominated nations. Therefore Obama won the presidency. This indicates how stratification and antifeminism kill women dreams and ambitions to aspire to achieve greater objectives.

Conclusion

In conclusion, women in the society should be allowed to be equal to the men. The discrimination against women is discrimination against development. All governments should encourage education and uplift of women to inculcate the virtues of growth and development. Also, the movements that deter women from transcending to the higher position should be banned. Women are human beings, and they have the same dignity as the male counterparts. Therefore, discriminating and undermining women's right is undermining the human rights and freedom. The society must start valuing the woman and appreciate her effort in the development of the family, the community, and the nation.

Works Cited

Anderson, Kristin J. Modern misogyny: Anti-feminism in a post-feminist era. Oxford University Press, 2014.

Clark, Veve, et al., eds. Anti-feminism in the Academy. Routledge, 2014.

Martin, Joel W. "Anti-feminism in Recent Apocalyptic Film." Journal of Religion & Film 4.1 (2016): 1.

McRobbie, Angela. "Anti-feminism, then and now." Open Democracy 28 (2016): 2016.

Nussbaum, Felicity A. The Brink of All We Hate: English Satires on Women, 1660--1750. University Press of Kentucky, 2015.

Tornberg, Anton, and Petter Tornberg. "Combining CDA and topic modeling: Analyzing discursive connections between Islamophobia and anti-feminism on an online forum." Discourse & Society 27.4 (2016): 401-422.