Exploring Feminism & Women's Mass Media: Research Paper

Executive Summary

Feminism values have changed and improved due to changes in technology; therefore, impacting the lives of all people. The spread of western civilization has also resulted in the changes in the feminism values. Western civilization led to modern education and the acquisition of new cultural beliefs. The introduction of contemporary culture has made many people literate; therefore, contributing to the strong desires of attaining gender equality and equity in all aspects of life. Families played critical roles in shaping the feminism values research activity involves the development of appropriate question to ensure validity and reliability of the collected information. The analysis and evaluation of the selected literature also consist of the establishment of a proper research question.

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It is identified that the nature of feminism values varied depending on the historical contexts. Before the First and Second World Wars, women were restricted to household tasks. Men dominated in the economic and political activities. Some of key occurrences in the world are analyzed and evaluated to determine how male superiority was ended. Important approaches used by women suffragists are also identified in the paper based on the appropriate historical context events. The women suffragist started their campaigns by talking to people in the importance of gender equality and justice in United States of America. The ability of the American government to grant women the right to vote and take up an elective position stimulated the women suffragist in the western territories to fight for more rights

Abstract

Feminism values have changed and improved due to changes in technology; therefore, impacting the lives of all people. The spread of western civilization has also resulted in the changes in the feminism values. Western civilization led to modern education and the acquisition of new cultural beliefs. The introduction of contemporary culture has made many people literate; therefore, contributing to the strong desires of attaining gender equality and equity in all aspects of life. Many institutions and movements have been created to help in advocating for the rights of women. Gender studies, language, and mass media promoted the recognition of feminism values and the rights of women in America and most countries in Europe. A background on feminism will be described in the paper according to the lifestyles of people in the world. Men superiority dominated before the introduction of feminism, especially in western culture. It is until the period of World Wars that women started to become assertive and fight for gender equality. During the 20th century, women were not allowed to participate in religious activities. Families played critical roles in shaping the feminism values research activity involves the development of appropriate question to ensure validity and reliability of the collected information. The analysis and evaluation of the selected literature also consist of the establishment of a proper research question.

Introduction

Feminism is a strong belief in the political, social, and economic equality of both genders. The term originated from western cultures, but it has manifested itself worldwide due to changes in all aspects of life. The concept of feminism started immediately after the American Civil War and the Revolutionary era (Thompson 6). The attainment of equality among all races in America triggered the emergence of feminism; therefore, leading to the formation of various movements to help educate people in the importance of gender equality in the world. In the United States of America and most parts of Europe, women were prohibited from owning property, participation in public life, or to study. Men would even sell their wives to increase their financial status (Van Zoonen 16).

Additionally, women needed to conceal their heads when in public. Before the provision of the rights of women in the USA, all women were banned from exercising authority over their children without consulting their husbands. The government did not allow women to conduct business operations with the support of male partners.

The fragmentation and proliferation of politics and feminism theories. A general overview provided by this field offers some of the essential approaches that can be used to attain justice for feminists discourse.

The academic and political preferences are pivotal in the analysis and evaluation of the trends that resulted in changes in the feminism values. Some critical theoretical approaches will be used to determine the changes in feminism values because different theorists developed their ideas at varying eras. The theoretical frameworks applied in this Extended Essay (EE) include Postmodernism theory, Neo-Marxism theory, and Pluralism theory. The introduction of media resulted in the changes in the feminism concepts because many people can interact, socialize, and share ideas. This paper provides comprehensive information on how mass media and language changed the feminism values during different historical contexts.

Research Questions

How mass media has changed feminism values in the world?

Do gender studies lead to equality in all aspects of life?

Which theories describe how media and language have improved feminism values?

How the First and Second World Wars changed feminism values?

Background on Feminism

Feminism has gained support from many philosophers, literature scholars, and sociologists because of their desires to attain equality and humanity in the world. Feminism has influenced the lifestyles of many people due to western civilization (Seguino 2). A critical analysis and evaluation of the articles provided in the research are essential in gaining insight into the literature on how media affects the feminism values. In most western histories, political powers did not recognize the position of women in public activities. Before the rise of the First World War, women were not allowed to participate in heavy tasks like military and other related operations. Claire Goldberg Moses provides brief information on the nature of feminism values in the world.

Background on Women's Mass Media

The building of egalitarian societies has been the main concern for most of the democratic countries in the world. Justice and gender equality are important considerations in promoting m peaceful coexistence in the world. Mass media perform a lot of essential and unique roles in shaping the nature of society; therefore, ensuring that women and men enjoy equal rights. The advancements in technology resulted in improved media operation, thus, enhance transmission of information in the world. Women representation in political, social and economic aspects of life. Feminists and women suffragists used the mass media to conduct campaigns against men dominance (Terkildsen 34). Additionally, the mass media improved the interaction between different parts of the world. The interaction among women through the mass media improved literacy skills and the use of the English language. Many feminists used the mass media after the Second World War to pass their opinions to other women in the world. Mass media increased the number of poets who were concerned with fighting the rights of women; therefore, creating equality and social justice in all sphere of life.

In some cases, the mass media provided negative implication because it created discriminatory stereotypes in some spheres of life. Before the Second World War, fewer women were represented in the mass media platforms due to the attitudes of people on feminism. The realism of theories helped in shaping the nature of the mass media and increased women's representation in all aspects of life. Before the emergence of the Second World War, it was ruled that women characters in the mass media were less due to the belief on the superiority of men, especially in political and economic sectors.

Cultural Context

Cultural Context on Women's Lives in the 1940s and 1950s

During the 1940s, technological changes had not been achieved in the world; therefore, feminism values had not significantly changed (Thompson 65). Most of the historical research in Europe and the United States of America reflected on the factors that discouraged women from political activities. The main research question for this activity include does the media influence feminism values in the world? The research question provides guidelines and direction towards the evaluation of the influences of the media is changing people's understanding of the importance of equality in all aspects of life. The question is biased because it leads towards analyzing and evaluating the possible impacts influences of the media on the gender and social classes.

During the Second World War there was the omission of some important feminist's narrative due to lack of civilization in the world. During the periods of the World Wars, many feminists emerged due to advancements in mass media, for example, Margaret Sanger became a bold pioneer in fostering Planned Parenthood and introduction of women's rights to attain equality and social justice (Paglia 18). Most of the achievements and sacrifices resulted from the efforts of First Wave Feminists. The pioneer characters of feministic concepts were courageous and full of determinations; therefore, enabling them to attain their desires. The concept of Women Suffrage also emerged during the Second World War. Women Suffrage leaders started to participate in heavy tasks that were dominated by their male counterparts (Caivano 14). The women suffragist were determined at dethroning men from their positions. For example, one of the provided posters shows a strong woman who contributed to the fight for the rights and capabilities of women. The poster portrays that women were also capable of participating in the World Wars. The poster also conveys a feministic message because it mentions that women can do what men do; therefore, advocating for gender equality.

The flexion of the biceps portrayed that women were ready to perform tasks dominated by men and end male superiority in United States of America and other parts of the world. The media was used to produce posters that represented women's powers in fighting for genders equality because they were able to accomplish men-dominated operations. The women suffragist started their campaigns by talking to people in the importance of gender equality and justice in United States of America. The ability of the American government to grant women the right to vote and take up an elective position stimulated the women suffragist in the western territories to fight for more rights (Paglia 12).

The American public image of feminism was affected by the violent tactics used by the women protesters. The violent actions were directed into the White House; therefore, forcing the federal government to arrest the wo...