Feminism Essay Example With Annotated Bibliography

Second Wave

The second wave of feminism took place mid-20th century where there was an upsurge of civil disobedience to push for more civil rights in the society and especially for women (Fisanick, 2008). The themes of feminism during this period were reproductive rights for women and rights of women at the workplace. These laws were seen as discriminatory, and thus they gave rise to women movements that advocated for work regardless of sex or race. In the isolated cases where women were allowed to work, they were accorded lesser roles than their male counterparts or in the case where they performed similar roles; then they were paid lower salaries than their male counterparts (David, 2016). These retrogressive laws are what led to protests from women for equal rights to work. As a result, several countries had to amend their laws to accommodate the plight of the women. As we stand now, women have equal access to work like their male counterparts as long as they are qualified to perform their duties well (Wayne, 2011).

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Third Wave

Finally, the third wave was characterized by a push by pro-women movements for a more powerful and assertive woman in the society. This feminism period happened recently from the 1990s as women pushed for more space in the society (Wayne, 2011). The third wave looked to correct the failures of the second wave which was seen to overemphasize the experiences of upper middle-class white women. The third wave challenged the second wave's descriptions of what is or is not good for the females. Many black feminists during this era sought to identify space in the feminist agenda that considered race-related subjectivities rooted in the second wave (Butler, 2011). The third wave also had internal debates about the differences between sexes. Some psychological feminists such as Carol Gilligan believe there are differences between the sexes with others stating that there are no differences because social conditioning defines gender roles (David, 2016).

Loss of Identity

After the third wave, feminism lost direction and has entered a period of dormancy. Feminism is slowly losing its identity in the 21st century (David, 2016). The Black Power movements and the civil rights are at their weakest points. When a movement is on the decline, it tries to silence the critics by whistling in the dark with the hope that everyone outside will not see that something is wrong (Fisanick, 2008). The death of women feminism is inevitable. Unless there are issues that the feminist bodies can stand with or fight against, feminism will continue to die down slowly. It is clear that feminism only takes place where there is an issue of inequality (Butler, 2011). In today's society, these instances are getting fewer each day, and many feminist movements have either stopped their activities or have nothing to fight about and only exist by name (David, 2016). Feminism has become more of an idea than a movement because it has lost the visionary quality it once had (Ryan, 2000). Although new issues arise every day, modern feminists have lost confidence in their abilities to bring people together for collective action that can bring social change (David, 2016).

Bias against the male gender

Bias against the male gender is the definition of feminism (Piller, 2009). The history of the waves as indicated in the paragraphs above has properly illustrated this fact. Today, equal opportunity has not only gained momentum, but it is the new normal. School opportunities, job opportunities, equal pay, and the view of women to lead are normal in today's world (Ryan, 2000). Initially, there was a focus in the girl child empowerment to offer her equal opportunities necessary to be at equal lengths with the male child. However, the girl is already empowered to a point where it has been argued that the boy child is now getting disempowered and focus should shift to that direction in the coming future (Butler, 2011). As the waves evolved, the fights were not against the male bias but were now against each other based on race, objectives and internal feminist views (David, 2016).

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is clear that the 21st century has heralded a dormant time in feminism. Although it is commendable the actions done through history to get to the point of near total equality, modern-day feminists are enjoying the fruits of their predecessor's labor but are not doing anything to add on to the fight that feminists fought for through history. The feminist waves from the 19th century have been able to accord women various privileges that were not accessible before. These waves made women move great strides to the point of recognition that they enjoy in society. However, they have grown silent and with them, feminism in general. The view that the fight is against man and to be equal to a man has already a high percentage been achieved. It has, therefore, made it necessary for the feminists to take their fights elsewhere and herein lies the problem. Also, these factors have made feminism lose its identity in society. With all that in mind, it will take major changes to ensure that feminism remains relevant in today's society and the future.

Annotated Bibliography

Butler, J. (2011). Gender Trouble: Feminism and the subversion of identity. New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis group

This book by Judith Butler forms a very important case in our research. Judith Butler is a philosopher who argues that gender is somewhat an improved performance. Her view that traditional feminism was wrong forms a very interesting topic for our research. She also goes ahead to argue the reasons as to why she feels feminism is losing its identity to the modern times. By dissecting the work of many feminist psychologists over history, she argues that there should exist a new feminism that critics the basis of gender and identity. She looks at the third wave of feminism and has been known to advance bad sexual practices especially in the 1990s. The research will be keen to scrutinize her assertions.

David, M. (2016). A feminist resurgence. In Reclaiming feminism: Challenging everyday misogyny (pp. 143-172). Bristol, UK; Chicago, IL, USA: Policy Press at the University of Bristol.

Mirriam David, a feminist writer investigates the influence of feminism to today's society. She contends that feminism has yet fulfilled its influence in today's world. She agrees that there are many women who have been empowered because of historical struggles. She focuses on the societal impacts of feminism and how these can be used to forge new territories as far as feminism is concerned. Reclaiming feminism looks at opportunities and threats that have forged the destiny of diverse women. The research identifies with the book as it looks at feminism today and its decline. The book will be useful in getting new ideas about the position of women in today's society about feminism and the direction that feminism has taken.

Fisanick, C. (2008). Feminism. Detroit: Greenhaven Press.

Christina Fisanick looks at feminism through a very critical perspective. Her arguments are not popular with many because she looks at feminism through opposing viewpoints. She argues from both sides of the table and asks critical questions that many writers are afraid to write about. She brings to fore important arguments and debates around voting, difference between men and wmomen and the future of feminism. The book is important in the study as it provides an important resource in coming up with a history and ideas about today and the future.

Piller, I. (2009). FEMINISM. In Chapman S. & Routledge C. (Eds.), Key Ideas in Linguistics and the Philosophy of Language (pp. 74-77). Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctt1g09vvm.30Jason

Ingrid Piller looks at feminism through a linguistic and psychological perspective. She brings in new ideas through the use of language and definitions about particular ideas that are relevant to feminism. Through the book, we are able to get a clear and precise understanding and identify hidden facts about feminism now and through history. The book is important as it also makes reading other books and sources easier. The book was really helpful for the research and made light of reading and resource gathering.

Ryan, B. (2000). Feminism for the 21st Century. NWSA Journal, 12(1), 181-186.

Barbara Ryan is an American feminist writer who has written different books about feminism. She integrates a historical background with an analytical framework with basis on social movements. She brings out the many trials and tribulations that women have faced...