Paper Example on Feminism

Introduction

Since the awareness of feminism in 1960, the study of women has brought about a lot of information on theories and studies about women in the society. It has allowed people to question the assumptions and biases made in every field of work including the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. In the olden days, people used the experiences of men to measure the skills of women against them because they believed that was the reasonable thing to do. Women were made to feel incomplete, invisible or inadequate.

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This assumption was not right because women are to know to base their moral judgment on the happenings of a particular situation whereas men are most likely to make sense depending on what they believe. The primary objective of women studies is to make sure that everyone got included in the theories, content, and concept of the human knowledge. Thinking about women opens up our minds to patterns of gender relations in the society.

It is difficult to define feminism because there is not a specific way to describe it; a long time ago people believed that feminism meant more rights for women and fewer rights for men or that women are superior than men (Weiss, 2016). It was one of the main reasons why people were against it so much. In turn, gave rise to misogyny a word that is very hard to pronounce and spell but very easy to practice. Misogyny can be described as the hatred towards women and takes lots of forms including devaluing a woman or not respecting a woman. In recent times though people have become more accepting towards feminism because they understand that the true meaning of feminism is the advocacy of equal rights to every human being regardless of the individual's gender. Feminism builds its philosophy from the change that it wants to create a society that is more just for women by making sure everyone understands the experiences of women.

First feminism argues that men's and women's position in the society is creating by social influences and has nothing to do with natural or biological factors. Secondly, feminists believe in making the community a better place on behalf of women by way of acting and thinking because there are structures that have been put in place to show that men and women are not equal. Another thing that feminists show is that the experiences, ideas, and concerns of men and those of women should be respected and taken seriously in the same measure.

Anyone can be a feminist, and that includes men too. Although most people believe that men who are feminists are gay, that is not always the case some are not gay. A feminist man is one who thinks that men are not superior to women and fights to protect women from such discrimination. The fourth point that feminism shows is that not only women who get subjected to the expectation of cultures but men too, this, in turn, affects their masculinity which later affects their social roles, emotions, and identities.

People who are threatened by feminism are the ones who want the status quo to remain. It can be a dangerous affair fighting for women's rights as was the case of one Ms. Yousafzi Malala who was shot by Pakistani militants in the head for advocating the need of having women and girls educated. It did not prevent her from advocating for women's right because when she got well she was able to start the Women in the World Foundation. The foundation got launched for the sole purpose of supporting the rights of women and girls worldwide.

Gender, race, sexuality, and class in the study of women play significant roles.

Gender takes a lot of forms and gets described as the experiences men and women have in the society in regards to societal arrangements and cultural expectations. Race, in turn, shapes the type of experience white, and people of color have but all in separate ways. Subsequently, sexuality develops the systematic privileges' that influence gays, lesbians, heterosexual men and women, bisexuals and transgender people. Furthermore, class affects all the people that are the poor, the working, the wealthy elites and even the middle class.

Conclusion

In conclusion we can all agree that feminism means that the right of women are valued just as much as men rights are valued, that anyone whether transgender or otherwise can get good health care, that job interviews are done justly and depend on the qualification of the individual and not based on whether one is a man or woman (Friedman, 2015). It may not mean world peace, harmony, and love but it advocates for the removal of traditions that have been put in place to devalue women in society.

References

Friedman, E. (2015, November 24). What is the conclusion of feminism? Retrieved from https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-conclusion-of-feminism

Watanabe, M. (2014, November 24). What Is Patriarchy (And How Does It Hurt Us All)? Retrieved from What Is Patriarchy (And How Does It Hurt Us All)?: https://everydayfeminism.com/2014/11/what-is-patriarchy/

Weiss, S. (2016, July 5). 7 Things The Word "Feminist" Does NOT Mean. Retrieved from 7 Things, The Word "Feminist" Does NOT Mean: https://www.bustle.com/articles/170721-7-things-the-...