We hope to raise awareness and educate our peers about what feminism is and why it is still relevant. Questions: Email [email protected]
Normative definitions of feminism:
•Feminism is the belief that men and women should be equal in all areas of life and the act of bringing this equality about.
•Feminism is the theory of the political, economic, and social inequality of the sexes and the organized activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests.
•Feminism is the belief that all people should be equal in all areas of life an
d the act of bringing this equality about. Background – Different “kinds” of feminist theories/orientations/beliefs
•Cultural feminism – men and women fundamentally different (women better? Some believe this) Ironically, this view can overlap with right-wing conservative views.
•Radical feminism – women are treated as a “class” in society and the structure of society must be changed in order to change this.
•Marxist/socialist feminism – radical feminism with strong emphasis on economic inequality
•Liberal feminism – women should have the same rights as men – no structural change
•Multiracial feminism – overlaps with other theories; emphasizes the importance of culture and race and “intersectionality” – gender does not have a universal meaning
•Lesbian feminism – focuses on the way in which heterosexual sex and relationships are oppressive to women in comparison with lesbian relationships
•Ecofeminism – relation between the degradation of nature and the oppression of women
•Postmodern feminism – gender is constructed through language
•Womanism – term used by some African American women to distinguish themselves from white feminists and emphasize cultural differences
•Pro-feminism – some men call themselves pro-feminists rather than feminists
•“Sex-positive” feminists emphasize sexual freedom and choice
Power feminism (“career feminism”) – women should work individually to get ahead by using their own power and needn’t work collectively for any other women – NOTE: Most women who call themselves feminists don’t consider this feminist
“WAVES”
First – Suffrage Movement – 1848-1920 – focused on the vote and rights of married women
Second – 60’s and 70’s – resulted in many legal changes for women
Third – now – focused more on cultural change and meaning
Fourth? – may be emerging
Some Quotations
“I’m not a feminist but I appreciate the right to help choose my government representatives. I enjoy the option of wearing pants or shorts if I want. I’m pleased that I was allowed to learn to read and write. It can be very convenient to control how many babies I want to have. It’s awfully useful to be able to open a bank account and own property in my name. I like knowing that my husband or boyfriend cannot legally beat me. It’s really swell to keep the money that I earn. – “One Angry Girl”
“Part of the radical connotation of feminism is not due to the word, but to the action. The act of a woman standing up for herself is radical, whether she calls herself a feminist or not.” Paula Kamen
“I used to go on college campuses 25 years ago and announce I was a feminist and people thought it meant I believed in free love and was available for a quick hop in the sack….Now I go on college campuses and say I’m a feminist, and half of them think it means I’m a lesbian. How’d we get from there to here without passing “Go.”? Molly Ivins
“A feminist is a person who answers ‘yes’ to the question ‘Are women human?’ Feminism is not about whether women are better than, worse than or identical with men. And it’s certainly not about trading personal liberty – abortion, divorce, sexual self-expression – for social protection as wives and mothers, as pro-life feminists propose. It’s about justice, fairness, and access to the broad range of human experience. It’s about women consulting their own well-being and being judged as individuals rather than as members of a class with one personality, one social function, one road to happiness. It’s about women having intrinsic value as persons rather than contingent value as a means to an end for others: fetuses, children, the “family,” men.” Katha Pollitt
Something to Think About:
The best way to oppress people is
to get them to participate in their own oppression.
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