Feminism Movements and their Impacts on Society

TERM PAPER

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INTRODUCION

Feminism is a diverse body of social theory which seeks to better understand the nature,
extent and causes of gender inequalities. Some Feminists are also political activists who actively
campaign for greater gender equality. As understood through social theories and political
activism, feminism is an interdisciplinary approach to problems of equality and equity based on
gender, gender expression, gender identity, sex, and sexuality. Feminism has historically
progressed from being a critical study of gender inequality to a more nuanced examination of the
social and performative constructions of gender and sexuality.

Injustices and disparities at the intersections of ability, class, gender, race, sex, and sexuality are
now the focus of feminist theory. Feminists also strive to effect change in areas where these
intersections result in power disparities. Because of intellectual and academic discussion of these
inequities, our students are better prepared to face injustices in the world and to change
unhealthy dynamics in any situation. Feminism, the belief in social, economic, and political
equality of the sexes. Although originating in the West, feminism is manifested worldwide and is
represented by various institutions committed to activity on behalf of women’s rights and
interests.

“Throughout most of Western history, women were confined to the domestic sphere, while
public life was reserved for men.” (“Feminism | Definition, History, Types, Waves, Examples, &
Facts”) In medieval Europe, women were denied the right to own property, to study, or to
participate in public life. At the end of the 19th century in France, they were still compelled to
cover their heads in public, and, in parts of Germany, a husband still had the right to sell his
wife. (“Feminism In Pride & Prejudice! – The New Dealer”) Even as late as the early 20th
century, women could neither vote nor hold elective office in Europe and in most of the United
States (Where several territories and states granted women’s suffrage long before the federal
government did so). Women were prevented from conducting business without a male

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representative, be it father, brother, husband, legal agent, or even son. (“Feminism In Pride &
Prejudice! – The New Dealer”) Married women could not exercise control over their own
children without the permission of their husbands. “Moreover, women had little or no access to
education and were barred from most professions.” (“husbands Moreover women had little or no
access to education and were ...”) In some parts of the world, such restrictions on women
continue today. Feminist politicians advocate for issues such as workplace sexual harassment
and discrimination, equal pay, family medical leave, domestic violence, and reproductive rights.
When there is intersectional oppression, objectification, stereotyping, or a violation of human
rights, it is a feminist issue.

Feminist movements have campaigned and continue to campaign for women's rights,
including the right to vote, run for public office, work, earn equal pay, own property, receive
education, enter contracts, have equal rights within marriage, and childcare leave. Feminists have
also worked to ensure access to contraception, legal abortions, and social integration and to
protect women and girls from rape, sexual harassment, and domestic violence. Changes in
female dress standards and acceptable physical activities for females have also been part of
feminist movements. Many scholars consider feminist campaigns to be a main force behind
major historical societal changes for women's rights, particularly in the West, where they are
near-universally credited with achieving women's suffrage, gender-neutral language,
reproductive rights for women (including access to contraceptives and abortion), and the right to
enter contracts and own property. Although feminist advocacy is, and has been, focused on
women's rights, some feminists argue for the inclusion of men's liberation within its aims,
because they believe that men are also harmed by traditional gender roles. Feminist theory,
which emerged from feminist movements, aims to understand the nature of gender inequality by
examining women's social roles and lived experiences; feminist theorists have developed
theories in a variety of disciplines to respond to issues concerning gender.

Numerous feminist movements and ideologies have developed over the years, representing
different viewpoints and political aims. Traditionally, since the 19th century, first-wave liberal
feminism, which sought political and legal equality through reforms within a liberal democratic
framework, was contrasted with labour-based proletarian women's movements that over time
developed into socialist and Marxist feminism based on class struggle theory. Since the 1960s,

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both traditions are also contrasted with the radical feminism that arose from the radical wing of
second-wave feminism and that calls for a radical reordering of society to eliminate male
supremacy; together liberal, socialist, and radical feminism are sometimes called the "Big Three"
schools of feminist thought. Since the late 20th century, many newer forms of feminism have
emerged. Some forms have been criticized as considering only white, middle class, college-
educated, heterosexual, or cisgender perspectives. These criticisms have led to the creation of
ethnically specific or multicultural forms of feminism, such as black feminism and intersectional
feminism. Some feminists have argued that feminism often promotes misandry and the elevation
of women's interests above men's and criticize radical feminist positions as harmful to both men
and women.

At its core, feminism is the belief in full social, economic, and political equality for women.
Feminism arose in response to Western traditions that restricted the rights of women, but
feminist thought has global manifestations and variations.

BODY

There is scant evidence of early organized protest such circumscribed status. (“(DOC)
Feminism | Rasaq O L A N R E W A J U Fatusi - Academia.edu”) “In the 3rd century BCE,
Roman women filled the Capitoline Hill and blocked every entrance to the Forum when consul
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Marcus Porcius Cato resisted attempts to repeal laws limiting women’s use of expensive goods.”
(“Feminism: A waste of time or a critical issue. - Opera News”) ““If they are victorious now,
what will they not attempt?”” (“The History of Feminism That Feminist’s Don’t Care to
Know!”) Cato cried. “As soon as they begin to be your equals, they will have become your
superiors.” (““I do not wish them [women] to have power over men; but ... - LinkedIn”)

That rebellion proved exceptional, however. “For most of recorded history, only isolated
voices spoke out against the inferior status of women, presaging the arguments to come.”
(“Feminism - Britannica Presents 100 Women Trailblazers”) In late 14th- and early 15th-century
France, the first feminist philosopher, Christine de Pisan, challenged prevailing attitudes toward
women with a bold call for female education. Her mantle was taken up later in the century by
Laura Cereta, a 15th-century Venetian woman who published Epistolae familiares (1488;
“Personal Letters”; Eng. trans. Collected Letters of a Renaissance Feminist), a volume of letters
dealing with a panoply of women’s complaints, from denial of education and marital oppression
to the frivolity of women’s attire.

The defense of women had become a literary subgenre by the end of the 16th century,
when Il merito delle donne (1600; The Worth of Women), a feminist broadside by another
Venetian author, Moderata Fonte, was published posthumously. Defenders of the status quo
painted women as superficial and inherently immoral, while the emerging feminists produced
long lists of women of courage and accomplishment and proclaimed that women would be the
intellectual equals of men if they were given equal access to education.

The so-called “debate about women” did not reach England until the late 16th century,
when pamphleteers and polemicists joined battle over the true nature of womanhood. After a
series of satiric pieces mocking women was published, the first feminist pamphleteer in England,
writing as Jane Anger, responded with Jane Anger, Her Protection for Women (1589). This
volley of opinion continued for more than a century, until another English author, Mary Astell,
issued a more reasoned rejoinder in A Serious Proposal to the Ladies (1694, 1697). The two-
volume work suggested that women inclined neither toward marriage nor a religious vocation
should set up secular convents where they might live, study, and teach.

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 Women's suffrage, greater access to education, more equitable pay with men, the right to
initiate divorce proceedings, the right of women to make individual pregnancy decisions
(including access to contraception and abortion), and the right to own property have all resulted
from the feminist movement in our society. And here are those feminism movements and their
effect on society:

Women's rights
The women's liberation movement began to advocate for women's rights in the 1960s,
including pay parity with men, legal equality, and the ability to decide when and how many
children to have. Their efforts yielded varying degrees of success. Commonly associated with
ideas of women's rights are things like the right to bodily integrity and autonomy, the right to
vote (universal suffrage), the right to hold public office, the right to work, the right to fair wages
or equal pay, the right to own property, the right to education, the right to serve in the military,
the right to enter contracts, and the right to have marital, parental, and religious rights. The idea
that girls forced men to have sex with them even when the girls were not complicit has been
disproved by feminists who have worked to protect women and girls from child sexual abuse.

In the UK, a groundswell of support for legal equality gathered steam, including during
the modern movement, in part due to the widespread employment of women in traditionally male
occupations during the two world wars. The legislative process began to be prepared in the 1960s
and continued through the select committee report of MP Willie Hamilton, his Equal Pay for
Equal Work Bill, the establishment of a Sex Discrimination Board, Lady Sear's draft sex anti-
discrimination bill, a government Green Paper in 1973, and finally, until 1975, when the first
British Sex Discrimination Act, an Equal Pay Act, and an Equal Opportunities Commission went
into effect. The other EEC nations quickly followed suit with an agreement to ensure that
discriminatory laws would be repealed, spurred on by the UK government.

Western women experienced a new sense of freedom during the last three decades of the
20th century thanks to birth control, which allowed them to plan their adult lives and frequently
make room for both careers and families. The movement had been started in the 1910s by
Margaret Sanger, a leading social reformer in the United States, and Marie Stopes in the UK and
abroad.
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 Publication of data and advocacy relevant to rights increased in recent decades. For
example, the United Nations Human Development Report 2004 estimated that, on average,
women work more than men when both paid employment and unpaid household tasks are
accounted for. In rural areas of selected developing countries, women performed an average of
20 per cent more work than men, or an additional 102 minutes (about 1 hour 42 minutes) per
day. In the OECD countries surveyed on average women performed 5 per cent more work than
men or 20 minutes per day when both paid employment and unpaid household tasks are
considered.

Reproductive Rights

Reproductive rights have been a major focus of political activism in the U.S., both in
support of and opposition to the U.S. decision. In the Roe v. Wade case, the Supreme Court
declared that a woman has a constitutional right to decide whether to carry a pregnancy to term.
However, the Supreme Court overturned Roe on June 24, 2022, in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's
Health Organization on the grounds that the right to an abortion was not "deeply rooted in this
Nation's history or tradition," was not recognized as a right when the Due Process Clause was
ratified in 1868 and had not previously been recognized in American law until Roe.

Gender-neutral language
To reduce presumptions about the biological sex of human referents, gender-neutral
English refers to language usages that do not recognize gender. Advocates of gender-neutral
language tend to have at least two different agendas: one is to make clear that both sexes or
genders are included (gender-inclusive language), and the other is that gender as a category is
rarely important enough to mark in language (gender-neutral language). Occasionally,
proponents of gender-neutral language refer to it as politically correct language, while detractors
refer to it as non-sexist language.

Heterosexual family relationships

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 Gender roles and the division of labor within households have been impacted by the
increased entry of women into the workforce since the turn of the twentieth century. In The
Second Shift and The Time Bind, sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild provided evidence that, in
two-career couples, men and women spend on average, about equal amounts of time working but
still spend more time on housework. (“History and theory of feminism - CA Water Info”)
(“History and theory of feminism - CA Water Info”) In response to Hochschild's claims, feminist
author Cathy Young argues that, in some instances, women may prevent men from participating
equally in parenting and housework.

In the Western middle class, feminist criticisms of men's domestic and childcare duties typically
focus on the notion that it is unfair to expect women to handle more than half of these tasks when
both partners in a relationship have jobs outside the home. Numerous studies have produced
statistical proof that married men's income has no bearing on how quickly they complete
household chores.

Studies of undergraduates and older adults have shown that feminism has positive impacts on
relationship health for women and sexual satisfaction for men and have found no support for
negative stereotypes of feminists, despite research suggesting that both women and men perceive
feminism to be at odds with romance. Luker's claim that young women from lower
socioeconomic backgrounds now see less reason to get married before having children is
contradicted by this.

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 In conclusion, the impact of feminism is more positive. Feminism not only pave way for
right conduction of fair law it also helped us in conducting fair recognition of human rights for
everybody not just for man and woman but for every gender identity as well. Feminism has its
long history journey of acquiring fair rights as same as to a man. It receives many backlashes and
criticism, but it kept on pursuing its ideals and paved its way on what we have now, it built the
foundation for womans right to everything. Feminism is a diverse body of social theory which
seeks to better understand the nature, extent and causes of gender inequalities. Some Feminists
are also political activists who actively campaign for greater gender equality. As understood
through social theories and political activism, feminism is an interdisciplinary approach to
problems of equality and equity based on gender, gender expression, gender identity, sex, and
sexuality. Feminism has historically progressed from being a critical study of gender inequality
to a more nuanced examination of the social and performative constructions of gender and
sexuality. Injustices and disparities at the intersections of ability, class, gender, race, sex, and
sexuality are now the focus of feminist theory. Feminism is a diverse component of social theory
that seeks to better understand the nature, extent, and causes of gender inequality. Some
feminists are also political activists who actively advocate for more gender equality. As
understood by social theory and political practice, feminism is an interdisciplinary approach to
issues of equality and justice based on gender, gender expression, gender identity, gender, and
sexuality. Feminism has historically evolved from a critical study of gender inequality to a more
nuanced study of the social and performative constructions of gender and sexuality. Injustices
and disparities at the intersection of ability, class, gender, race, gender, and sexuality are at the
heart of feminist theory today. Feminism, the belief in the social, economic, and political
equality of men and women. Feminism originated in the West, but it is appearing all over the
world, represented by various institutions fighting for the rights and interests of women. In
1
medieval Europe, women were denied the right to own property, study, and participate in public
life. By the early 20th century at least, women in much of Europe and the United States (some
territories and states long before the federal government granted women's suffrage) were unable
to vote or hold elected office. Feminist politicians' campaign on issues such as sexual harassment
and workplace discrimination, equal pay, family sick leave, domestic violence, and reproductive
rights. When there is intersectional oppression, objectification, stereotyping, or a violation of
human rights, it is a feminist issue. Feminist movements have campaigned and continue to
campaign for women's rights, including the right to vote, run for public office, work, earn equal
pay, own property, receive education, enter contracts, have equal rights within marriage, and
childcare leave. Feminists have also worked to ensure access to contraception, legal abortions,
and social integration and to protect women and girls from rape, sexual harassment, and
domestic violence. Many scholars consider feminist campaigns to be a main force behind major
historical societal changes for women's rights, particularly in the West, where they are near-
universally credited with achieving women's suffrage, gender-neutral language, reproductive
rights for women (including access to contraceptives and abortion), and the right to enter
contracts and own property. Although feminist advocacy is, and has been, focused on women's
rights, some feminists argue for the inclusion of men's liberation within its aims, because they
believe that men are also harmed by traditional gender roles. Feminist theory, which emerged
from feminist movements, aims to understand the nature of gender inequality by examining
women's social roles and lived experiences; feminist theorists have developed theories in a
variety of disciplines to respond to issues concerning gender. Numerous feminist movements and
ideologies have developed over the years, representing different viewpoints and political aims.
Traditionally, since the 19th century, first-wave liberal feminism, which sought political and
legal equality through reforms within a liberal democratic framework, was contrasted with labor-
based proletarian women's movements that over time developed into socialist and Marxist
feminism based on class struggle theory. At its core, feminism is the belief in full social,
economic, and political equality for women. Feminism arose in response to Western traditions
that restricted the rights of women, but feminist thought has global manifestations and variations.
In late 1 the- and early 15th-century France, the first feminist philosopher, Christine de Pisan,
challenged prevailing attitudes toward women with a bold call for female education. Defenders
of the status quo painted women as superficial and inherently immoral, while the emerging
1
feminists produced long lists of women of courage and accomplishment and proclaimed that
women would be the intellectual equals of men if they were given equal access to education.
Women's suffrage, greater access to education, more equitable pay with men, the right to initiate
divorce proceedings, the right of women to make individual pregnancy decisions (including
access to contraception and abortion), and the right to own property have all resulted from the
feminist movement in our society. The women's liberation movement began to advocate for
women's rights in the 1960s, including pay parity with men, legal equality, and the ability to
decide when and how many children to have. Commonly associated with ideas of women's rights
are things like the right to bodily integrity and autonomy, the right to vote (universal suffrage),
the right to hold public office, the right to work, the right to fair wages or equal pay, the right to
own property, the right to education, the right to serve in the military, the right to enter contracts,
and the right to have marital, parental, and religious rights. The idea that girls forced men to have
sex, even if they were not accomplices, has been refuted by feminists who have campaigned to
protect women and girls from child sexual abuse. In Britain, the widespread employment of
women in traditionally male occupations during the two world wars has fueled a wave of support
for legal equality, including during the modernization movement. For example, the United
Nations Human Development Report 200 estimated that women, on average, work more hours
than men when both paid employment and unpaid domestic work are considered. In rural areas
of certain developing countries, women work an average of 20% longer than men, which means
they work 102 minutes (about 1 hour 42 minutes) longer per day (about 1 hour 2 minutes).
Across her surveyed OECD countries, women work an average of 5% longer than men, working
20 minutes per day when considering both paid work and unpaid household chores.
Reproductive rights have become a major focus of US political activity, both in support of and
opposition to US decisions. In The Second Shift and The Time Bind, sociologist Arlie Russell
Hochschild found that, on average, men and women in dual-income couples spend about the
same amount of time at work but spend more time doing household chores. provided evidence.
Responding to Hochschild's allegations, feminist author Cathy Young argues that in some cases
women may prevent men from participating equally in childcare and household chores. In the
Western middle class, feminist criticism of men's household and childcare responsibilities
usually focuses on the idea that it is unfair to expect women to do more than half of them.

1
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References

Feminist effects on society - Wikipedia. (2021, July 1). Feminist Effects on Society -
Wikipedia. Retrieved January 28, 2023, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminist_effects_on_society

Brunell, L. and Burkett, Elinor (2023, January 23). feminism. Encyclopedia

Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/feminism

Feminism - Wikipedia. (2019, May 21). Feminism - Wikipedia. Retrieved January 28,
2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminism