This has lead to a widespread affect. Since women are more inclined to domestics this means women become more dependent on their husbands. Women tend to work less or work part time usually child bearing whilst the husband works full time. Women are usually excluded from corporate companies, politics and economics which are predominantly male conquered. Again this could be due to an early age socialisation, were men use their valuable skills (from education) in working life. Feminists insists there is a gender role difference, women and men have different roles in society and these stereotypical roles still fail to eradicate.
A socialist feminist would agree, insisting that in the modern era women are under oppression whether they are in employment or not. Firstly, the discrimination at work which can be low paid means house wives become economically dependent on their partners. Not only that but ‘they are also exploited through their unpaid contribution to maintain capitalist workforce’.
Another way to argue if feminism should sit in today’s society is looking at the society in different assemblies. This means to look at the East and West and try to amend the discrimination of women accordingly. A recent issue is the educational system in Afghanistan. Women in Afghanistan are rarely allowed to educate and go to school. There are limitations on where women can go and who they can go with. Women must be accompanied by a male to walk out the house or to go to a public gathering. A feminist would agree that this allows men to be and feel superior to women. Men have more control over the female and this is discrimination for majority of women in Afghanistan.
Additionally, Iran and Saudi Arabia have laws forbidding women to drive or enter public domain without having a headscarf. A feminist view would be to allow women the freedom of choice of wanting to drive or covering their hair, again this allows men to feel superior due to laws and culture. This discrimination still remains today, feminism may have a place especially in eastern countries where laws limit and restrict a woman’s daily routine.
Moreover, females are not only oppressed by public life or living standard but more serious and concerning issues. Daly explains how physical mutilation is still occurring in Africa and China. A common example is female mutilation in Somalia which leads to ill health and deformity in most cases. Bride burning in India, sex tourism in Thailand and female infanticide in China limit women’s scope and freedom. To argue that feminism is not needed in today’s society would be ignorant by looking only at western spectre, surely feminism is needed to liberate females in eastern parts of the world.
Even in western society, there may be a place or desire for feminism. Some females say western society and culture promote sexuality by using women as ‘objects’ in pornography to benefit the male population. Radical and Liberal feminist would both agree that this is a total insult to women’s respectability and how it’s somewhat allowed for the nudity of women to entertain males. Feminists persist that this doesn’t occur for men, men are not seen as objects, and there is little exploitation of men.
Till this day, women in catholic churches cannot be priests or be ordained. This is an infringement on women’s practice of faith, restricting them from being part of a religious culture.
Thus, females may turn to feminism due to frustration as these issues become more widespread. More and more women are being mentally and physically affected by the discrimination and become bothered by the “malestream”society.
But does feminism fit completely with modern era as compared to the past? Some would strongly argue that we have moved on from the nineteenth century, where women couldn’t vote or take part in political or economic life. Women were once chattels and property of their husbands, they couldn’t vote and if they protested they would be arrested. However, this is no longer the case. Women are freely taking part in political and economic life. Within Argentina and Germany, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and Angela Merkel both prove women can be in politics in modern times and that feminism is not relevant today.
Furthermore, headscarf’s in Islamic cultures are now a choice and some women find it liberating wearing a scarf which captures their modesty. Some may say feminism cannot be integrated in today’s society because times have changed dramatically. Feminists need to absorb other womens point of view, what some women find oppression may be considered as liberating for some. Even religion is moving forward with modern times. Protestant church allows women to be ordained and become practicing priests. Women in certain countries like Saudi Arabia are content with not driving but enjoy being driven. It’s evident that feminism hasn’t totally represented a lot of women. Most women are content or at ease with being housewives or feel that they haven’t been discriminated.
Yet feminism doesn’t take into account its own faults. If feminists want equal treatment to men, then it’s suspected that females are likely to have custody over children than men. Radical feminists are not helping themselves by completely detaching themselves from men, if anything they’re causing a barrier between both sexes. Thus, many women have deemed feminism as too extreme and radical. This has put off many women taking feminism seriously especially in modern era where women have freedom to do as they please.
To conclude, the key concept of feminism is the patriarchal society and the disparity between both sexes. What would please feminists is to banish any divisions between men and women, unless of course it’s biological. ‘Even though the feminist movement does not advocate a revolution, but it is nonetheless what revolutions are all about: to undertermin the power of some (men) and enhance the power of others (women).’ Feminism can be seen as a strong and powerful movement especially in the nineteenth century.
The nineteenth century was the peak of its motives. Females couldn’t vote, couldn’t participate in the economy ore political aspects in society. However, nowadays especially in the west women have been taking stance in politics and the economy. Women have freedom to vote, to own property and take part in political life. Females have been rising in the political sphere especially in Latin America and Europe with female presidents.
To say that feminism has a place in today’s society is to look at the problems facing women especially in the east. The eastern segment has a differing culture to the west, not all women can educate and women are subjected to the home. Thus, feminism can still have a place within today’s era. But, in modern day western cultures females have freedom in all aspects of public sphere. Sex discrimination is rare and women are in full time careers however, in the west women still may be seen as ‘sex objects’ with a rise in sexual contexts and pornography, as oppose to the east who are much more conservative.
It’s a struggle to fully accept feminism in today’s society as most females are on the rise, yet feminists would still note that even in today’s world women will always be seen as objects and exploited to benefit the male population. The U.S National Organization for Women (NOW) is the largest women’s organization ‘whose major campaign is for the amendment to the US constitution that would ban discrimination on grounds of sex. Such campaigns are characteristics of Liberal feminism.’ Campaigns like this are strong and empowering to women, proving that feminism is making a mark in today’s society to gain full equality with the opposite sex therefore, some females still encounter unequal treatment.
Finally, I think that feminism may have a strong argument in today’s society. In many Eastern cultures it restricts women from what western women can do freely and without restraint, e.g. educate. However I do believe feminism is out dated and maturing. Its arguments are no longer being executed or being put into much practice because few women feel they are being discriminated against in public spheres. Women know days have a lot more freedom than in the past, were a typical role of a woman is to be a housewife and mother. Now if a woman is a housewife, it’s down to her personal choice and decision. Still, as I said before feminism has some strong points, women do struggle in political careers, very few women are presidents or prime ministers, many women don’t educate relying on their husbands and some women are afraid to enter macho or masculine jobs. Yet, as a modern era I regard feminism struggling to justify itself especially in western cultures where women are open to determine their future. To finish, I think feminism is not as relevant today, its issues and concerns aren’t as strong as in the past and more women are now on the rise.
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