Development of Feminism Since the 18th Century - Research Paper Example

Feminism The concept of feminism is one of the most controversial concepts in society. There are many differing opinions and attitudes when it comes to the concept. To understand the issues around feminism and its evolution, it is important to understand the different definitions of the concept. The concept of feminism has for example been defines as the belief that women have been treated differently from the men in the society, and have not been allowed to participate fully in the activities of the society. It is therefore the quest to reverse this situation, and prove that women as capable of performing as well as the men, and that the women are not as inferior to the men. The feminists assert that there are very few inherent differences that are unchangeable between men and women. There are however many individual differences between men and women. These individual and inherent differences are however not to imply that one gender is more capable than the other. The equality that is advocated for by the movement refers to equality in accordance to the laws of the land as well as social, political, an economic equality. While most people assume that feminism is a single or unified school of thought, it can be seen that the movement has evolved in three major waves. Each wave of has had distinct features or characteristics and can be seen to have been advocating for different rights. While some have criticized the movement, it has led to some major achievement for the women. It is important for one to understand the situation that the women were living in before the rise of the feminist movement. Such an understanding will help one to understand the changes that were brought about by the feminist movement. At the beginning of the 18thcentury, women did not receive any recognition under law. They were pronounced as being civilly dead when they got married. They were therefore not allowed to sign any contracts and they could not control the wages that they received. Their wages were controlled by the men in their lives. They were not given an opportunity to get an education and their position was expected to be at home taking care of their homesteads. A comparison of this situation with the current situation in the society reveals that a lot of changes have taken place. Most of the changes and the rights that the women have been able to achieve are as a result of the feminist activities (O’Neil 32). The influence of the feminist movement is seen to be reflected in the different areas of life in the society. The movement influences the social lives of the people and their economic life as well. The impact of feminism can also be seen in the literary world. Many female writers chose to address the various feminist issues that faced them in their lives through their writing. As the different waves of feminism changed, so did the content for the writers who are considered as feminists. Because each wave addressed different social and economic issues, and this was reflected in their writing. The ‘first wave of feminism’ can be traced back to the late 18th century period. This wave targeted the injustices that were officially mandated and that were directed at women. The first wave of this movement was interconnected with other movements that sought reforms in the society. Such movements included the abolition movement and the temperance movement. The highlight of the wave was marked by the publication of Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft in 1972. The end of this wave can be seen to have been marked by the ratification of the Twentieth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. This amendment gave the women voting rights and marked the beginning of the process of political empowerment for the women. The feminists during this period included Lucy Stone, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Helen Pitts among others. The movement also saw such achievements as educational opportunities for women. The first wave of feminism can also be seen to have advocated for the rights of the women who were in employment to get better wages and better working conditions. It was also during this wave of feminism that begun to advocate for the rights of women of color. The issue of family planning was also an issue that the feminists sought to address at this time. It is however important to note that most of the people in this wave were well educated and middle class women. The first wave of feminism was faced by many challenges. The right to vote for women was a seen as a controversial issue. This is because the perception was that if the women were given a right to vote, it would be a setback for black men who were also fighting for the same rights. The southerners also feared that illiterate women would claim the rights that they considered as theirs. The predominance of white male dominance was also a challenge to the first wave of feminist movement. The World Wars also meant that the feminist movement took a backseat as the people begun to concentrate on issues of nationality and patriotism. The first wave of the feminist movement was important in that it laid the foundation upon which the subsequent waves of feminism were based. The feminist writers of the first wave of the movement described the oppression that the women went through in the society. They present the women as not having the ability to represent or express themselves even in the confines of their own homes. This is often reflected in the female characters that are presented by the writers in this wave of feminism (Morgan 87). There are several examples of literary works that can be read within the waves of the feminist movement. An example of such literary works includes Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. The novel challenges the romantic beliefs that were held by the society during this time. The main character in the book who is Emma Bovary is seen to be a bored wife who has dreams of a romantic love. She therefore goes ahead to pursue her dreams of this romantic love by engaging in affairs with different men. She (Bovary) then goes ahead to make some extravagant purchases to fulfill her need for love that she feels has been unable to find. At the end of the story, she commits suicide as a result of her frustration. She is unwilling to conform to the society and would rather commit suicide. Her husband on the other hand is happy with the marriage and with their situation. This is a reflection of the actual society during the time in which the novel was written. The novel shows the over differentiation of the men and women that was characteristic of the patriarchal society that the first wave of feminism attempted to reverse. The role of the woman is shown in the role that is expected of Emma. Her position in the society is vague, and she derives her definition from the men in her life. She thus goes from being a daughter to being a wife. She at one point contemplates becoming a nun as it is the only other acceptable position that a woman can occupy in the society. The rebellion of the bored wife is thus seen as the desire of the woman to break free of the constraints that have been imposed on her by the society. Most women just like Emma can be seen to be victims of the society in which they are living. A feminist interpretation of the novel shows that Emma’s downfall came because she was a woman not because she was foolish. Had she been a man, the society would have allowed her to get away with her actions. A man would be expected to pursue women outside the confines of marriage. The central conflict in the novel can thus be seen to be the inability of the woman to break away from the restrictions that are imposed on her by the society. While she does not behave as the woman is supposed to behave, she does not achieve success in her endeavors. She is also doomed to fail as she has not received an education and she is seen to have romantic ideals that are beyond her reach or achievement. She is often juxtaposed among other female characters that show the ideals that are expected of the women during this period. Such are the characters that are polite and submissive. She is alienated by a society that has no consideration of the individuality of the different women. The second wave of feminism begun in the 1960’s and continued to the 1990s. The start of this phase was marked by the protests that took place against the Miss America beauty contest. The feminists were opposed to the contest as they considered it as being degrading to the women. This second wave of feminism can be seen to have taken place in the context of the civil rights movements that was taking place in the society. During this period, the African American people as well as other minority groups were demanding for recognition and for the civil rights that they deserved. There was an increase in the demand for equality regardless of the background or sex of the individual. Some of the issues that the feminists during this period were advocating for included the reproductive health rights for the women as well as sexual rights. It was this wave of feminism that advocated for the recognition of domestic violence and sexual assault. This wave of feminism was also concerned with the theoretical differences that exist between the men and the women. This wave went ahead to examine the political and social implications that came about as a result of these differences (De Beauvoir 23). The second wave of feminism is said to have had a major impact on the institutionalized patriarchy in the society. It also formed part of the different social change movements that were a characteristic of this period. The social movements included civil rights and gay rights activism. The spread of this second wave of feminism spread across the different women in the society as the women discussed the various issues that affected them as women. The second wave of feminism also addressed issues such as the wage differences between the men and the women. The feminists during this period also addressed the over sexualization of the female body. The second wave of feminism had some major accomplishments. These accomplishments included the creation of the institution of sexual harassment laws. This was one of the major points of advocacy for the second wave of the movement. It was also as a direct result of the second wave of the feminist movement that the Title IX was passed. Title IX gave a formal invitation to the women to participate in high school and college athletics. The feminist writers of this period can be seen to explore a perspective that was different from that of the first wave feminist writers. The writers have explored the perspective of the woman outside the confines of the role of a mother and a wife. They have examined the other roles that women can play in the society, and the challenges that the women face as they attempt to play these roles. The third wave of feminism begun in the mid 1990’s and has continued to date. This wave of feminism has been informed by a modernized way of thinking and of looking at sex and gender issues. This wave of feminism considers women not as a result of a patriarchal society. It looks forward to the empowerment of women to reach the same achievements as their male counterparts. A distinctive feature of this third wave of feminism is that it does not examine the relationships between men and women in the context of an ‘us versus them’ power struggle. This form of feminism recognizes that there are no simple answers to the issues of gender and sexuality. This form of feminism also recognizes that the relationship between the genders cannot be conceived or interpreted purely in the context of fixed structures in the society (Cott 382). The third wave of feminism is seen to continue advocating for many of the issues that were brought forth by the first and the second waves of feminism. It (the third wave) came about as a result of the evolution of the second wave. The wave can however be seen as a reaction to the issues advocated for by the second wave. The third wave has however gone beyond advocating for the rights and interests of women as a whole and recognized that there are some special interest groups even within the block of women. Such special interest groups include transgender women, lesbian and bisexual women, low income earning women, as well as the women of color. The previous waves had not considered these special interest groups. The third wave of feminism is also distinct in that it has examined the connection that exists between classism, sexism and racism within the society. It has been found that people of different racial backgrounds and different social economic status are impacted differently by issues of gender and sexual equality. It has been found that there are more black women who are working outside of their homes while compared to the white women. This is a direct result of the earlier day slavery. As such, it is seen that the black woman is dealing with more intertwined issues when compared to the white woman. It is such recognition that has enabled the third wave feminist movement to effectively address the issues that affect the different special interest groups. The feminist writers of the third wave are seen as increasingly bold in the issues that they explore in their work. They challenge the gender assumptions that are held, and they also challenge the notion of dichotomy that is held by the society (Rupp & Taylor 472). As seen, the late 1960’s did not make distinction in the issues that were advocated for by the feminists. There did not exist any distinction between the advocacy for the legal and equal rights for the women and the sexual rights of the women. In recent times, there has been a notable split that has occurred in the feminist movement. This split has seen the feminists divided into two groups according to their views on the female sexuality. One group of feminists assert that the issue of sexuality in a male dominated world is one that is faced by many dangerous situations in that the sexual practices in the society are often violent towards the women in the society. The other group of modern day feminists asserts that the hallmark of sexuality is the ability for the men and women to engage themselves in consensual sexual activities purely for the purposes of pleasure. A closer examination of these positions however reveals that the two cannot be considered as exclusive positions as the modern day sexual activities have aspects of danger and aspects of pleasure. There has been some criticism that has been directed at the feminist movement. The movement has for example been criticized as being erotophobic. This has especially been directed at the feminists who are opposed to the over exposure of the female body for commercial purposes. The patriarchal media has also portrayed the feminists as being man hating. This is a wrong perception as the main aim of the feminist is usually to achieve a situation in which the women can enjoy the same rights and privileges as their male counterparts. The feminists are also not opposed to the exposure of the female body; they are opposed to the exploitation of the female body for commercial purposes and for the pleasure of the men. There have also been some people that assert that the feminist movement was built upon the exaggerations of the feminists. Such people assert that the differences between the men and the women were not as severe as the feminists made them out to be. They also assert that there were very few inequalities that existed between men and women. It is however evident that the women could not enjoy the same positions as the men. It is only because of the work of the feminist movement that the women are able to occupy the same positions as their male counterparts. The movement has been able to achieve affirmative action which has been of great benefit to the women. Most of the gender inequalities that existed within the society have begun to be equalized. In conclusion, there are some people who assert that the third wave of the feminist movement is dying out, and that the feminist movement as a whole is dying out. This is however an incorrect assumption as there are still many issues that are addressed by the feminist. This thus means that as long as there are any issues that affect any sections of the female gender, the feminist work remains incomplete. As such, the movement will continue and may even gain momentum. The society has enjoyed some massive benefits from the three waves of the movement. The movement has for example led to a situation in which women have greater access to educational opportunities. While women still earn less compared to their male counterparts, the wages that are earned by women have improved. They have also been given the opportunity to make individual decisions in regards to their reproductive health. The radical feminists had set out to destroy the three pillars that give rise to the caste society that is often oppressive. These three pillars are the state, private property, and the family. The championing of the rights of women to own property and to have an opportunity for Planned Parenthood has led to an increased access to services for the women. The empowerment of the women has given women confidence to achieve what they would not previously have been able to achieve. This means that the movement has had a positive impact on the society. Works cited Baumgardner, Jennifer and Richards, Amy. Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism and the Future. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2000 Cott, Nancy F., The Grounding of Modern Feminism. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1987. O'Neill, William L., Everyone was Brave: The Rise and Fall of Feminism in America. Chicago: Quadrangle Books, 1969. Rupp, Leila and Verta Taylor, Survival in the Doldrums: The American Women's Right Movement, 1945 to the 1960s. New York: Oxford University Press, 1987. De Beauvoir, Simone. The Second Sex. New York, Alfred A. Knopf, 1993. Morgan, Robin. Sisterhood is Forever: The Women’s Anthology for a New  Millenium.   New York: Washington Square Press, 2003. Read More