Feminism and Politics Today - Essay Example

Feminism and Politics Today Feminism and Politics Today Feminist activism is a movement whose objective is, having equal rights for both men and women. Feminism has played a significant role in shaping up today’s politics, over the recent past; women have faced challenges in the fight for their rights. These rights include better work pay equality, divorce rights, and suffrage for women. Additionally, other rights include; birth control rights and many other social changes in the community are also important. Over the past, these activists have won several battles and rights for women, the present-day feminist activists must fight and retain these rights. Equally, feminist activists are driven by the rising need for social change for the present day society. Currently, feminist activists are fighting for several rights that affect women’s social well-being (Glenn 2010). With the achievement of these changes, equality and justice will be achieved in our today’s society. Politics has been a male-dominated affair centuries now. For this reason, female feminism has been on top to change the face of today’s politics. The main struggle has been the inclusion of women in today’s politics. Previously, the face of politics has changed in most parts of the world with women taking over leadership positions. In the past, these leadership positions were male dominated. The main fight over this issue is the attainment of equal rights among women and to change the entire face of politics. Consequently, feminism has promoted a belief among women that their social experience gives them an expertise needed to run a valuable government. Furthermore, feminism supporters affirm that women can provide leadership that would transform the face of leadership (Dziedzic 2012). Many states in the US have supported women to participate actively in Politics and high-ranking positions in the government. Look at the United States today, the majority of women are rising to power and politics is becoming a field for both genders. Feminists from England, France, and the US have had a significant success in involving women in organizations entrusted with decision-making. However, there has been an increased female participation in politics in many parts of Europe. These participations have given rise to a reduction in domestic violence, promotion of divorce rights, and child custody rights over the last four decades. In Ugandan, women had a different technique of growing their political participation. At the time guerrilla war between 1981-5, women used a major contribution (Finley & Stringer 2010). These women put in place policies that favored them too and, as a result, it made them at par with men in decision-making positions. The problem of marriages in India has for a long time become a question of concern for most Indian women. Marriage related deaths have been on the rise, and this made the Indian feminists fight for equal marriage rights. Initially, men had a lot of favors in matters of marriage. They enjoyed marriage rights that deprived women of their rights too. Apart from marriage rights, For example, Indian feminists fought for property, marriage, and divorce rights that favored men for a long time. As a result, in 1934, a bill was passed that protects the rights of women, and this was achieved to change the order that had existed for a long time. In Mexico, women joined organizations that inculcated in them public confidence. The confidence they gained helped them to argue courageously out their rights (Glenn 2010). For many societies, the support for feminism ideas still continues to grow because of the increasing role of women in creating public awareness. In France, a significant amount of change has been seen from the public point of view concerning employment, abortion, and housework for women. The ideas of Feminists that seemed absurd in the early seventies are today accepted in most parts of the country. Also, an assertion made by feminists that women also have rights which, needs protection has also made a significant impact on worldwide politics. It has also provided women with a starting point, and women can now question and change the rules and traditions governing them. For this reason, there is an increased number of women in positions of power (Finley & Stringer 2010). There is also a significant change in how the legislation is run and public opinion diversified because of these feminist movements. All through the history of the world, women have struggled to change the attitude of men while trying to cling more to their rights. However, acceptance of world cultures has been a challenge apart from a few cultures that have accepted and respected the women’s rights. For instance, there are many cultures in many parts of the world that consider abortion illegal. However, the notion has received resistance, and now, most states have enacted laws that give the women an equal chance to express their opinions, and they have been given equal considerations (Dziedzic 2012). For example, in Uruguay, the bill to legalize abortion was prevented by the Catholic Church, and this has also got lots of resistance from female feminists. Another example is early marriage for girls of a school going age which is commonly practiced in Africa. The practice is illegal and has had resistance from feminist activists who have been struggling to achieve gender parity from education to political positions nationally. Many young females are denied access to education especially those from the marginalized regions in the sub-Saharan Africa. Many parents from these regions are against this act of early marriage and have received resistance for many years (Glenn 2010). As a result of these resistances, gender parity is improving in many African countries. Girls now go to school as boys and even share equal rights when it comes to matters of education. Many African governments have also enacted laws that guide education matters that have seen many girls attend schooling. As a result, women are also rising to political positions and decision-making positions. In conclusion, the women of today struggle not just for the male dominance but also against the current religious and the conservative norms that restrict them. On the other hand, women still face challenges from men especially those who believe that women’s rights and freedoms have since gone beyond their expectation. Over the last three decades, women have made tremendous progress in fighting for their rights (Finley & Stringer 2010). In some countries, the reception especially for men has been wanting and to other countries, the fight to gender parity is increasingly something worthwhile. Matters of education rights, equal pay rights, and public office positions have been a reserve for men in some countries. Additionally, women have been denied the right to education just as men. With the continued struggle to attain gender parity, majority of the African countries have attained gender parity to a significant level. References Finley, L., & Stringer, E. (2010). Beyond burning bras: Feminist activism for everyone. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Praeger. Dziedzic, N. (2012). Feminism. Detroit: Greenhaven Press. Glenn, S. (2010). Female spectacle: The theatrical roots of modern feminism. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. Read More