How Far Feminism Can Go - Essay Example

Feminism Feminism has not gone far. The following discussion establishes this contention. The contention that, feminism has gone far is fallaciousand mischievous, and merely seeks to promote the interests of men to the detriment of women. Feminism has not usurped the position of the male and in fact does not entertain any such nefarious motive. All that the feminists seek is an end to exploitation on the basis of gender and equality with men. Although, feminism incorporates several social commitments, political stances and theoretical summits, it is principally concerned with the social pattern that accords an excess of power and entitlements to men, in comparison to women. This malaise is widespread and is to be found across cultures and history. This prejudicial state of affairs has been described by a number of terms, such as, male dominance, patriarchy, systemic misogyny and the subjugation of women (Post, 2004, p. 884). It has several detractors, who leave no stone unturned in attempting to establish that women have turned the tables on men, and that they have obtained undue advantage over men. These individuals contend that feminism has emerged as a strong and inexorable force that seeks to deprive men of their rights and their status in society. Feminism has emerged periodically, effected change and then been subsumed. It constitutes a political and social movement that has enjoyed a protracted and sporadic history. Feminism was deemed a topic worthy of being studied in the 1970s, when it was made a component of the women’s studies movement (Post, 2004, p. 884). As such, feminism has contributed significantly to scholarship in the social sciences, humanities and arts. Feminism, from the perspective of political movement, aims to emasculate the social systems that oppress women. In addition, feminists oppose gender identity, as the latter subsists only in its intricate interaction with other abusive systems of power. Moreover, feminism seeks to achieve a society that benefits women to the same extent as men. In this manner, feminists have the objective of engendering a more just society. This has been clearly evident in the movements led by Stanton, Truth and Mott who fought for the right of women in the US to own property, not to be enslaved and to vote, respectively (Post, 2004, p. 886). Feminism has wrought significant theoretical and social change in the world. The feminist alternatives have drawn upon the experience, perspective and comprehension of women to engender a major paradigm change in society. However, such transformation has been irregular, recurrent and on occasion impermanent (Milojevic, et al., 2008, p. 315). The principal adversary of feminism, patriarchy has demonstrated in no uncertain terms, its resilience and capacity for survival against all odds. This is akin to the well – entrenched evils of colonialism, racism and capitalism. Moreover, patriarchy has rapidly defended itself against the diatribes and serious destabilising attempts of the feminists (Milojevic, et al., 2008, p. 315). Patriarchy has historically emerged successful, despite the best and prolonged efforts of its opponents. It retains and perpetuates its power by constantly discrediting the priorities and rights of feminists and women. This is commonly achieved by categorising the feminist movement as irrelevant, naïve, out of touch with reality and obsolete (Milojevic, et al., 2008, p. 315). There are in general, two sides to any issue. Thus, it could even be contended that feminism has exceeded the limit. Ostensibly, the plight of young males, in comparison to young females, is deplorable; such males have been shown in some reports as being poor performers in academic matters (Weldon, 1997, p. T.003). There is a fervent desire among parents to have a female child. Young females state in no unclear terms that boys grow upto into maladjusted adults who are unfit for marriage. At this juncture, it is to be noted that young men have repeatedly complained that young women treat them as merely objects of pleasure (Weldon, 1997, p. T.003). Any male who attempts to get intimate with a female is in danger of being prosecuted on grounds of sexual harassment. Moreover, if a male desires to have children, he has to locate and woo a female who is inclined to bear children, which is indeed a daunting task. Although, a male may succeed in impregnating a female, there is every possibility that the pregnancy could be terminated by the latter without even informing the concerned male (Weldon, 1997, p. T.003). Apparently, females lead a much more productive and prosperous life. Their performance at school is significantly superior to that of boys; they are not given to incessant arguing; they obtain employment with just a fraction of the effort required by the male counterparts; perform exceedingly well at their jobs; and are much more capable of living without men than males (Weldon, 1997, p. T.003). Furthermore, unmarried men have a lower life span than unmarried women. Moreover, parents are more likely to be taken care of during their old age, by their daughters than their sons. All the same, this is not a situation that should encourage complacency among women. Female liberation is a hard won achievement and entails eternal vigilance. It is indeed onerous to preserve a just society in a world that is fundamentally unjust and iniquitous. No woman should ignore the latent danger in society (Weldon, 1997, p. T.003). In the 1920s a movement emerged in the West, which was fundamentally engaged in securing greater social freedom for women. As a consequence, women gradually lost their dependence on men and gained the confidence to lead life on their own. This was the advent of the so called single woman (Dux & Simic, 2008, p. 75). In the media, this movement and the females that emerged from it were portrayed in television serials, such as Sex and the City, and movies, like the Bridget Jones’s Diary. These archetypical women lived on their own, and conducted their life and career, without the assistance of any male (Dux & Simic, 2008, p. 75). However, even now the women of Afghanistan live in a world, where they cannot appear in public, unless covered all over with black robes. Any infringement of this draconian rule invites severe punishment and even death. There is no freedom for females and they live as the mere possession of some despotic male (Smith, 2008, p. 37). The decade commencing in the year 1960, was rightly termed the Golden Age of the feminist movement. This feminist movement, which ended in the 1980s, constitutes the second of the feminist movements in the West. In its initial phase, this movement attempted to procure equal access to the extant institutions for women (Milojevic, et al., 2008, p. 315). This can be termed the liberal phase of this movement Thereafter, the movement underwent radicalisation, and women subscribing to a radical way of thinking, analysed the existing institutions and clamoured for the establishment of parallel institutions that would adequately address the requirements of their gender. These women were at pains to stress that women comprehended, experienced and knew in ways that were markedly different from that of men (Milojevic, et al., 2008, p. 315). The outcome was the emergence of a theory that concentrated on the manner in which females would think, be and engage in activities, if permitted, while taking charge of society. The alternatives envisaged in this theory, were in certain cases, influenced by matrilineal societies of the past and other parallel social movements (Milojevic, et al., 2008, p. 315). Moreover, with the advent of the third wave of feminism, women have procured a number of gains, due to the unflagging efforts of the votaries of feminism. There is a tendency to take these rights for granted by most of the young females, born after the year 1964. There is a clear perception that the hard won benefits of the feminist activists during the second wave of feminism constitute the background for the lives of contemporary young women (Woodward & Woodward, 2009, p. 14). Education in the UK had been biased in favour of boys, and the feminists left no stone unturned in their ceaseless efforts to achieve equality in this crucial area. Thus, the post war curriculum in schools was steeped in prejudice, and education was gender specific. Education for girls was predominantly focused on providing domestic skills; whereas that for boys was aimed at imparting technical education. Moreover, the number of places provided in school for boys was twice that of girls. All this has changed and girls now have the same educational and vocational opportunities as boys (Woodward & Woodward, 2009, p. 14). Thus, women have continuously been faced with discrimination at the workplace, school, university and home. However, their indomitable spirit refused to succumb to the overwhelming injustice of their society, and this was evident in the feminist movement. This movement had been opposed with great vigour by the men, who achieved varying measures of success. To counter the ruthless exploitation of women by men, feminism came to fore. Feminism has always been seized with procuring at least equality for women. Moreover, feminism is exposed to grave danger from the Islamic terrorists, who will resort to any means to subjugate women. This has been demonstrated in no uncertain terms in the countries that advocate Islamic fundamentalism. Consequently, it is time for feminists to assess their strengths and weaknesses and prepare for unbridled attacks on their freedom from male tyranny. Therefore, it can be surmised that feminism has not progressed to a state that is unbearable or inequitable. It is still in its infancy and has many more impediments and perils to circumvent. Whether it is a male or a female, there should be no denigration. Mutual respect is the need of the hour, and a society based on these values will promote the harmonious development of both the genders. Thus, it can be surmised that feminism has not gone far or crossed the limits of propriety and ethics. List of References Dux, M. & Simic, Z., 2008. The Great Feminist Denial. s.l.:Melbourne University Publishing. Milojevic, I., Hurley, K. & Jenkins, A., 2008. Introduction: Futures of Feminism. Futures, 40(4), p. 313 – 318. Post, S. G., 2004. Encyclopedia of Bioethics. 3 ed. s.l.:Macmillan Reference USA. Smith, B. G., 2008. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History. s.l.:Oxford University Press. Weldon, F., 1997. Pity poor men. The Guardian, 9 December, p. T 003. Woodward, K. & Woodward, S., 2009. Why Feminism Matters: Feminism Lost and Found. s.l.:Palgrave Macmillan. Read More