Three waves of Feminism - Research Paper Example

?Genecis Reynoso Lucas Women in Literature April 9, Three Waves of Feminism The United s of America prides itself on being a landof fairness and equality for all, traits that tend to be uncommon beyond the borders of this great nation. In America, people are given equal opportunities in life, regardless of gender, religion, race, or age. However, this balance has not always existed between males and females. Prior to our modern era, women were equated to property, belonging to and being controlled by their male counterparts, and they were given little to no opportunities to explore personal freedom. Instead of allowing this injustice to persist, women made their voices heard and demanded equality. They may have been a different gender, but that made them no less human. Their goals were made known through periods referred to as feminist waves, and during these long and arduous decades, unabashed women set out on a journey to help turn America into the land of freedom and equality that it is today. The battle for equality between genders had been waging for decades as small clusters of women realized they were being cheated out of the freedoms that their fathers, husbands, brothers, and sons enjoyed. Some activists, such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, attempted to vote before being legally entitled to; far from changing the minds of the male politicians, these women faced charges. It was not until the 1920s when many women reached their breaking point, inspired by the attempts of equality from the women that came before them, thus inciting what is known as first-wave feminism. While the activists of the first-wave could have demanded everything they felt they were entitled, they made their initial goal simple: women wanted the right to vote. They were not alone in this ambition as African-Americans during this time were also facing oppression and being denied the rights being granted only to white males, causing a rift between social class, gender, and race (Code 15). When African-American males succeeded in attaining their right to vote, the women of both races felt more confident about their own endeavor. In 1919, Congress passed the Susan B. Anthony Amendment, which declared that no citizen of the United States would be denied the right to vote, and took effect on August 26, 1920. Unfortunately, this victory was short-lived when other women, those who believed they were not equal to men, created the Cult of Domesticity. This was a religion that suggested that while women were to submit to their husbands, they were also the most vital role within the household. The Cult of Domesticity combined scriptures from the Bible, which was in favor of the submission of women, and society’s need to make women feel needed without making them feel oppressed. The women were honored and praised for fulfilling the duties of nurturing their families, a job that the men claimed only women were perfect in doing. Many women adhered to these ideals, comfortable with their roles as solely mothers and housewives, but this prompted others to continue the battle for a greater prize that they believed existed beyond the walls of their homes. There was a lapse of almost forty years between first-wave feminism and second-wave feminism, though this span had nothing to do with a lack of effort. After their initial victory of securing their right to vote, women had not ceased their attempts at equality but created new goals with renewed vigor (Levit 26). Those years of silence may have been blissful to the individuals and groups anxious to keep women oppressed, and they sunk into a false sense of security despite the new battle that was brewing among the proponents for equal rights. In the 1960s, these headstrong women struck again during the second-wave of feminist activity, also known as the Women’s Liberation Movement, this time aiming for a wide range of changes, including sexuality and social equalities, especially in regard to the workplace. Sexuality was based on standards that had been set in place by men, a fact that the women of the second-wave movement ventured out to amend. Women were tired of being treated like property and sexually exploited for the pleasure of their male counterparts (Turner 54). The second-wave was their opportunity to show that the word female had more to it than the world had defined. These women wanted to take control of their bodies, embrace the differences that existed between them and males, and be able to have a say in how they lived their lives. During the twenty years that the second-wave covered, women were successful in changing laws governing pornography, allowing women to have a say in how their bodies were perceived, if at all, by the public eye. Laws were set in place that turned marital rape into a punishable crime, gave women choices in regard to divorcing their husbands, and the ability to make their own decisions when it came to reproduction (Smart 20), including the landmark introduction of the oral contraceptive pill. Social equality, though, was another battle entirely. Women were gradually being allowed to seek higher education, “a vital aspect of self-discovery as a woman” (Barton 16), as well as careers outside of hospitals and schools, which had been the few places they were allowed to work before the feminist waves began roaring. To gain these equal freedoms meant proving that they were equal to men, a feat that these women excelled at, showing that they were highly capable at completing activities and tasks that had been considered male-oriented careers. Unfortunately, inequality still found its way into even this major victory as women quickly realized that they were being significantly underpaid for the same work that the men were doing but for a much higher salary. The result of these women’s persistence to be treated equally in every regard led to the passing of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, ensuring that workers were paid based on position rather than gender. The third-wave feminist movement began in the early 1990s and picked up where the second-wave had left off. The women protesting for equal rights had to change their collective voice repeatedly as the world around them changed, entering our modern-day world and its many new possibilities for the entire human race. The primary goals of the third-wave, coupled with further attempts to balance differences in sexuality and roles among society, were to redefine the feminine identity for the sake of the women who were still searching for theirs, and to create the concept of universal womanhood. Though wanting to be treated with the same freedoms and respect as men, the women desperate for equality did not want to surrender their identity as women. As such, they strove to redefine femininity and womanhood to encompass the qualities they knew to be true about themselves, the mental, emotional, and creative characteristics that made them uniquely women. They wanted to be equal to men without losing touch with who they were beneath their skin. The third-wave feminist movement is still alive and well in our modern world as women continue to fight for the freedoms they deserve as human beings. Despite the many laws that were passed since the start of the feminist movement, there continue to be places throughout America, not to mention in the countries beyond our own, that are dangerously unbalanced in how women are treated. As women celebrate a huge landmark achievement with being allowed to fight on the front lines with their fellow male soldiers, other women are still being sexually harassed, denied jobs or promotion opportunities due to gender discrimination in the workplace, and salaries that are lower than those of men with the same position. Women have accomplished a lot during the past century, and while they have a long way to go, they will continue their fight until every woman experiences freedom. Works Cited Barton, Angela Calabrese. Feminist Science Education. n.p.: Teachers College Press, 1998. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 30 Mar. 2013. Code, Lorraine. Encyclopedia Of Feminist Theories. n.p.: Routledge, 2000. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 30 Mar. 2013. Levit, Nancy. The Gender Line : Men, Women, And The Law. n.p.: New York University Press, 1998. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 30 Mar. 2013. Smart, Carol. Feminism And The Power Of Law. n.p.: Routledge, 2002. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 30 Mar. 2013. Turner, Bryan S. The Blackwell Companion To Social Theory. n.p.: Blackwell Publishers, 2000. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 30 Mar. 2013. Read More