Is Feminism Still Necessary - Essay Example

Section/# Is Feminism Still Necessary? As with most social movements that have taken place over the span of human history, the shareholders of key ideological positions seek to envision the way in which the future might look if everyone ascribed to their particular point of view. This is helpful in understanding many ethical and/or moral nuances of a given point of view as well as helping the view-holder to come to a greater and more appropriate level of inference with regards to the way in which it might appear in universal practice. With respect to such an understanding, this particular analysis will seek to answer the question of whether or not feminism is still necessary within the current era throughout the world. As a means of answering such a question, the analysis will first consider what those who support a further form of feminism might say with regards to the prospect that the future holds and what extant need may still exist for feminism. Once this has been discussed with a level of depth and clarity, the analysis will then move on to some of the reasons for why such an approach necessarily guarantees that there will be perennial requirements for further feminism within the world. Some of these requirements are concentric upon the religious mores that are currently exhibited within the current system; whereas others are merely an example of history and the cultural determinism that has helped to define the United States in the way that it is. Finally, the last portion of the analysis will argue the position of the author with relation to this issue. Individuals that resist certain types of feminism put forward the understanding that the “appropriateness” of the feminist approach is predicated upon the viewpoints that it espouses. Naturally, some more radical types of feminism do not maximize the interests of women as much as they seek to minimize and demean the role of men throughout society. Within such an understanding, the more militant versions of feminism can be dispelled as illogical and not worthy of further analysis within this paper. Although this is something of a categorical approach, there are too many types of feminism and too many different approaches that do require a level of analysis to spend precious space within this brief discussion analyzing the more militant versions of this worldview (Valenti, 2012). The underlying reason for focusing upon the more mainstream branches of feminism is predicated upon the fact that it is the belief of this author, as well as the near categorical belief of a litany of individuals within the feminist movement, that the movement has a singular and primary goal; regardless of its many branches (Schutte, 2011). This goal is to maximize the potential, freedom, and parity of women throughout the world. As such, focusing upon those types of feminism that expend the majority of their energy attempting to demean or otherwise tear down men seems as a counterproductive use of time for this discussion. Those that put forward the belief that a further feminism is required throughout the world generally point to sociological/demographic data. As such, this data helps to prove the point that a mere 60 years ago the presence of women in the workforce and their integration into distinct segments of society was practically unheard of. Naturally, the greatest liberation that was the culmination of this was the widespread availability of cheap contraceptives in the form of birth control pills. As history has proven, societies in which women have control over their biological clocks have the ability to pursue higher education, careers, and personal fulfillment without being saddled with the responsibilities of family prior to the time in which they would otherwise choose to do so (Cheryl, 2011). Moreover, as a function of these recent development in the rights of women, specifically within the United States but also elsewhere throughout the world, proponents of such a point of view point to the fact that is merely only a matter of time and human societal evolution until a true and complete understanding of global feminism is realized. As such, it is not reasonable to assume that the greatest achievements of parity have yet been accomplished throughout the world. For instance, a female’s pay is still substantially lower than that of a similarly trained and/or talented male. Although this approach has some noted strengths, namely its reliance on the coalescing power of globalization and the increasingly interconnected cultures that are extant within our current system, it nonetheless also experiences some key shortcomings. The first and most salient of these is the fact that very powerful and perhaps insurmountable barriers continue to exist with relation to the means by which religious entities will acquiesce to the proposed paradigm shift. Whereas the United States has integrated women’s rights and feminism within the system rather effectively, albeit imperfectly, it cannot be assumed that elements of fundamentalist religious groups are open and/or welcoming to the paradigm shift (Funk, 2013). This represents a fundamental issue of both cultural and religious significance. Due to the fact that religion, and its more radical interpretation thereof, has perennially been on the opposite side of greater female liberation, the extent to which such powers will be willing to allow the slow march of a globalized feminism take hold within their own culture and society is highly doubtful. As the United States continues to mature and develop/evolve, the level and extent to which religion helps to define society has gradually decreased; however, this trend is not guaranteed in the future. One can easily envision a world in which feminism would be dealt a deadly blow by a more fundamentalist or conservative religious fervor that could sweep the nation. Another relevant need for feminism within the world of today has to do with the recent resurgence of conservative versions of Islam and other religions. Whereas these religions can of course be practiced without inherently infringing up on the rights of women, the more conservative applications of such religious belief inherently infringe upon the degree of freedom that women are able to experience. Evidence of this can of course be seen with respect to the way in which the more radical elements of Christian denominations require a specific type of behavior, chastity, and dress code for women. As such, the constraining power of feminism is necessitated as a means of ensuring that the world still has a voice for the rights of women and that their needs are considered as important and relevant to the current day issues. Finally, this student will consider a personal point of view with relation to the subject matter that has been discussed up until now. It is of course the belief of this author that the exhibition of further feminism throughout the world would benefit everyone involved; regardless of gender as it ultimately raises the human rights and freedom indices of those shareholders it affects (Agness, 2010). However, it is with a word of caution and trepidation that the author considers how such a process might take place in traditionally/culturally conservative areas that have placed a high level of cultural emphasis on retaining key aspects of what can only be deemed as anti-feminist practices. For this reason, although the exhibition of further feminism is encouraging, it is unlikely to occur anytime soon. However, this being said, t should not be assumed that merely because this is the case that the shareholder should not push for this change to come about nonetheless. As a function of the struggle and trials that are necessarily born out of all freedom and the desire to exhibit the right of self determination, mere obstacles in the road are not sufficient to derail or discourage shareholders from promoting representation of feminism whenever and wherever possible (Chang, 2012). However, that being said, it is of primal importance to do so in a culturally and religiously sensitive perspective that appreciates, without affirming, the way in which certain unique ethnic or religious understandings provide key impediments towards the realization of such a goal. By way of being culturally mindful, the supporter of such a change drastically increases the chance that the representation and idea of global feminism will not be viewed in a hostile or alien manner. Ultimately, the outlook for such a change dynamic is hopeful albeit somewhat unlikely within the current time frame that has been discussed. As has been stated, the seeming impossibility of creating a world-wide understanding and appreciation for global feminism is not in and of itself sufficient reason to resist such a change. As with any and all changes to the global system, pressure must be applied firmly and over a sustained period of time to allow shareholders of all positions to become familiar with the ideals and ideas espoused. As a function of this, it is the belief of this author that is incumbent upon all freedom loving shareholders to continue to assist in the proliferation of women’s freedoms around the nation in a tactful and respectful manner. Bibliography Agness, KL 2010, For Members Only: Feminism on Campus Today, Academic Questions, 23, 2, pp. 177-185, ERIC, EBSCOhost, viewed 20 March 2014. Chang, B 2012, Defining Young Feminism Today -- My Personal Journey to Activism, Womens Health Activist, 37, 2, pp. 8-9, CINAHL Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 20 March 2014. Cheryl, H 2011, 6. Reading Maya Angelou, Reading Black Internationalist Feminism Today, Black Internationalist Feminism : Women Writers of the Black Left, 1945-1995 p. 158 n.p.: University of Illinois Press Project MUSE, EBSCOhost, viewed 20 March 2014. Funk, N 2013, Contra Fraser on Feminism and Neoliberalism, Hypatia: A Journal Of Feminist Philosophy, 28, 1, pp. 179-196, Philosophers Index, EBSCOhost, viewed 20 March 2014. SCHUTTE, O 2011, Engaging Latin American Feminisms Today: Methods, Theory, Practice, Hypatia, 26, 4, pp. 783-803, SocINDEX with Full Text, EBSCOhost, viewed 20 March 2014. Valenti, J 2012, Feminism Is Relevant To Todays Young Women, n.p.: Gale Virtual Reference Library, EBSCOhost, viewed 20 March 2014. Read More