Outline

Natalie Forney

English 102

19 November 2015

Outline -

        I.         I.    Introduction:

a)      Feminism is a word that is tossed around quite often in modern politics, economics, and culture, but it seems that nobody can agree on its meaning.

                                                         i.            Although the Webster’s dictionary defines feminism as “the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of social, political, and economic equality to men”, the average person is hesitant to identify as feminist.

                                                       ii.            The women’s rights movement and feminism has evolved through history.

                                                     iii.            The definition that feminism held fifty years ago is no longer applicable to what feminism has become today.

                                                     iv.            As the meaning of feminism has changed, its impact on our present culture has also changed drastically.

                                                       v.            Understanding the necessity of feminism can help us see how the movement needs to change in order to see forward progress.

b)     The women’s movement in the United States was once about equality, but as feminism has evolved and its priorities have changed it has had a negative impact on society.

                                                         i.            The women’s movement is a very necessary group in the US but the negative effect of modern feminism on our culture is impeding positive change.

                                                       ii.            Feminism needs to change in order to succeed.

      II.        II.    History: In order to better understand what kind of feminism exists now, we must first understand the historical list of events leading up to modern day.

a)      In July of 1848, in Seneca Falls, New York, the first gathering for women’s rights took place in the United States.

                                                         i.            Although this was certainly not the first time in history that women have stood up against oppression, it was the first time in United States’ history that we can see women joining together against oppression.

                                                       ii.            Women such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony were actively seeking women’s equality and in 1869, they established the Women’s Suffrage Association.

                                                     iii.            This time in history is often referred to as the First Wave of feminism, (although the term wasn’t widely used until about a century later) and was characterized by the desires to gain political power, property rights, and the right to vote.

b)     In the early twentieth century, women in America began to finally see improvement when in 1920 they were finally given the right to vote.

                                                         i.            Unfortunately, after gaining this right, women didn’t tend to vote in a unified group – there was no longer a “tangible goal to rally behind.” (Harvard Politics)

                                                       ii.            This time is characterized by the “What do we do now?” kind of attitude.

                                                     iii.            During WWII women joined the workforce in large numbers wherever they were needed while the men were away, but after the war ended, women were encouraged to stay home and raise a family.

                                                     iv.            Sadly, women of the time wanted more, but didn’t have the opportunities for education and careers that men had.

                                                       v.            This unrest led to political change in the 1960’s, as more actions were taken by the women’s movement in legislation, and the Equal Pay Act, the Women’s Bureau of the US Department of Labor, and the National Organization for Women were established.

c)      The term feminism was not widely used until the 1970’s, which is when feminism ideology, as it has become today, really kicked off.

                                                         i.            This era has been called “Second Wave Feminism” or “The Women’s Liberation Movement”

                                                       ii.            Although many more political advancements were made during this time, such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Act (1972) and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (1974), this the main focus of this wave of feminism was fighting social and cultural injustices and ending discrimination.

                                                     iii.            The third wave of feminism is considered to have begun in the 1990s and according to most is considered to continue to modern day.

   III.       III.     Modern Feminism – Although feminism is defined in the Merriam-Webster’s dictionary as “the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities,” its true definition has come to mean so much more; it is important to understand what feminism has come to mean to understand its impact on society.

a)      Since feminism defines itself as “equal rights for women,” they use this to argue that if you agree that women should have equal rights, you must agree with feminist ideals.

                                                         i.            The National Organization for Women (NOW foundation) is one of the leading authorities in modern day feminism.

                                                       ii.            When NOW was established in 1967, their mission statement was “to take action to bring women into full participation in the mainstream American society now, exercising all the privileges and responsibilities thereof in truly equal partnership with men.”

                                                     iii.            Because feminist theory has evolved in the last fifty years and is so unique, it demands a more complete definition.

b)     While we must understand that there are many different kinds of feminism and not all feminists think alike, the type of feminism referred to in this paper is a generalization of feminism as associated with political organizations (particularly NOW).

                                                         i.            When visiting the NOW’s website, one of the sidebars says, “Donate and together we can end the War on Women.”

                                                       ii.            Some of NOW’s major issues include economic justice, constitutional equality, pay equity, racial discrimination, women’s health, reproductive rights, ending violence against women, global feminism, representing women in the media, etc.

                                                     iii.            Although there are many different issues in feminism, they can usually be categorized, and this will help in developing a new definition.

    IV.       IV.     Cultural Effects - Understanding the foundation of the feminist ideology can help us begin to understand its effects on our culture.

a)      Feminism wants to impact cultural views of men and women and to create the mind shift that men and women are completely interchangeable.

                                                         i.            “An insurmountable body of evidence by now conclusively demonstrates that… men and women are inherently, fundamentally, and irreconcilably different.” – Psychology Today

                                                       ii.            “Feminism began to advocate that women should behave like men.” (PragerU)

                                                     iii.            Women are consistently taught that “all those physical, cognitive, and emotional differences you think exist are merely social constructs, the result of centuries of restraints and stereotypes imposed by a male-dominated society.”

                                                     iv.            In attempting to prove that there is no difference between men and women, feminism pushes ideas that repress the typical attributes of women and support women doing the same things and acting the same way as men.

                                                       v.            The fact that women are different than men is a fact that has become repressed and shamed in a way that only hurts women.

b)     Women are constantly lied to and told that they are still victims of oppression.

                                                         i.            Although there are still people in this country that don’t support women’s freedom, the supposed facts about continued women’s oppression don’t account for all factors.

                                                       ii.            The feminist movement is constantly speaking of women as victims, and encouraging women to look at the world as though they are still being oppressed.

c)      Feminism has had large cultural effects on sexuality: what feminism supports and encourages, women who want equal rights are guided by these beliefs.

                                                         i.            In the wake of the sexual revolution, the hookup culture has permeated everywhere.

                                                       ii.            Women have sought to be equal to men and birth control has helped women gain more control over seeking careers.

                                                     iii.            Women obviously don’t want to be treated as sex objects as they have in the past – this is one of feminism’s most central beliefs – so feminism has encouraged women to take control over their sexual lives (if men can have casual sex without consequences, than we should too).

                                                     iv.            Yet, because of this “women, who fought not to be treated as sex objects, have become more objectified than ever.” (Prager U)

      V.        V.    Changes that can be Made - If the feminist movement intends to improve equality of women in the United States culture, changes should be made to feminist theory.

a)        Feminism needs to accept the inherent differences between men and women and indeed between each individual.

i.                      Women can never be better at being men than men and vice versa.

ii.                    We must celebrate the differences that we have in order to be equal.

iii.                 There is so much hypocrisy in feminism, believing that it stands up for equality by celebrating diversity among women, but not among men and women.

iv.                 If we measure equality by this standard, we will never enjoy cultural and society equality.

b)        Feminism needs to publicly stand up for and celebrate men.

i.                     We always hear feminists say that feminism is for men too and that being a feminist does not mean one is against men.

ii.                   But as many of the main issues and concerns of feminism have to do with ridding our society of patriarchy, we mainly hear men criticized rarely hear men being praised or celebrated for their accomplishments.

iii.                 Feminism says they are a people’s movement, not a women’s movement, so let’s prove that claim and stand up for all people.

iv.                 Once we stop dividing women and men into categories such as oppressed and oppressors, we will not see progress.

c)        Feminism needs to accept that we, as American women, are some of the freest, most privileged people in the world.

i.                     To find equality, we must stop acting as if we are victims.

ii.                   Instead of focusing on how oppressed we are, we must focus on the successes that have been made and what we can do to help other women around the world who don’t enjoy our same freedoms.

d)        Feminism needs to fight against women being treated as sexual objects, as this is obviously still a problem.

i.                     Although we must not judge the decisions of others, supporting pornography, sex ads, and encouraging young women to engage in exploring sexual experiences needs to stop.

ii.                   This is not to shame anyone’s personal decisions, but to point out that these decisions should be personal!

iii.                 Feminism does not exist to mandate what is right for women when it comes to sexuality; that decision should belong to the individual and their own beliefs.

iv.                 In order for women to be publicly respected as are men, the women’s movement needs to stop advertising sexuality and start encouraging young women to respect themselves.

         

    VI.       VI.     Conclusion: The women’s movement in the United States was once about equality, but as feminism has evolved and its priorities have changed it has had a negative impact on society.

a)      The history of women’s equality shows great progress, and the events leading up to the present show how feminism developed.

b)     Feminism has taken on a much greater meaning than it once held because of the historical change that has impacted it.

c)      Many cultural impacts of feminism have been negative and that shows why many are hesitant to identify with the group.

d)     In order to achieve equality between men and women in society, we need to change feminism to match this end goal.

e)      The women’s movement is a very necessary group in the US but the negative effect of modern feminism on our culture is impeding positive change.