Rationale

Natalie Forney

English 102

19 November 2015

Feminism Research Paper Rationale

               

                I wanted to begin my paper by addressing the confusion in the modern U.S. society that surrounds feminism. I include the definition of feminism from the Merriam-Webster’s dictionary and I will also include a survey taken of men and women who are hesitant to identify as feminists. This shows how even though most people agree that men and women are equal, there is a very present opaqueness and uncertainty that surrounds feminism and its meaning. I will be including several sentences to support each of my main four points: how feminism has evolved throughout history, how its definition has changed and what it means now, how it is having a large impact on our present US culture, and how feminism needs to change to succeed in positive change. I intend to use the research of others, quotes and data from there research, and observations of my own in this paper, as I am part of the young generation that is being affected by feminism. I conclude my introduction in stating and explaining the purpose of my paper and my thesis (that the feminism that exists today is having a negative cultural impact that is getting in the way of positive change). I will end my intro with a transition sentence that leads into the first point of my essay.

                I will then discuss my first major theme - the history leading up to modern feminism - so my readers can understand the how we got to this point. I will begin this history in the mid-nineteenth century which was the first time in American history that we can see a large group of women banding together in hopes of gaining political rights. I will further discuss the oppression they faced because these women stood up and how progress didn’t really seem to be made until the early twentieth century. I highlight significant events in women’s history during this time such as gaining the right to vote, the surge of women in the job market during WWII, other political rights that were provided in the years after, and the many notable women who fought to make a difference during the 1960’s – a time in which the ultimate goal for women was to have a family.

                I then discuss the beginning of the movement that was for the first time known as feminism. Everything before this time was known as the “First Wave” of feminism, but this very significant time (in the 1970s) has been referred to as “Second Wave” feminism. I will describe this wave more in depth because this was the transition phase from the women’s rights movement to what we know as feminism today. I will also list the achievements made during this time that gave women more political equality. I will mention the establishment of the National Organization for Women (NOW) as well as I will be continually referring to this organization later in the paper. I will end this section by introducing modern day feminism and the transition of issues and values that have changed to create what today’s women’s movement.

                I move from the history of feminism to the present state of feminism. I mainly use the NOW foundation to express modern day feminist goals and values, but I use quotes from many other sources to express a full understanding of feminism. I mention the mission statement established by NOW in 1967, but explain that as the mission of feminism has changed depending on the successes and failures of the past and now we must develop a new definition. I also address the fact that there are many distinct types of feminists but that the type that I will be addressing is the political, and national feminist organizations. I will use quotes and references from NOW’s website to show the major issues and values of modern feminism. I will also use quotes from major feminist representatives as well as quotes from other sources to establish an understanding of the major theory of feminism. I will conclude this section by guiding my readers through creating a basic, more truthful definition of feminism.

                With the goals of modern feminism in mind, I will then talk about how our American culture has changed in response. I use lots of quotes in this section to prove my points and reason through why these effects are negative. I describe how the goal feminists is to prove that there is no difference between men and women other than physically. I explain why this is not true through my research and why the goal to prove that men and women are the same is causing feminists to encourage women to act like men. This is effectively (although possibly blindly) repressing characteristics that are typical to women. I point out that since women are inherently different than men, this goal won’t succeed and is ultimately repressing qualities that should be celebrated. I will continue to reason that this is impeding women’s equality.

I point out that another thing that is impeding women’s equality is that women are constantly told that they are victims and often the statistics they are given are false. (I will also give statistics, factual evidence, and quotes to prove this point.) I also describe the effect feminism has had on sexuality. I explain that feminism has approved of sexual expression as it is protected by the first amendment and also publicly encourages young women to explore their sexuality, saying it is an important part of being an equal woman. I talk about how supporting public expression is a way of advertising women as sexual objects and how encouraging experimental sexuality is reinforcing that in our culture (which is the opposite of what feminism’s goal is). I will highlight some other cultural effects but these will be my major points. I will finish this section with a transition sentence leading into my next point.

Finally, I explain how each of these effects can be changed to improve women’s equality and create a more successful and productive feminism. In this section I will mostly be using my own observations and reasoning, although I will use quotes and previous research to clarify my points. I will again explain that there are very valuable differences between men and women that should be recognized and celebrated. I will point out that difference is not the same as inequality. I show that feminism is hypocritical for not celebrating these differences since they often talk about celebrating diversity among women. I explain that women need to publicly celebrate men in order to establish that feminism is a movement for all people, not just women. I urge the feminist movement to stop telling women that they’re victims. American women are some of the freest people in the world and in order to change cultural mindsets we must treat ourselves as equal and valuable human beings who have made massive progress in the modern world.

And I address the issue of approved sexuality within feminism. I point out that the expression public sexuality is demeaning to women and that lack of support from the feminist movement will not stop it, it will stop encouraging it and people will see what feminism stands for. I also mention that feminism should not mandate that in order to be a free woman, one must explore their sexuality as is encouraged in our hookup culture. I explain that a women’s sexual decisions ought to be her private affair, based on her own morals, worldview, and opinion of what being a woman looks like. I will end this final section of my paper by saying that if these steps are taken, feminism can make much more improvements and have more consistency in its values.

I will conclude my paper by referencing the points brought up in my introduction as well as restating my thesis. I will summarize the changes the women’s movement went through history, the present state of the women’s movement (as well as restate a more developed definition of the word feminism), summarize the cultural impact that feminism has had in the last few decades, and restate why certain changes need to be made in order to push further progress of the women’s movement. For each of my points I will list some concluding evidence and reasoning. I will restate why feminism is necessary in our culture, why the way it is now is impeding women’s equality, and how changes could improve the movement as a whole.

Literature Review

Literature Review

Natalie Forney

Prof. Sonia Apgar Begert

English 102

5 Nov. 2015

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. The Webster’s dictionary defines feminism as “the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of social, political, and economical equality to men.” Although most people seem to agree with this principle, so few people in America are confident in calling themselves feminists. It is clear that the definition of feminism has changed. How has the word feminism obtained a negative connotation in today’s society? What has changed within feminist theory that has changed the feminist movement? Is feminism beginning to have a negative effect on society? Sources for this project fall into the following categories: how feminism has changed throughout history, the differing views on feminism, its impact on culture, and what needs to change.

A number of sources address the history of feminism and how it has evolved to become what we have today. One such source is Tasnim Ahmed’s “The Evolution of Feminism,” from a 2015 issue of Harvard Politics. This article discusses compares how feminism used to be to what it looks like now and points out the how the movement has evolved and cannot be viewed in the same way. For instance, when the women’s suffrage movement was going at full speed, the women had a goal to rally behind. Today we have goals, but many of them are much broader, more difficult to push, and cause disagreements within the party itself. The author also points out that at one point, it had to be the “women’s movement” since women were historically oppressed, but now it should be considered simply the people’s movement as it will be beneficial to all people. June Hannam’s “Women’s History, Feminist History,” found in the Institute of Historical Research from 2008 is another example. Hannam focuses on gender studies and women’s history in this article, which highlights the difference between feminist history and women’s history. The field of women’s studies focuses on the notable women throughout history and seeks to make this study more pronounced in our culture. This source brings to light the lack of women’s history in historical studies and makes an argument to change that. "The Women's Rights Movement, 1848–1920” an article found on History, Art & Archives: United States House of Representatives, enlarges the concept of the Women’s Suffrage Movement by explaining the struggles, not only for the women’s movement, but struggles and disagreements within the movement itself. Early on, the group struggled to gain proper momentum and later on both men and women were unhappy with certain goals within the movement. Despite the many complications faced by the suffrage reformers, by 1920, the women’s movement moved forward and is continuing to be furthered today. Another example includes, “History and Theory of Feminism” from GWANET, which objectively discusses the history and major events that have occurred within the feminist movement as well as the major theories and variations behind feminism itself. The article goes through the three waves of feminism and the major events and famous people included in defining the stages. Outside of the major waves of feminism, many other theories and political parties exist including international political theory and separate theory still held by some today. Terry Catasus Jennings’ book, The Women’s Liberation Movement, 1960-1990, also goes through the history of the women’s movement from 1960 to 1990. From the gaining the right to vote, to changing the cultural and political view of women, the twentieth century holds a lot of life changing history in the lives of American women, and according to this source, things keep getting better. Equality for women goes beyond political rights and stretches to the understanding in our culture of the importance of women having a voice and impacting society.

            Today there are so many differing views and strong opinions of feminism that many sources can be found that share one opinion as well as several. One such example includes the article by David French, “Modern Feminism: Appalling Stupidity Backed by Hysterical Rage,” from the National Review, in which French articulates his strong opinion of how the result of the evolution of feminism as it exists in modern times is irrational. Using examples from radical feminists he argues that feminism has gone too far. He gives examples of how feminism has become a series of complaints and sensitive arguments. French goes on to say that feminist theory has become so vague that it seems to have no point to it. Satoshi Kanazawa’s “Why Modern Feminism is Illogical, Unnecessary, and Evil,” a 2009 article from Psychology Today, is another argument against the reason and morality of feminism, declaring that the pursuit to prove that the sexes are the same is illogical being that there are obvious differences in every way. Kanazawa uses this argument to point our that women cannot be exactly compared to men and that these differences do not mean that women are oppressed. He concludes by arguing that feminism ultimately causes unnecessary trouble between the sexes and causes unhappiness. On the other hand, sources such as Jennifer Keishin Armstrong and Heather Wood Rudulph’s book, Sexy Feminism: A Girl’s Guide to Love, Success, and Style, highly support feminism. This source in particular highlights the authors’ opinions on what it should mean to be a feminist today. In pursuit of guiding young girls on how to be “sexy feminists,” the author’s explain how to love yourself as a woman and to accept other women in their own pursuit of self-love. This book depicts feminism as a sexual revolution for women – that to be a feminist and a women in modern times, you should focus on what makes you sexually happy and highlights the enjoyment of modern sexual activity. The Natural Superiority of Women, by Ashley Montagu, goes as far as to say that although throughout history, and even in today’s culture, women have been seen as the inferior sex, the evidence shows that this is explicitly untrue – that women are not only men’s equal, but their superior.  She uses evidence focused on women’s general personality traits, physical, emotional, and intellectual differences to support that men are naturally inferior and that it is up to women to help men and thus help humankind. There are others who agree with of feminism but see it from a conservative viewpoint. The Flipside of Feminism: What Conservative Women Know—and Men Can’t Say, by Suzanne Venker and Phyllis Schlafly, helps to shed light on the conservative view of feminism. The authors explain how feminism is not what it claims to be (a movement for equal rights for women), but how it instead is a leftist movement that seeks to portray women as oppressed in ways that they are clearly not in the modern day and seeks to bring power to liberal feminist goals. The book continues to give examples of how the idea of feminism is damaging our society and how we can change this movement in order to make a positive impact. Martha Rampton’s article, “The Three Waves of Feminism,” on a study from the Pacific University of Oregon talks objectively in depth about the three waves of feminism in this source as they relate to gender and sexuality studies. The beginning of the women’s sufferage movement is now considered to be the first wave of feminism and the beginning of it all. The second wave occurred when the term ‘feminism’ was coined in the 1960’s and is known to be the most radical. The third wave began in the 1990’s and established the post-modern way of thinking. The article ends by inferring that the fourth wave is close at hand, although it is unclear where it will go. Although all of these sources give an idea of the many differing views on the subject, a more authoritative source includes the National Organization for Women website which serves as the public homepage for the National Organization for Women, the most well-known current political movements for women’s rights in America. The main issues and concerns of the feminist party as well as the action that is being taken by it in response is listed and articulated on the website along with their slogans and values.

Many sources address the issue of how feminism is affecting American culture. One of these sources include Philip Gould’s "Revisiting The 'Feminization' Of American Culture,” the 1999 article found in Differences: A Journal Of Feminist Cultural Studies 11.3, which focuses on how the United States culture has been inherently impacted by the establishment and rise of the feminist movement. In revisiting these impacts of feminism on American culture, this source highlights just how our culture has misunderstood this argument. Another such source is "Women Today And The Women's Movement," by Linda Tarr-Whelan, from a 1993 article from Social Policy 23.4, which highlights the importance of economic equality for women and how all other goals of the women’s movement revolve around this. The issues and concerns focused on by the feminist movement today all center around equality in the workplace environment and in turn social equality. The author adds that expanding the U.S. economy would succeed as a result of economic equality. Robyn Wiegman’s, "Feminism, Institutionalism, And The Idiom Of Failure," another article from the 1999 Differences: A Journal Of Feminist Cultural Studies 11.3, focuses on the various issues and concerns within feminist theory and the feminization of American culture. Main factors listed by the author include the relations of feminist theory to cultural, political, and social institutions. Wiegman questions the daunting future of modern feminism and whether or not the process of feminism is progress or leading to failure as it relates to these institutions. The article "Necessity Of Feminism," by Greeley, Andrew M. from Society 30.6 (1993), depicts why feminism is necessary in our society to gain harmony in the relationship of the sexes. Now that women have been able to enter the workplace, gain birth control, and gain political equality, feminism is reaping in the benefits. But although this forward movement is significant, the source goes on to say it is not sufficient and points out that with this newfound independence, women are more vulnerable to sexual predators. Another article on the topic of culture includes Carrie L. Lukas’s The Politically Incorrect Guide to Women, Sex, and Feminism, which highlights the political correctness of modern day feminism and how uninformed women are on the ideas underlying the feminist agenda. This book addresses some of the major feminist issues including gender differences, casual sex, sex education, men, abortion, working motherhood, and political power. Lukas seeks to push the understanding that politically correct feminist ideas are damaging women’s equality and women’s happiness.

Changes that can be made to improve the feminist theory and movement are discussed in many sources. Christie Farnham’s "Male Bashing Or What's In A Name? Feminism In The United States Today," from the Journal Of Women's History 8.2 (1996) is one of these sources. This source questions what it means to be a feminist and comments on how the various and broad definitions of the word feminism has made it difficult to define. In light of the negative connotations connected to the word, as well as the many disagreements within the feminist group, it is clear that in order for feminism to make any social progress, this movement needs to work on defining feminism in a way that is modern and understandable. The YouTube video by Prager University, "Feminism 2.0," summarizes the problems with feminism today, and the reasons why it is no longer progressing women’s rights. It focuses on how feminism is heading in a negative direction and ultimately having a negative impact on women and on culture. The fact that feminism supports the idea that men and women are the same has caused a common spread of casual sex and this has damaged the morality and dignity of women. And finally, “Feminist Activist Women Are Masculinized in Terms of Digit-ratio and Social Dominance: A Possible Explanation for the Feminist Paradox,” by Guy Madison, Ulrika Aasa, John Wallert, and Michael A. Woodley, found in Frontiers in Psychology from 2014, explores what is known as the feminist paradox; if feminism is about improving conditions for women, why do so few women identify as feminists? Characteristics including heightened masculinization among feminists, general differences among women, and the generalized persona of the feminist group are discussed as reasons for this negative correlation. This source will help make conclusions on changes that can be made.

Bedford Researcher - Chp. 13

For our final paper, our arguments must be fully developed and clearly organized. Chapter thirteen talks about ways to accomplish these things during the drafting process. Arguments consist of reasons and supporting evidence or claims, so it is important to gather this information and categorize it into groups, such as benefits, alternatives, experience, values, etc., so you can decide where each piece would best fit into your paper. Creating a way to organize according to a particular pattern is a good idea when arranging your outline. After establishing your claims, you must consider your audience and what would be the best way to appeal to your readers. This process will work wonders when creating an outline. Don't forget to double check for fallacies within your argument; you want your argument to be logically sound!

Bedford Researcher - Chp. 12

Chapter twelve focuses on the thesis statement: the most important idea or argument that you are trying to prove to your readers. This statement is the basic point of your paper as a whole, and should be the most relevant, refined, and repeated point that your paper conveys. You need to have a solid research statement before beginning to draft (even if you decide to tweak it later). To develop a thesis statement effectively, you must identify key information and ideas within your notes, focus on the type of document you plan to have, and use your original position statement. Once you have developed and refined this statement, you may begin to emerge this idea into the draft your paper. To draft your paper accordingly, review your position, your notes, your purpose, your role as a writer and your audience.

Final Annotated Bibliography

Ahmed, Tasnim. “The Evolution of Feminism.” Harvard Politics. Harvard Political Review, 7 Mar. 2015. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.

This article discusses compares how feminism used to be to what it looks like now and points out the how the movement has evolved and cannot be viewed in the same way. For instance, when the women’s suffrage movement was going at full speed, the women had a goal to rally behind. Today we have goals, but many of them are much broader, more difficult to push, and cause disagreements within the party itself. The author also points out that at one point, it had to be the “women’s movement” since women were historically oppressed, but now it should be considered simply the people’s movement as it will be beneficial to all people. This will be beneficial in gaining a perspective on how feminism is viewed today.

Armstrong, Jennifer Keishin, and Heather Wood Rudulph. Sexy Feminism: A Girl’s Guide to Love, Success, and Style. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013. Print.

This source highlights the authors’ opinions on what it should mean to be a feminist today. In pursuit of guiding young girls on how to be “sexy feminists,” the author’s explain how to love yourself as a woman and to accept other women in their own pursuit of self-love. This book depicts feminism as a sexual revolution for women – that to be a feminist and a women in modern times, you should focus on what makes you sexually happy and highlights the enjoyment of modern sexual activity. I will use several quotes from this source to show how far feminism has come in this particular direction.

Egnal, Marc. "Historicizing Domesticity: The Impact Of The Woman's Rights Movement." Canadian Review Of American Studies 45.2 (2015): 238-258. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.

This article focuses on the shift in the way literary writers depicted domesticity in the mid-nineteenth century, a topic that has not been explored much by other literary scholars. Writers of the time began introducing a point of view that expressed that the separation of the spheres of work – men working outside the family sphere and women working inside it – did not equate equality. Although the author’s views on women’s rights varied, their works were marked with “contestation.” This article will give me clearer insight on literary attitude in the mid-nineteenth century and thus gives me more understanding about my paper as a whole.

Evans, Sara M. "Sons, Daughters, And Patriarchy: Gender And The 1968 Generation." American Historical Review 114.2 (2009): 331-347. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.

In this article, Evans discusses the actual rise of the feminist movement in 1968 and the history of gender relations leading up to this point. The significance of the feminist movement, the transformation of gender roles, and the shift within family dynamics are all discussed in explaining the growth of political activist movements. I will be using quotes from this article to establish the beginning of the movement and what cultural aspects impacted it, as well as how the movement in turn impacted the culture.

Farnham, Christie. "Male Bashing Or What's In A Name? Feminism In The United States Today." Journal Of Women's History 8.2 (1996): 6. Academic Search Premier. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.

This source questions what it means to be a feminist and comments on how the various and broad definitions of the word feminism has made it difficult to define. In light of the negative connotations connected to the word, as well as the many disagreements within the feminist group, it is clear that in order for feminism to make any social progress, this movement needs to work on defining feminism in a way that is modern and understandable. This will show how vague feminism has become and help prove my point that feminism needs to change from its current position.

French, David. “Modern Feminism: Appalling Stupidity Backed by Hysterical Rage.” National Review. National Review, 17 Nov. 2014. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.

In this article, French articulates his strong opinion of how the result of the evolution of feminism as it exists in modern times is irrational. Using examples from radical feminists he argues that feminism has gone too far. He gives examples of how feminism has become a series of complaints and sensitive arguments. French goes on to say that feminist theory has become so vague that it seems to have no point to it. This gives me an example of the beliefs of those who strongly disagree with feminism.

Gould, Philip. "Revisiting The 'Feminization' Of American Culture." Differences: A Journal Of Feminist Cultural Studies 11.3 (1999): 1. Academic Search Premier. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.

This article focuses on how the United States culture has been inherently impacted by the establishment and rise of the feminist movement. In revisiting these impacts of feminism on American culture, this source highlights just how our culture has misunderstood this argument. This source will give me a broader understanding of the cultural impact of feminism in this day and age.

Greeley, Andrew M. "Necessity Of Feminism." Society 30.6 (1993): 12-15. Academic Search Premier. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.

This article depicts why feminism is necessary in our society to gain harmony in the relationship of the sexes. Now that women have been able to enter the workplace, gain birth control, and gain political equality, feminism is reaping in the benefits. But although this forward movement is significant, the source goes on to say it is not sufficient and points out that with this new found independence, women are more vulnerable to sexual predators. As this source questions if the results of feminism are helping women’s freedom, I will use it to question my stance on the issue.

Hannam, June. “Women’s History, Feminist History.” Making History. Institute of Historical Research, 2008. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.

Hannam focuses on gender studies and women’s history in this article, which highlights the difference between feminist history and women’s history. The field of women’s studies focuses on the notable women throughout history and seeks to make this study more pronounced in our culture. This source brings to light the lack of women’s history in historical studies and makes an argument to change that. This will give me insight when I write about the history of feminism.

Henderson, Lynne. "Flexible Feminism And Reproductive Justice: An Essay In Honor Of Ann Scales." Denver University Law Review 91.1 (2014): 141-169. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.

Henderson writes about the actions and theories of Professor Ann Scales, a leading advocate of feminism, reproductive justice, and abortion (the essay notes that abortions are central to reproductive justice). This article focuses on what Scales believes to be the injustice that the law is providing less and less easy access and funding to abortion and contraceptive services. The source concludes by encouraging women to speak up for these rights and examines the amount that advocates can achieve. This source helps me to understand the issue of reproductive justice as feminist advocates view it.

“History and Theory of Feminism.” GWANET. Scientific-Information Center ICWC. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.

This source objectively discusses the history and major events that have occurred within the feminist movement as well as the major theories and variations behind feminism itself. The article goes through the three waves of feminism and the major events and famous people included in defining the stages. Outside of the major waves of feminism, many other theories and political parties exist including international political theory and separate theory still held by some today. This gives lots of information on the separate sects of feminist theory.

Jennings, Terry Catasus. The Women’s Liberation Movement, 1960-1990. Broomall: Mason Crest, 2013. Print. Finding a Voice: Women’s Fight for Equality in U.S. Society.

Jennings goes through the history of the women’s movement from 1960 to 1990. From the gaining the right to vote, to changing the cultural and political view of women, the twentieth century holds a lot of life changing history in the lives of American women, and according to this source, things keep getting better. Equality for women goes beyond political rights and stretches to the understanding in our culture of the importance of women having a voice and impacting society. This helps me gain a fuller understanding of the more recent events of the women’s movement.

Kanazawa, Satoshi. “Why Modern Feminism is Illogical, Unnecessary, and Evil.” Psychology Today. Psychology Today, 02 Aug. 2009. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.

This article creates an argument against the reason and morality of feminism, declaring that the pursuit to prove that the sexes are the same is illogical being that there are obvious differences in every way. Kanazawa uses this argument to point out that women cannot be exactly compared to men and that these differences do not mean that women are oppressed. He concludes by arguing that feminism ultimately causes unnecessary trouble between the sexes and causes unhappiness. This gives me an understanding of the negative effects of feminism.

Lukas, Carrie L. The Politically Incorrect Guide to Women, Sex, and Feminism. Massachusetts: Regnery Publishing, Inc, 2006. Print.

In this source, Lukas highlights the political correctness of modern day feminism and how uninformed women are on the ideas underlying the feminist agenda. This book addresses some of the major feminist issues including gender differences, casual sex, sex education, men, abortion, working motherhood, and political power. Lukas seeks to push the understanding that politically correct feminist ideas are damaging women’s equality and women’s happiness. This book will assist me in articulating my overall argument.

Madison, Guy, Ulrika Aasa, John Wallert, and Michael A. Woodley. “Feminist Activist Women Are Masculinized in Terms of Digit-ratio and Social Dominance: A Possible Explanation for the Feminist Paradox.” Frontiers in Psychology. Frontiers Media S.A., 09 Sep. 2014. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.

The purpose of this article is to explore what is known as the feminist paradox; if feminism is about improving conditions for women, why do so few women identify as feminists? Characteristics including heightened masculinization among feminists, general differences among women, and the generalized persona of the feminist group are discussed as reasons for this negative correlation. This helps me make conclusions about the feminist paradox.

Montagu, Ashley. The Natural Superiority of Women. 5th ed. Walnut Creek: AltaMira Press, 1999. Print.

In this work, Montagu seeks to prove that although throughout history, and even in today’s culture, women have been seen as the inferior sex, the evidence shows that this is explicitly untrue – that women are not only men’s equal, but their superior.  She uses evidence focused on women’s general personality traits, physical, emotional, and intellectual differences to support that men are naturally inferior and that it is up to women to help men and thus help humankind. This helps me gain a perspective from the more radical feminist theory.

National Organization for Women. Now Foundation, 2015. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.

This website serves as the public homepage for the National Organization for Women, one of the most well known political movements for women’s rights in America. The main issues and concerns of the feminist party as well as the action that is being taken by it in response is listed and articulated on the website along with their slogans and values. This website gives me insight to the core values and agenda of the modern, political feminist party

Prager University. "Feminism 2.0." YouTube. YouTube, 10 Feb. 2014. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.

This video summarizes the problems with feminism today, and the reasons why it is no longer progressing women’s rights. It focuses on how feminism is heading in a negative direction and ultimately having a negative impact on women and on culture. The fact that feminism supports the idea that men and women are the same has caused a common spread of casual sex and this has damaged the morality and dignity of women. This video has helped me conclude ideas about how feminism can be changed to become what it was meant to be.

Rampton, Martha. “The Three Waves of Feminism.” Pacific University Oregon. Pacific University, 23 Oct. 2014. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.

Rampton talks in depth about the three waves of feminism in this source as they relate to gender and sexuality studies. The beginning of the women’s sufferage movement is now considered to be the first wave of feminism and the beginning of it all. The second wave occurred when the term ‘feminism’ was coined in the 1960’s and is known to be the most radical. The third wave began in the 1990’s and established the post-modern way of thinking. The article ends by inferring that the fourth wave is close at hand, although it is unclear where it will go. The three waves of feminism differ in many ways and this source has helped me better understand these differences.

Rottenberg, Catherine. "The Rise Of Neoliberal Feminism." Cultural Studies 28.3 (2014): 418-437. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.

This source argues for the emergence of "Neoliberal Feminism" in the United States as a result of them mobilization of liberalism in America. The article seeks to explore the need for neoliberal feminism (and if there is one) as well as describe what this type of feminism would encompass. Rottenberg goes further into this feminist subject by describing how this impact would change feminism. I intend to use this article to gain a fuller understanding of the shifting state of feminism.

Tarr-Whelan, Linda. "Women Today And The Women's Movement." Social Policy 23.4 (1993): 8-13. Academic Search Premier. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.

The topics highlighted in this article focus on the importance of economic equality for women and how all other goals of the women’s movement revolve around this. The issues and concerns focused on by the feminist movement today all center around equality in the workplace environment and in turn social equality. The author adds that expanding the U.S. economy would succeed as a result of economic equality. I will use this source as an example of important feminist issues.

"The Women's Rights Movement, 1848–1920.” The Women's Rights Movement, 1848-1920. History, Art & Archives: United States House of Representatives, n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.

This source enlarges the concept of the Women’s Suffrage Movement by explaining the struggles, not only for the women’s movement, but struggles and disagreements within the movement itself. Early on, the group struggled to gain proper momentum and later on both men and women were unhappy with certain goals within the movement. Despite the many complications faced by the suffrage reformers, by 1920, the women’s movement moved forward and is continuing to be furthered today. This source gives a better understanding of the history before what is thought to be the beginning of women’s rights.

Venker, Suzanne, and Phyllis Schlafly. The Flipside of Feminism: What Conservative Women Know—and Men Can’t Say. WND Books, 2011. Print.

This book helps to shed light on the conservative view of feminism. The authors explain how feminism is not what it claims to be (a movement for equal rights for women), but how it instead is a leftist movement that seeks to portray women as oppressed in ways that they are clearly not in the modern day and seeks to bring power to liberal feminist goals. The book continues to give examples of how the idea of feminism is damaging our society and how we can change this movement in order to make a positive impact. This book gives a counterargument to feminism that I can refer to in my final paper.

Wiegman, Robyn. "Feminism, Institutionalism, And The Idiom Of Failure." Differences: A Journal Of Feminist Cultural Studies 11.3 (1999): 107. Academic Search Premier. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.

This article focuses on the various issues and concerns within feminist theory and the feminization of American culture. Main factors listed by the author include the relations of feminist theory to cultural, political, and social institutions. Wiegman questions the daunting future of modern feminism and whether or not the process of feminism is progress or leading to failure as it relates to these institutions. This article will be useful to point out the relevance of feminism to society in my paper.

Ziegler, Mary. "Women's Rights On The Right: The History And Stakes Of Modern Pro-Life Feminism." Berkeley Journal Of Gender, Law & Justice 28.2 (2013): 232-268. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.

This article supports the position that abortion hurts women and the women’s rights movement instead of helping. Abortion is an issue that causes divides within feminism itself. Parties on both sides of the issue argue about which is truly pro-women’s rights. Ziegler explains the value that can be found in better understanding the “pro-life feminist law reform movement” and explains how pro-life feminists are indeed pro-women. Also touched on is the argument that common ground can be found between feminists on different sides of the argument. This article will help me as I develop a stronger understanding of the theories of modern feminism that people don’t think of when they think of feminism.