Feminism
Christine de Pizan, Elizabeth Blackwell, and Emily Murphy- these women were all feminists and they did not hate men. The “feminism” originated from the French word “feminisme” around the late 1800s, but its roots came from “femininus” which is Latin for feminine. Femininus, in 1384, meant “of the female sex”; and in 1440, the word was recorded to mean “woman-like, proper to or characteristic of women.” From 1851, the term “feminism” was finally derived and it meant “stated of being feminine.” Then, in 1851, it was used as “advocacy of women’s rights” (Harper, Online Etymonline Dictionary). Today, according to the Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English, feminism is the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality of the sexes (The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English). Christine de Pizan is thought to be the earliest known feminist. She was a medieval writer who asserted that women possessed natural affinities of all areas of cultural and social activity. In 1405, she wrote The Book of the City of Ladies to appeal for change on women’s sufferings. In the book, Christine is originally confused and frustrated about the misogynist attitudes of all the male writers she has encountered. However, when the three “ladies” called Reason, Rectitude, and Justice appear, they tell her to build a city where only women of virtue can live in. With the discussion they have, one of the conclusions Christine states is that women must be educated. Her attitude was eminently feminist in that it involved a complete dedication to the improvement of women’s lives, to the relief of their suffering, and to the search of the equality of the sexes (Schulz, Awakened Woman e-magazine). With de Pizan as an example of a feminist, it can be perceived that feminism was present for a long time. Throughout the years, women have been oppressed by men physically and intellectually because it was not compulsory for girls to have an education. Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman to overcome this oppression and to become a doctor in 1849 as part of the first wave feminism (Schulz, The First Feminist?). First wave feminism began in Britain and the US during nineteenth century and the early twentieth century (Wikipedia). Its purpose was to find equal rights in education, employment, and marriage laws (Women’s Studies). Back then, however, the women fighting for change did not necessarily see themselves as feminists in the modern sense. When it came
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to employment, there were not many professions available to women, especially in medicine. To men, women were incapable of treating or operating on patients because they were thought to be too emotional and sensitive to the goriness of blood. Blackwell, however, proved that women could become doctors if they were given the same education and training. Second wave feminism occurred in the late 1960s to the early 1970s in the US, Britain, and Europe (Wikipedia). This wave had a slogan, “the personal is political,” because of the mistreatment in women’s lives such as being responsible for all the housework, and possible being sexually assaulted in their own homes. Therefore, the slogan was created to inspire women to be politically active in the issues that affected their lives, and to make sure that politicians paid attention to women’s lives and look at how the laws ignored women (Amy, feminist.com). Also, the wave had many focuses such as black feminism, lesbian feminism, liberal feminism, and social feminism. Third wave feminism, which began in the early 1990s, concentrates mainly on the interpretation of gender and sexuality, making distinguishes between sex and gender. Sex, male or female, is about physical differences between the sexes; and gender, masculine or feminine, is about characteristics of behaviour, demeanour, or psychology which feminism wished to claim are culturally constructed and conditioned and very arbitrary (Ross, The Proceedings of the Friesian School). In addition, since third wave feminists come from a variety of backgrounds, it seeks to challenge the universal definition of feminity. So what is femininity? Femininity is the qualities associated with women, especially delicacy and prettiness (The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English). This definition also leads to the question, what are the qualities of a woman? The one main quality is obviously being a female, which is the sex that can bear offspring or produce eggs (Oxford Paperback Dictionary, Thesaurus and Wordpower Guide). These two definitions can be intensely related to the post-WWII period. After WWII, women were greatly encouraged to stay at home, take care of the children, and look feminine by wearing long full skirts, narrow waists, high heels, and red lips. It was basically a decision to make between intelligence and beauty, mind and body, and substance and surface. Articles in magazines and newspapers denounced working mothers as the cause of delinquent children, and even TV shows promoted the fairy tale of the perfect, traditional family: the stay-at-home mum, the working dad, and their obedient children (Cranny and Moles, Counterpoints: exploring Canadian issues 163). The constant promoting of the “perfect woman” discouraged women from seeking
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jobs, and achieving post-secondary education. However, those who did have jobs were treated unfairly by male employers who paid the women less than the men for the same job. So, when liberal feminism was formed, it asserted that all people are created equal by God and deserve equal rights. Liberal feminists also believe that women have the same mental capacity as men and should be given the right to choose, not have their life chosen for them because of their sex. Essentially, they concluded that women must be like men (Stewart, “Different Types of Feminist Theories”). Feminism is not associated only in politics or economy, but also in the entertainment business. The term “girl power” was popularised by the British girl band called Spice Girls. They said, “Feminism has become a dirty word. Girl Power is just a nineties way or saying it. We can give feminism a kick up the arse. Women can be so powerful when they show solidarity” (Wikipedia). Eventually, the Spice Girls disproved the quote “You cannot do that because you are a girl.” They wanted to prove to the world that women can make it in the music industry, where cute, young boy bands were booming, if they are given an equal chance to show what they can do. They were, indeed, extremely successful; and they were able to succeed without changing their sex or gender, but by just taking advantage of the opportunity they were given. So, why is it that when feminism is mentioned, people think that it is women hating men? Feminists fight against sexist men who discriminate against women, but in reality, many feminists are married to men. Nowadays, there are also “male feminists” (Hanman, Guardian Unlimited) who want equality between the sexes, proving to the world that feminism is not a male-hating movement. The quality of the sexes describes equal rights, equal opportunities, and equal treatment. This is really what the feminists are striving to achieve in feminism.
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