In the past
year, I’ve become more socially aware than I ever thought I would be. Because
of my studies of history, I’ve always been inclined to be interested in current
events and how they have been shaped by the past. And how the past is used to
explain or justify actions in the present. There are many issues that I find
compelling, but there is one in particular I find central to my new found
awareness: feminism.
Throughout all
of Western history, essentially Europe and North America, women have been seen
as lesser. Of course, in some societies, women have been equal, for example the
Spartans. In Sparta, women owned property, were educated, and controlled most
of society outside the army.
I’m not saying
other societies didn’t value women: they did, but that is the problem. I’m
going to limit this discussion to the time since, and inclusive of, the
Victorian Era. The very first women’s rights and feminist movements began
during this time, but so did the idea of separate spheres for men and women.
Although not all women could limit themselves to one sphere, this idea “came to
influence the choices and experiences of all women” (Abrams, “Ideals of
Womanhood in Victorian Britain). According to the “separate spheres” way of
thinking, “woman [were] in the private sphere of the home and hearth, man in
the public sphere of business, politics and sociability” (Abrams). The
Industrial Revolution helped fuel these ideas. With the abundance of factories
and workshops completely separated from the home, women no longer could work
and parent simultaneously. Women gained power as moral arbiters in society
because of their “innate moral goodness” (Abrams). Fashion, at least for the
wealthy and middle class women, changed as a consequence.
By the late 19th
and early 20th centuries, women’s suffrage movements were underway.
Women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Emmeline and Christabel
Pankhurst are some of the most famous leaders of these movements. Women wanted
nothing more than to be able to vote for the people who governed them and they
were mocked, attacked, arrested, imprisoned. In England, as a protest to their
imprisonment, women, led by Marion Wallace Dunlop, started a hunger strike,
which led to their eventual forced feeding. The situation in the United States
was less physically dramatic. In 1869, the women’s suffrage movement split over
the acceptance of the 15th Amendment, banning voting discrimination
based on race but not gender. What would eventually become the 19th
Amendment, which grants women the vote, was introduced in 1878.
The American
women’s suffrage movement was split a different way as well. Some women thought
change could only be accomplished through radical actions—breaking the
structures that confined them. Other women embraced the idea of woman as moral
compass and proposed to change society through the avenues already open to
them.
Second-wave
feminism began in the U.S. in the 1960s, spread through the Western world, and
lasted until the 1980s. Second-wave feminism focused on sexuality, reproductive
rights, workplace inequality, domestic violence, and divorce. The Equal Rights
Amendment was the main focus of the movement. The ERA never passed. It would
have read:
Section 1. Equality of rights under the law shall
not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of
sex.
Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to
enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.
Section 3. This amendment shall take effect two
years after the date of ratification.
A few years ago,
I wrote a paper for my Modern U.S. History class about Supreme Court cases
involving women’s rights. Had the ERA passed, many of the cases would have been
ruled differently. Instead of challenging practices or laws based on the 14th
Amendment, or the 5th, or Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, they
could have been challenged directly by the ERA.
During this
time, the United States Education Amendments of 1972 were passed. These
Amendments contained Title IX. Title IX states, “No person in the United States
shall, on the basis of gender, be excluded from participation in, be denied the
benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or
activity receiving federal financial assistance.” Title IX allowed girls to
participate in sports at all levels and with equal opportunities as the boys in
their schools. Additionally, girls had to have the equipment to play, schedules
to compete and practice, funding, locker rooms, and coaches and trainers.
Schools were also required to provide housing and dining facilities. And the
opportunity to receive instruction in mathematics only. Title IX remains
significant and necessary.
Recently
feminism has gained popularity. There are discussions whether “feminism” and
“feminist” need to be rebranded. I think that is a stupid idea. Feminist means
someone who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of the
sexes. Or, in the radical notion that women are people. Things that get
rebranded are things that no longer appeal to the masses. Like the reimaging of
the Apple logo. Or the Adidas logo. Or the Pepsi logo. I’m not going to
apologize for thinking the idea that feminism needs rebranding like a soda
company is stupid. Has the definition of feminism changed? No. Has the need for
feminism ended? No. Is there still structural inequality between men and women?
Yes.
The difference
is that “feminism” and “feminist” have been slandered so often that they’ve
become somewhat dirty. People are ashamed to say they’re feminist. Instead of
seeing a diverse group of people who simply want more from society, the popular
image is a raving mob of bra-burners. This popular image is, let’s go with,
wrong.
I could now
inundate you with statistics of unequal pay for equal work and statistics of
rape and rape culture. Or I could tell you of the number of laws passed that
not only restrict access to abortions but to any healthcare at all. But I
won’t. Although “women’s issues” generally relate to birth control and
abortion, every issue is a women’s issue. Because women are members of society.
The term
“women’s issues” is very troubling. It implies that women can only be
interested, specifically, in abortion and such, rather than in every aspect of
society. However, that isn’t the only reason I’m bothered by it. Let’s take
birth control. Yes, it is a contraceptive. But it can also be used to treat
other medical conditions. Free and easy access to birth control would vastly
improve the lives of millions of people, worldwide. But the Madonna-whore complex is still prevalent. And women using contraception flies in the face of
the idea of women as mothers first. And it would give women autonomy. So, our
patriarchal society has a vested interest in limiting access. Instead of women
being allowed to decide what is best for themselves, governments and religious
institutions get involved. There are judgements thrust upon individuals.
There will be
people who will say that birth control and abortion are certainly issues for
all of society. That in order to prevent the “moral decline” of society men
must to be involved. But what happened to the idea that women were possessed of
“innate moral goodness”? And what about other issues that threaten the “moral
decline” of society? Too often discussions of those issues do not include women
in any meaningful way or women’s opinions are written off.
There are too
many situations where women are devalued as people with legitimate ideas and
opinions. Where we are objectified. Or treated as children. Or where respect is
denied for seemingly no reason.
In order to
fight the systematic injustices to women, we first must understand them. And then
we must choose: do we work within the systems, no matter how unjust, to change
things or do we demolish the systems and build new, equal structures?
Sources:
http://www.womenintheancientworld.com/women%20in%20sparta.htm
Abrams, Lynn.
“Ideals of Womenhood in Victorian Britain.” http://www.bbc.co.uk/ history/trail/victorian_britain/women_home/ideals_womanhood_01.shtml.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal_Rights_Amendment
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Title_IX
