Feminism is not a term that can be easy defined, as it interpreted in many different ways. In the most basic interpretation it is someone who believes that women are not treated equally because of their sex, and that change is required to correct this discrimination and satisfy the needs that are being neglected. Many people often refer to feminism as women dressing or behaving in a certain manner. There are women of all different shapes, sizes, and races that are feminists, so it would be difficult to put a specific label or image on feminism. No matter the differences between all of these women, feminism is a way for, not only women, but anyone who feels neglected to come together and fight for the things that they are passionate about. Feminism is most often referred to as a fight for women, but this is not always the case. Many of the achievement’s feminists have accomplished in the past are for women, but there have been several cases where feminism has benefited men also. For example, feminism established paternal leave so that men are able to spend more time with their children. No matter who benefits from feminism, the movement has a positive impact on America. Feminists have been trying to achieve equality for many decades and feminism has evolved, but feminists today are still trying to achieve some of those same goals today.
The Seneca Falls Convention was the beginning of the campaign for women’s rights. Women gained the right to vote, but it did not solve the inequality women were facing; this sparked the modern women’s rights movement in the 1960s, which plays a very important role in the history of feminism in the United States. Throughout the modern women’s rights movement, women continued to fight for equality between the sexes in causes, such as equal working rights social equality and abortion rights (Loveday, par.1). Women were facing inequalities in the workforce such as being paid less than men for doing the same job or they were unable to obtain high positions within a company because they were women. In response to this inequality feminists campaigned and pressured the government which resulted in two victories, the Equal Pay Act and the Civil Rights Act, which ensured that employers cannot discriminate in the workplace. Even though these laws were passed, there was still more to be done to ensure equality because it didn’t change the way people acted towards women. Feminists created organizations to attract more attention to the inequalities that women were facing, such as abortion rights and electing more women into public office which led to more victories toward equality for women. The supreme court legalized abortion in 1973 in the case of Roe vs. Wade, which allowed women the right to choose what is best for themselves. By the end of the 1970’s, feminism seemed to fade away and didn’t have as much momentum as it once had in the 60’s. The efforts of feminists in this time took a step in the right direction for equality for women. As Veronica Loveday notes, “Although discrimination continues to exist in varying degrees, the feminist movement of the 1960s and 70s opened many doors for the women of the twenty-first century.” (par. 18) Even as feminism seemed to fade away, the impact this movement left behind is memorable.
There have been so many strong women who have fought for the equality of women and left a huge impact on the ideas of feminism. From the Seneca Falls Convention, Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton campaigned for women’s right to vote and against inequalities in other places such as the workforce. “Rosie the Riveter” was a popular image of feminism during World War II, when she encouraged women to join the workforce while men were at war. When the modern women’s rights movement began author, Betty Friedan, was one of the first people to challenge the idea of women being mothers and housewives. Loveday states that “Many believe that the publication of “The Feminine Mystique” marked the beginning of the modern feminist movement” (par. 8). Many people believe that the modern ideas of feminism are based on hating and blaming men for the inequalities. This is not the case for Camille Paglia, she believes that modern feminism should be more like the original feminists. Camille talks about the new wave of feminism being based on bashing males and describing them as controlling and evil throughout the history of feminism. These are just a few of the examples of the women that made a difference in the history of feminism, but there are many more. No matter the way they have been involved in feminism, each and every one of these women have made a difference in the lives of women today.
In the beginning of feminism, women came together in America to fight against the inequalities they were facing, but today feminism has evolved into a global movement allowing women all over the world to have a voice. The evolution of feminism has a lot to do with the development of the internet because in the past feminists didn’t have as many resources to promote their causes and have their voices heard. In the past, feminists would plan meetings or marches to get women to join the fight and show support. Examples of how they promoted suffrage rights for women are the Seneca Falls Convention and the women’s suffrage parade. Even though these methods took more work they still were very effective in getting feminists voices heard and accomplishing their goals. There are many different platforms that people use today, so promoting feminism is much easier than it used to be. Feminists today still coordinate rallies and protests to get their voices heard but the internet has been used as a huge advantage for planning events, getting the message of feminism out there and connecting people that want to make a change all around the world. A recent example of the impact that the internet has had on feminism is the “Me Too” movement in 2017. Issitt explains “While the phrase “me too” was first used to raise awareness of sexual violence… the movement gained worldwide fame in 2017 as a social media phenomenon in which women spoke out about their experiences of sexual misconduct” (par. 1). This movement helped bring back some of the momentum of feminism and allow not only women, but everyone to not feel ashamed to speak up and share their story.
Additionally, the goals of feminisms have evolved as well. In the past, feminists have always had a common goal which women could all come together and fight to achieve but this is not the case of feminism today. For example, in the women’s rights movement in the 60’s sexuality and reproductive rights were dominant issues for this wave of feminism. Feminists believed that abortion should be legal so that women are given a choice and can have control over their own bodies. This is a goal-oriented example of feminism in the past, they would set a goal and fight to achieve it. In contrast, Tasnim Ahmed explains that “Feminist thought has now become more nuanced and variable to account for the broader spectrum of personal experiences women face. With this variability also comes a less easily defined goal” (par. 4). Everyone has a different history of struggles so the goals of feminism today have to be flexible and accommodating of everyone. For example, a major goal of feminism today is to get rid of the generalizations they have been used for men and women because they do not promote gender equality. This cannot be solved by passing a bill to create a new law, people would have to change their attitude towards the opposite sex in order to achieve gender equality. Therefore, feminists have a goal that want to achieve but these goals are not as defined as the goals that feminists in the past may have had.
Over the decades, the goals of feminism have evolved and changed due to the efforts of feminists in the past, but there are still many goals that feminists are still trying to accomplish today. The goal of feminism has always been gender equality and that is still the case today. The accomplishments of all the brave feminists in the past has led feminism a step closer to achieving this goal but there is still more work to be done. Workplace equality is an example of a goal that was relevant in the past and is still relevant for many women today. Some women are still being underpaid when they perform the same jobs as men and few women are in high roles of corporations. In addition, abortion laws are still something that is controversial to this day. Abortion was legalized in the past feminists’ movements but there is still a fight to make it illegal and not allow women a choice. Women have more opportunities to become whoever they want to be than in the past, but if women aren’t respected and don’t have control over their own bodies than it doesn’t really make a difference (Gandy par. 3). There is still a lot of progress to be made but feminists are knocking down barriers one step at a time.
Throughout the history of feminism, women have made tremendous accomplishments towards achieving gender equality. Many of the goal’s feminists have had in the past evolved into something greater or they have been achieved. There are people who believe that feminism is not relevant anymore and has faded away, but this is not the case. Feminists are still fighting for many of the same goals as in the past and also fighting against new inequalities that need to be addressed. Women need to feel protected by the government and be given equal opportunities so that they can be whoever they want to be and not feel unappreciated or threatened. Feminism has come a long way over the past few decades, but there is still more to be done in order to achieve the ultimate goal of gender equality.