History

Feminism is described as a political, economic or cultural movement that aims to establish equal rights for women. The two crucial aspects of feminism are as follows 1) commitment to personal change and 2) commitment to societal change. In individual terms, feminism seeks to define the character and nature of women the cultural and social context of femininity. The different kinds of feminism are as follows a) liberal feminism, b) socialist feminism, c) radical feminism, d) eco-feminism and e) third wave feminism. Liberal feminism is described to have distinctive or individualistic emphasis on equality. According to this kind of feminism, women should be equally treated in society not by major overhauls rather by institutional changes that will give women open opportunities. On the other hand, socialist feminism also known as Marxist feminism focuses on gender equality through major overhauls like economic restructuring. It also centers on collective societal change and empowerment. Radical feminism as socialist feminism stresses the need for dramatic social changes to achieve women equality. Eco-feminism is a kind of feminism that is more spiritual rather than political in nature. Under this kind of feminism, a patriarchal society will exploits all resources regardless of the long-term consequences. Lastly, third wave feminism is similar to liberal feminism as they both focus on individual empowerment that will further change the society. Feminist backlash is the event and philosophy that criticize feminism. They are groups involved in backlash against feminism because they believed that feminism is not to be part of a growing and progressing society. The five ways discussed in the text that discredited feminism are 1) women suffer from economic discrimination, 2) most women are now working, 3) day-care crisis equated to the question if women are now working, then, who will mind the kids, 4) the divorce revolution means that women have to work and 5) there is an epidemic of male family violence.

Humans differ because they possess differing personalities. However, personality is not the sole basis of differentiation. The society can create structural and institutional categories. An individual may be called human but heshe may also be German, Jew, or American. Heshe can also be a Protestant, Catholic, or Moslem. People can also be categorized by social classes (upper-class, middle class, and lower class). Most of the time, these structural categories are more meaningful than morphological or physiological characteristics.

Variables like sexual orientation, cultural background, personal ethics, psychological development, class, and self-esteemed are also determinants of differentiation (in the case of women). Physiologically, women are the same but socially, women differ in preferences, attitudes, and gender identity. Hence, to universalize the concept of womanhood is to aggregate traits which are socially defined as feminine. For example, in some cultures, the concept of woman is synonymous with silence, kindness, subordination, and physical inferiority. These societies create a system of inequalities which follow the distinct definition of masculinity or femininity. For example, in the Yanomamo tribe in South America, women are considered spoils of war. Here, femininity is considered a function of masculinity.

The distinction between sex and gender begins with their definitions sex marks the distinction between women and men as a result of their biological, physical and genetic differences while gender refers to the economic, social and cultural attributes and opportunities associated with being male or female at a particular point in time. The dimensions of masculinity discussed in the text are suppression of emotions, men in charge, and recklessness. Examples of system of inequality and privileges interacting with gender are income disparities linked to job stratification and professional education. The income disparity between genders can be stemmed from the process of determining the quality of jobs and wages. This income disparity is considered wage discrimination that favors men over women.

Gender discrimination can be expressed through language. Grammatical genders, sometimes referred as noun classes, are classes of nouns reflected in the behavior of associated words. Every noun must belong to one of the classes. Now, if a language system distinguishes between masculine and feminine gender, then each noun belongs to one of these genders. Society uses grammatical genders to formalize the categories of man and woman.

Society can also use grammatical genders to reinforce inequality. For example, in the past, the media used the term bossy woman to describe a domineering, dangerous, and radical woman. Nowadays, this term has been expunged from the gender dictionary to emphasize gender neutrality.

Gender discrimination is almost always the thematic content of movies and advertisements. Women are depicted as sex instruments organized to gratify mens desires. They may also be portrayed as subordinated individuals. This infers that women are inferior to men. Feminists argue that these instances are expressions of a distorted social system. The social system is, by nature, a source of inequality.