The Contemporary Image of Feminism Essay

Introduction

In the 21^st century, the importance of positive democratic values has been on a stable increase. More specifically, society has demonstrated a growing level of recognition in regard to human rights and equality. People of different backgrounds and statuses are placed in the center of heated discussions within the domains of social studies, economics, and politics. In a way, modern society has been actively trying to amend for the past oppression of certain communities. At the same time, in this context, a topical issue remains and consists of severe disparities experienced by women. The efforts of policy-makers in this regard have been equally active, and social awareness of the inequality led to considerable attention being devoted to the matter at hand. The profound discrimination of women was embedded in the history of even the most developed societies across centuries. Such a situation prompted the emergence and rise of feminist movements that aimed to defend women and earn the same rights as their male counterparts.

The discussion remains heated today, as certain disparities remain present in social policy, economic relations, and employment conditions. Accordingly, the contemporary feminist movements continue to insist on women’s inherent rights to equality. However, critics of these views often object to the very necessity of such activist groups in the current environment. This paper argues that not only are feminist movements still needed in the contemporary world but the nature of the discussion has become more complex than ever.

Background Information

The ideas, upon which feminist movements are based, stem from the disparities embedded in the history of society. In the past, women’s roles in many cultures were diminished in favor of patriarchal ideas. More specifically, most of them were expected to remain outside politics, economics, diplomacy, or decision-making, in general. Instead, women had to focus on their households, while giving birth and raising their children. Even childbirth per se reflected the misogynistic views. For noble people of the past, having a son was considered a blessing, as boys were seen as heirs that will continue the lineage. In the cases of daughters, the prospects were often limited to forming favorable alliances through marriage with another family. In other words, women of the past could not enjoy the same benefits as their male counterparts. Furthermore, their potential was disregarded on the mere basis of gender, irrespective of the personality. As a result, many talented women had to remain under social constraints in favor of mediocre men whose sole advantage was gender-based.

Under these circumstances, the rise of feminist movements was a matter of time. Indeed, the history of the world has several prominent examples of women in power, sciences, and arts. Great nations of the past had female rulers, and major research fields saw massive contributions from talented women. However, these figures still had to endure severe skepticism on behalf of the male population, while working in considerably more difficult conditions. Therefore, these instances are likely to represent rare exceptions from the patriarchal paradigm of rules. To amend for the discrimination, courageous activists launched campaigns against the disparities, attempting to improve the contemporary positions of women. Occasional writings between the 16^th and 18^th centuries could account for a systemic movement (Fernflores, 2019). It was only in the late 19^th century that feminist activists gained the resources to affect communities and confront the patriarchy on a wide scale.

During this period, feminism had tangible and indispensable goals in the form of granting women the rights to vote, obtain higher education, and develop their careers on equal terms. Following the initial surge of the movement, governments finally came to acknowledge the magnitude of the situation and satisfied the demands of the female population. However, the need for feminism did not cease to exist upon the legislative foundation of women’s rights. These actions amended for the evident flows on systemic level, but the efforts did not suffice for the profound social transformation. Fernflores (2019) argues that misogyny persisted within institutional and personal domains, poisoning an array of activities in which women were engaged. Even though female candidates acquired the right for a career, employer did not become eager to develop women’s talents, keeping their patriarchal preferences. In other words, the legislative changes did not translate into the shift of the paradigm of social thought.

Ultimately, women remained oppressed in their professional, social, and academic activities despite gaining access to them. This indeterminacy prompted feminist activists to change the direction of their movements across the 20^th century in attempt to reach the minds of the population and secure women’s position in society. Current observations suggest that social philosophy has made considerable progress in this regard. By the 2020s, the level of awareness concerning the issues faced by women has become unprecedently high, leading to major positive changes. In this context, a question arises of whether modern society retains the need for feminism in the first place, and this matter deserves additional exploration.

Topical Issues of the 21^st Century

Today, the legislative frameworks of developed nations focus on the equality of citizens’ rights regardless of their characteristics. Therefore, it is possible to suggest that the initial objectives of earlier feminist movements have been attained. Nevertheless, the contemporary social landscape has become highly changeable in the era of globalization and progress. Interpersonal relation framework has acquired an unprecedented level of complexity that adds new issues while highlighting the pre-existing ones. Under these circumstances, social activists can observe and address more profound problems that persist in today’s communities. As discussed above, the legislative recognition of women’s rights is, without a doubt, a positive development.

On the other hand, many women remain subject to the public disapproval based on their desire to pursue the same goals as men. In the age of global opportunities, conservative views continue to encourage women to concentrate on household duties and children, often at the expense of their professional aspirations. As a result, millions of talented women are deprived of due success and recognition because of the societal pressure. Furthermore, those who still opt for personal and professional development, experience serious disparities at the workplace. Stoel and Geary (2019) observe a serious impact on behalf of the traditional gendered approach to the division of labor. According to these obsolete views, certain areas of expertise are reserved for men, thus preventing women from developing their expertise in a positive environment. In many cases, such field includes the work that is demanding in terms of manual labor and physique, and the proponents of the division claim that it is enabled by objective biological differences. However, if a woman opts for the work in the military, law enforcement, construction, or any other sphere, there should not be any unnecessary barriers on her way.

While professional matters are an important element of the present disparities, other spheres of activity remain subject to gender biases, as well. For example, Czymara et al. (2020) discuss the role of sex in public health and conclude that women often experience serious conditions due to the stress imposed by social biases. Moreover, in the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, women were found to be affected by lockdowns (Czymara et al., 2020). The disparities were observed on both physical and mental levels, resulting, for example, in the increased shortage of paid work hours for women as compared to male employees. This case highlights the interrelated nature of the contemporary social problems. In addition, the age-old disparities are complemented by adjacent biases based on socioeconomic and racial prejudices. While women, in general, remain subject to discrimination, female residents of color and indigenous peoples experience further oppression at the intersection of biases (Moreton-Robinson, 2013). Such a complexity signifies that feminism, as a movement, remains needed in the 21^st century. Moreover, it is required to address more profound issues using the foundation laid by the pioneers of the movement in the 20^th century.

Ideas of Contemporary Feminism

The contemporary feminism pursues a similar overarching objective as its predecessors. It consists of the complete and unconditioned recognition of women as capable individuals who deserve to be viewed and treated equally to men. At the same time, the details of the movement have been subject to profound changes, as well. Today’s feminist activities are built upon the 20^th-century foundation that granted equal civil rights to both sexes. Following the initial success, the focus of attention has shifted from the broad political and legislative discussion to the societal aspect of life (Di Stefano, 2019). In other words, the ultimate purpose of the 21^st-century feminism is not to affect global decision-makers but to reach the minds of individuals. This objective is enabled through the increased level of social awareness observed presently. People of today pay more attention to injustices and disparities, seeking new avenues of improving the situation.

Feminism of the 21^st century reflects the complexity and diversity of the age in that there are different approaches to the philosophy. From a generalized perspective, the central ideas of modern feminism revolve around establishing women’s equal status in all aspects of social and professional relations in reality and not merely on paper. While both history and modernity possess examples of prominent female personalities, present-day views dictate that successful women should be the norm. In other words, the very emphasis on specific success stories reflects the disparities, as prominent female figures are considered out of the ordinary. These ideas comprise all spheres of human activity, from basic, essential areas to sophisticated arts, sciences, and political governance (Desai & Khan, 2020). Overall, sex-related biases persist on the individual level, prompting feminist movements to remain active and relevant in the current environment.

Practical Execution

The discussion regarding the feminism of the 21^st century requires an emphasis on the practical implementation of this theory. The diversification of approaches to women’s empowerment has entailed the emergences of varying, often conflicting modes of action in this regard. The world has come a long way from the 20^th-century suffragettes to the present-day activism that focuses on specific cases. The examples of such efforts may be both positive and negative, which controversy to the controversy surrounding contemporary feminism. The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women encourages modern activists to support women’s empowerment across the globe (U.N. Women, 2019). For example, Women’s Peer Groups supported by this organizations have been able to address the issue of child marriage. Historically, girls across several Indian states were forced to marry at very young ages, having no agency in this regard. These women were controlled by the patriarchal traditions that deprived them of any possibility of choice of their lifetime partners. Women’s Peer Groups organize meaningful actions against child marriage in five Indian states, contributing to the eradication of these damaging practices.

On the other hand, certain feminist movements cannot be seen as inherently positive, becoming a reason for controversy. In this context, feminist movements, opposing gender biases, may violate the integrity and equally of other domains of oppression. More specifically, 21^st-century feminism is claimed to rely upon the white majority and its understanding of justice (Henry, 2021). These ideas are fueled by the white paradigm of social thought, often disregarding the particularities of other ethnic groups and placing them in a vulnerable position. At the same time, women of color have to endure even more serious oppression in comparison to white females. According to Behrendt (1993), a similar situation is observed in the case of aboriginal females of Australia, whose agency was compromised in the fallout of the colonization of the continent. Therefore, feminist movements across the globe may benefit from a stronger emphasis on the intersection of race and gender in the current complex environment.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the emergence of feminist ideas and their rise across the globe was caused by the profoundly detrimental influence of patriarchy embedded in most developed societies. From the early ages of human history, the roles of women were actively diminished in favor of their male counterparts. By the 19^th century, the degree of oppression existed in the domain of the direct violation of human rights. Therefore, the initial surge of feminism across developed nations pursued the global objective of providing women with the basic rights that were guaranteed to men. Eventually, this mission was accomplished, causing reasonable doubts regarding the necessity of continuing feminist efforts across the rest of the 20^th century.

However, the legislative transformations could not eradicate gender-related biases that permeated most aspects of society. Despite being granted equal rights on paper, women continued to face severe discrimination in terms of studies, work, and other activities. Thus, the 21^st-century feminism remained relevant, even though its particularities have changed along with the environment. Within the contemporary landscape, feminist movements pursue the eradication of social biases on all levels to ensure that women have not only theoretical rights but also the right conditions to fulfill their talents. Modern feminism is as complex as the society, in general. Having both positive and negative examples of efforts, this philosophy still retains its importance in terms of preserving and developing the democratic principles upon which society is based.

References

Behrendt, L. (1993). Aboriginal women and the white lies of the feminist movement: Implications for aboriginal women in rights discourse. The Australian Feminist Law Journal, 1, 27–44.

Czymara, C. S., Langenkamp, A., & Cano, T. (2020). Cause for concerns: gender inequality in experiencing the COVID-19 lockdown in Germany.European Societies, 23(1), 68–81. Web.

Desai, M., & Khan, K. (2020). Feminist Praxis and Globalization. In N. A. Naples (Ed.). Companion to Feminist Studies. John Wiley & Sons.

Di Stefano, C. (2019). Configurations of masculinity: A feminist perspective on modern political theory. Cornell University Press.

Fernflores, R. (2019). Feminist history and feminism and the future. Journal of Academic Perspectives, 4, 1–10.

Moreton-Robinson, A. (2013). Towards an Australian indigenous women’s standpoint theory: A methodological tool. Australian Feminist Studies, 28(78), 331–347. Web.

U.N. Women (2019). Women rising: Women’s activism that has shaped the world as you know it. Web.