Feminism and Womens Rights in North America - 2219 Words

Over the past century women have made huge accomplishments in the fight for equal rights. Over the past one hundred years woman have won the right to vote, the right to work and they have shattered the stereo-type that women must be ‘baby producing house keepers’. However, even with the success of the feminist movement there are still numerous issues that exist in all areas of life. Women occupy 50% of the work force but earn up to 20% less than males, 53% of the worlds population is female however females only hold 1% of the world’s wealth. While feminism has come a long way in the previous years many believe that there is a long way to go before we can accurately say men and women have equal rights. The term Feminist has been around†¦show more content†¦To many the second wave seemed to be a tremendous success, however paper and practice are two different things. In the book Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women by Susan Faludi she claims that after the second wave the media portrayed a growing trend in unhappiness in women across North America. The media claimed that this unhappiness was due to the recent acts of the feminist movement. The media claimed that by embracing their independence and focusing more on perusing a career, women had damaged their chances for marriage and a family. News papers claimed that women who were unmarried were more likely to experience depression and mental breakdowns. In the 1986 Newsweek even published an article claiming that you had a better chance of getting killed by a terrorist than getting married if you were a college educated woman of 30. Even with the new legal equalities achieved by the second wave, equality in t he media and in society was still a distant dream. In fear of losing their patriarchal power, the media scared women away from feminism and women feared that if they too were outspoken proud feminist that they would be the next victim on the cover of Newsweek. As more and more women began to back away from the feminist wave, feminism was once again set back on its heels. Author Naomi Wolf, writer of the best seller TheShow MoreRelatedFeminist Theory1248 Words   |  5 PagesFeminism refers to political, cultural, and economic movements aimed at establishing greater rights, legal protection for women, and or womens liberation. It includes some of the sociological theories and philosophies concerned with issues of gender difference. Nancy Cott defines feminism as the belief in the importance of gender equality, invalidating the idea of gender hierarchy as a socially constructed concept. Feminism has earned itself a bad reputation, but it never undermined gender differencesRead MoreWomen s Privilege By Athlone Mcginnis1409 Words   |  6 PagesFeminism is an important liberation movement all around the world fighting for equal rights for women due to their oppression in a male dominated world. For most of time, men have had the upper hand in everything in comparison to women. In regards to Why Modern Feminism is White Women’s Privilege by Athlone McGinnis, â€Å"the core of the feminist movement is its opposition to â€Å"traditional gender roles.† In the western world, women have traditionally taken on the role of a housewife, while men provideRead MoreThe Feminine Mystique1107 Words   |  5 Pagesout of college and assuming the role of a housewife. â€Å"The problem with no name,† was common during the Womens Suffrage Movements and before women received the equality they had longed for. Women were expected be this happily married housewife during an era of male dominance. Friedan was a liberal feminist and the founder of NOW, The National Organization of Women and fought for womens rights. She wanted young girls to know that their was more to life that being a wife and mother. She fought toRead MoreGender Inequality Within The United States1531 Words   |  7 Pagesstarting to change but the gender stereotype still have stayed firmly over the years in North America even though people are now more aware of the problem of gender inequality. In North America, gender roles between women and men are now being shared more equally in workspace due to the feminism movements and higher literacy level of women, but there are still gender inequality existing in our society. Feminism movements have a significant effect on western society, including the equal access to employmentRead MoreThe Significance Of Feminism In The Handmaids Tale991 Words   |  4 PagesGilead. In this novel, Atwood does a great job of highlighting the significance of feminism or specifically the lack thereof and warns the reader of the consequences that comes along with not recognising the effects on women in a patriarchal society. During the 1980’s, when The Handmaid’s Tale was written, women in North America had the right to vote, the right to education, and the right to work. Since then, feminism is considered insignificant, a dead issue. However, one issue that has hidden behindRead MoreFriedan And The Feminine Mystique By Betty Friedan1210 Words   |  5 PagesFeminism is the fight for equality between the sexes. It can be dated back to the mid-19th century with women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. The first wave feminist procured the right to vote for American women. The following second and third waves built upon what the founding feminists created. The second wave of feminism was set off by the disenchantment women across America were experiencing. This disenchantment was caused by the nuclear family and the roles that the women inRead MoreFeminist Political Ideology Essays1243 Words   |  5 Pageshaving considerably less freedom, rights, and having the burdens societ y placed on them that had been so ingrained the culture. This is the standpoint the feminists took, and for almost 160 years they have been challenging the â€Å"unjust distribution of power in all human relations† starting with the struggle for equality between men and women, and linking that to â€Å"struggles for social, racial, political, environmental, and economic justice†(Besel 530 and 531). Feminism, as a complex movement with manyRead MoreWomen s Rights Of Canada1640 Words   |  7 PagesWomen s Rights in Canada Heritage Fair Essay It has been a long and hard journey in Canada to attain gender equality between men and women. Today, most people are unaware of the discrimination in workplaces, schools, and everyday life. Due to the Famous Five who lead the Persons Case that stated women as official persons, and many heroic individuals who lead the Women’s Suffrage Movement, women now have more opportunities than ever before. The Canadian Labour Movement has helped improve many citizens’Read MoreEquality Between Women And Women1673 Words   |  7 Pagesbeen a long and hard journey in Canada to attain gender equality between men and women. Women’s rights have changed dramatically over the past century from women not being persons, to having almost full equality between men and women. Saskatchewan feminism has followed a very similar path as Canada. The Women’s Suffrage Movement has given women the right to vote, and the Persons Case has given women the right to be appointed to Senate. T he Famous Five were the women who lead the Persons Case, asRead MoreNellie Mcclung As A Canadian Woman1493 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout most of history, men have had greater rights than women. In present days, the equality between men and women have improved, despite the fact that some countries are still striving to establish those same rights for both genders. Nellie McClung is a perfect example of a Canadian social activist who advocated for the rights of women throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. In this essay, I will examine the type of feminism she represented, in addition to the contribution