What do you think the next big frontier is for feminism? How do we reshape the movement from here?

Question

We've got women in the workplace, although there's still a wage gap. Many women are saying it's too much and choosing to stay home... Men are starting to take a more active role in the home, but slowly and selectively.

What is our goal from here and how do we reach it? Do we focus on the wage gap, on child care, on valuing traditional women's roles, work/life balance? How does feminism treat women who now choose to be full time mothers?

Of course I realize that's about 10 questions, not just one... :-)

Answer 1

This is just a thanks for your rude email on my question about a theme wedding.
It's sound like your some lonely old women looking for causes and putting down anyone trying to have a little fun and express themselves differently.
I love how your preaching feminism but had the nerve to make a joke about my special day because I am artist and have different ideas and opinions on how to express myself. Wow, I am so glad the feminism movement includes unimaginative self involved losers like yourself. Don't you have books to burn and museums to shut down?

Answer 2

The "wage gap" is a myth. Any woman who goes to school and then proceeds on to work WITHOUT taking time off for weddings and children, makes just as much (if not more) than a man counterpart. HOWEVER, many women seem to feel that it is perfectly acceptable to take time off for various things WITHOUT penalty. This is not the case. Why should someone who doesn't take time off for weddings/children be punished by less pay?

Personally, I'm sick of the "women's movement". As far as I'm concerned, this movement has only served to push women BACK. Not only are we now expected to have/raise children, run homes, and be wives but we are also expected to work and live in a society where women are treated with severe disrespect.

I applaud all women who make the actual CHOICE to either have a career or to have children. It is not possible to do both well.

Answer 3

I believe the next step in feminism is a complete "rethinking". Feminism has gotten too academic and political, and does not think about its effects on the average women. Such questions as the following need to be addressed:

- Do women want equality or equity?
- Does feminism truly promote the feminine or masculine?
- Has feminism made life easier or harder for the average woman/mother?
- Has feminism benifited the man more than the woman?

Answer 4

Hmmm...I think we need more women with political power. I think we are definitely gaining on the past, but not there yet. Neither Australia or America (just to mention the bare minimum) , both liberal countries,have ever had a female Prime Minister/President. Australia has only gone so far as to have a female party leader in Natasha Stot -Despoja for the Democrats. We need more say in the laws that are made that effect us, and just more say full-stop!

Answer 5

what exactly is your opinion regarding feminism? you want to prove your feminism in one moment and in another u want to prove to the world that you are not far behind men. how can that be. nature has made a women to be the homemaker and the man the bread winner of the family. so u do what nature has ordained for you to do than to prove to the world you are no less than a man. Is it possible? every relegion shows the women to be weaker than the man physically and strong emotionally. isnt that so? dont try to change gods will. how much a mother can take care of the child the father cannot do so. maternal feelings are more softer for the child than paternal feelings. every child needs maternal love in its developmental stage be it emotional or mental or physical.

Answer 6

We need to put a new face to femenism. Femenism today is still viewed to be a bunch of angry women saying that men suck. We are not looking for superiority here. We NEED equality. The present generation is better, but future generations are where our hope lies.

Women will never be equal until men take responsibility and become supportive. The only way to do that is by planning for the unborn generations. Teach teenagers today how to be good mothers and fathers. Teach young women to demand respect from their future husbands and sons. We need to raise our little girls to believe they are equal and our little boys to show respect for women.

Mothers today are still taking abuse from their husbands in front of their children. This HAS to stop. Women are still not fighting back. This teaches our children that it's ok to hit a girl, that boys are superior, and that sexism is right. They need to be taught that violence at home is NOT ok. Taking your husband's abuse is NOT ok. Hitting your sister is NOT ok. Disrespecting your mother is NOT ok.

It all comes down to the future mothers and fathers. They are in college and high school right now. Classes about sexual equality need to be mandatory. Sex ed classes are now mandatory becuase of STDs. Sexual equality classes should be mandatory because of disrespect, violence, and sexism.

Answer 7

I think the next step (to the extent we can say there will be just one) is to look at ways to realign ourselves as feminists to confront multiple oppressions and build communities of solidarity and mutual assistance.

This is probably particularly relevant in light of the strange tension between as well as alliance of the theocratic-fundamentalist movement in nearly all the world's major religions and the multinational corporate monoliths.

I think that the issues of upper-middle-class women in the "developed" countries still predominate in discussions of feminist goals. We need to push beyong mere multiculturalism in creating a global community of solidarity and struggle, and look at women's issues from a planetary perspective.

The real horizon: effective, not-just-ceremonial linkages between the women's liberation, queer liberation, working peoples', antiracist, antiwar, and environmentalist struggles. A new system of values, not just a critique of the existing systems or just a utopian vision of a far-distant ideal society.

In short, we need a new game plan. The Right is good at cooking these up, because history means less to them than us, so they are less likely to sentimentalize their previous commitments and positions (remember when Conservatives in the USA were for "limited Federal government intervention in our private lives"?--until they took over the Federal government!). We need to learn that.

We also, I think, need to find a way to intervene more effectively in the new primary organizing mechanism of world society--which is no longer the nation-state, or even the multinational corporation, it's the religious sects. We need our own religions to grow, and we need to find ways to realign the existing major religions.

Is that 10 answers to your 10 questions?

Answer 8

I spoke to a young lady the other day who believes the relatively near future holds ways for women to reproduce without men. I believe she meant asexual reproduction.

Living completely independent of men may be a revolutionary step toward gaining equality for women.

Answer 9

I will suggest u 2 go 2 colleges & university 2 get the answer.
Its bez gals are more educated from males & gals are more briliant & inteligent from males as well as they also capable 2 take care of their family.

Don't get susprised if in future males become fulltime house husbands!

Who knows , maybe u will be in fulltime house husband category!

Answer 10

Well, we had 1st and second wave feminism, now the fight is even harder because we are fighting smaller inequalitites that many people don't even see, like sexist language and commercials.