what is feminism?

Question

i am in the process of doing my first university essay about feminism. Trouble is i cannot seem to get started. There is so much information regarding the subject its difficult to know what to put into it.

Answer 1

Feminism means advocacy of equal rights for women...the right to equal pay the right to vote the right to be mens equals & not be demeened or discriminated against by the opposite sex. you could write about the history of femnism (go to the library & find out dates of when it came about & why) talk about womens rights protesters, and the issues which arise when thinking about womens rights ie abortion/work/education/the right not to be pressurised in to having children by society etc.. get a mans perspective on womens rights (as not to be biased or sexist) and how he feels about women having equal pay to men & how he felt when women started to go to work for the first time opposed to staying at home to look after the house & children. your dad would be a good person to ask. research the family structure before a woman went to work & how it changed peoples way of living, stay at home dads are now becoming a more popular thing, and women are taking on bigger more responsible roles. do a survey in the town to show you have researched the subject!! Hope this is helpful!! GOOD LUCK!! X

Answer 2

l"The history of feminism reaches far back before the 18th century, but the seeds of the feminist movement were planted during the latter portion of that century. The earliest works on the so-called "woman question" criticized the restrictive role of women, without necessarily claiming that women were disadvantaged or that men were to blame."
There is alot more information on the site But basically you could start by Say Feminism was......etc And explain How it restricted women As far as owning Property or even holding a Job.

Answer 3

Feminism is a diverse collection of social theories, political movements and moral philosophies, largely motivated by or concerned with the experiences of women. Most feminists are especially concerned with social, political and economic inequality between men and women (in the context of it being to the disadvantage of women); some have argued that gendered and sexed identities, such as "man" and "woman", are socially constructed. Feminists differ over the sources of inequality, how to attain equality, and the extent to which gender and gender-based identities should be questioned and critiqued. In simple terms, feminism is the belief in social, political and economic equality of the sexes, and the movement organised around the belief that gender should not be the pre-determinant factor shaping a person's social identity, or socio-political or economic rights.

Most modern feminist political activists commonly campaign on issues such as reproductive rights (including the right to safe, legal abortion, access to contraception and quality prenatal care), violence within a domestic partnership, maternity leave, equal pay, sexual harassment, street harassment, discrimination and rape. Many feminists today argue that feminism is a grass-roots movement that seeks to cross boundaries based on social class, race, culture and religion. They also argue that an effective feminist movement should be culturally specific and address issues relevant to the women of the society in question such as female genital cutting, or "clitorectomies", in Africa and the Middle East and the "glass ceiling" issue in developed economies. They also debate the extent to which certain issues such as rape, incest and mothering are universal. Themes explored in feminism include patriarchy, stereotyping, objectification, sexual objectification and oppression.

From wikipedia.org

The best way to start any thesis is to write down headings or topics that you would like to discuss then work from there. Its a form of brainstorming, then when you have done that, try and fill out the headings so that it makes sense.

Answer 4

Well start on the history of feminism. Going back as far as 18th century. So-called "woman question" criticised the restrictive role of women, without necessarily claiming that women were disadvantaged or that men were to blame. How women like Lady Mary Wortley Montagu and Marquis de Condorcet championing women's education. You mention feminism in Europe plus middle east and right up to the 20th century. Hope this give you some ideas to get you started.

Answer 5

Feminism is simply an action for women to have equality, as in equal pay for a job of work, equal work opportunities in any workplace that any man would take for granted. It has nothing to do with sexuality. There was a time where women within a marriage was a man's property, they could be beaten, forced into having sex (raped), no law to protected them, no one would pluck them away into safety and the work they once did was poorly paid and many job opportunities / positions were closed to women as indeed was the vote. The suffragettes were really the first feminists, some were imprisoned and some died in the fight for their belief that they should have equality alongside their menfolk.

Answer 6

Read Betty Friedan, 'The Feminine Mystique', and Germaine Greer, 'The Female Eunuch' - that'll give you a fairly broad idea of feminism. More recent feminism has become very militant - people like Andrea Dworkin and Mary Daly, but they're a bit odd. Good luck with your essay.

Answer 7

In the most basic sense, feminism is exactly what the dictionary says it is: the movement for social, political, and economic equality of men and women.

Answer 8

I've just started my second year and i always find that the best way to start organinsing an essay is with a definition. In your case, a definition of femanism. It often gives you the start that you need.

Answer 9

It's a movement started by a band of genetically enhanced cats with superior intelligence to you. Oh wait, that was Feliminism!
Why don't you just copy and paste from Wikipedia? That's what all the kids do.

Answer 10

There is nothing wrong with feminism but why are all feminists so dam ugly.

Anyway, feminism is something to do with women burning their bra's and saying that men conspire together against women.

I have always found that it is women who do the conspiring and usually against other women.