Feminism
J.Y Provocative Question # 25: Is feminism needed in 2024? If yes, what should feminism in 2024 look like? If no, what philosophy or movement should replace feminism in 2024?
A few years ago in order to get a college degree True_George took an advance psychology course called, “Psychology of Oppression.” Indeed, it was an interesting and enlighten course, studying the psychological behavior and effects of those who have experienced being oppressed in some form of fashion. One of the concepts studied was that of “Feminism.”
Women feeling that they are a group under oppression organized and began the “Women’s Suffrage Movement” in the late nineteenth century, the goals were to get women the right to vote by getting an amendment to the Constitution. Which was successful.
The movement has evolved with most feminist agreeing on five basic principles of working to increase equality, expanding human choice, eliminating gender stratification, ending sexual violence and promoting sexual freedom.
But we have to recognize, that one group of women struggles may not necessary be the struggle of another group of women. Yes, I’m talking about culture. Feminism is the concept of the European culture, and the women struggles of the African, Asian and indigenous cultures are not the same. But there is a common ground.
So, now we’re in the twenty first century, and the only thing I hear that feminists are crying about is that abortion rights were taken away. Not much is heard about the taken away of the “Affirmative Action” program, under which women were the biggest recipients.
Another fallout from the feminist movement is the deterioration of the traditional family. Promoting sexual freedom, many women have the attitude that they don’t need a man, it has resulted in the most single parent households in the history of the nation. Until the overturning of Roe vs Wade the number of abortions were staggering.
At the same time women want to hold onto the notion that the man has to be financially responsible. For example, men are expected to foot the expense for a date, instead of sharing the expense.
It is also funny, how most women expect men to be the bread winner in the household, and usually do not give the man respect, if they are making more money than him. It leads to relationship break ups.
Recently there were cases of divorce where high earning women were ordered to pay their ex-husbands spousal support. In the court of public opinion aka social media there were a lot of complaining, even from rich women and female celebrities about the notion of women paying spousal support to men. Another example of not wanting equality if the woman has to take responsibility.
OK, now this leads us into wanting equal pay for equal work. I can agree with this concept, nowadays those who do a 9 to 5 are finding that most companies set the pay based on the position whether the position is given to a male or female.
But, let’s face it, most women tend to take service orientated jobs often pay less then jobs that require mathematically, scientific, management and trade skills.
Feminism has put women on equal footing as far as individual rights are concerned. But right now feminists have been quiet of the transgender encroaching on women’s rights. This will be their struggle in the twenty first century. To preserve women’s rights from being taking over by men who identifies as a woman, but are not.
True_George 
Good point about feminism really not meaning the same thing across cultures. While everyone deserves equal pay for equal work, actresses not making the same millions that male actors are making is a very different situation from women making less than a dollar a day in impoverished countries. Feminism means something very different in cultures where female genital mutilation and honor killings are commonplace. It’s not to say that feminism isn’t needed in first world countries, but to say that all women are all in the same boat doesn’t reflect reality.
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Outside the 9 to 5 type jobs where the pay is set for the position, otherwise there are no such thing as equality of pay for compensation based on contractual work, even among men.
For example in sports where the athlete’s contract is based on their performance and the ability to draw crowds. For example, WNBA does not draw the number of spectators that the NBA does, thus WNBA players will earn less then NBA players..
For acting who is a bigger box office draw, the male star or the female star, their sexual appeal will earn them even more even if they are stars top pay isn’t guaranteed supporting actors get less. I’ve heard actors of both sex being paid less the ten thousand dollars for a movie that grossed tens of millions…..
Would you believe the US only recently allowed women to serve in the combat arms of the military. After much debate the gov’t said it won’t lower the physical or mental standards of the combat arms if any women can meet the standards they can serve…
I agree reality isn’t perfect some groups are still fighting to be equal in the eyes of the law…
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Good post. I think you’re right about the problems, especially that feminism and equality for ‘Western’ women is a wholly different thing than it is for other cultures, such as within Islam, in places like India and Africa and so on. I personally tend to the view that ‘we’ have equality now and that a lot of feminism is turning into ‘man-hating’ rather than a positive thing.
But when it comes to men paying for dates, I subscribe quite a bit to the comment made in ‘Are You Being Served’ by Miss Brahms (Wendy Richards) – that it should be men who pay for the meal/date or whatever that it’s because of ‘what they want after’!
I also think you’re absolutely right that a huge issue for the future is that of transgender ‘women’, especially in things like sport when, as they aren’t biologically women, they are at an unfair advantage!
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When it comes to dates the prize is a 2 way street woman enjoy sex as much as men. There is to much exploitation and the seduction movement as taught men that dates are not a defining factor if a woman wants to sleep with a man….
we’ll see what the feminists are going to do about the tranny infiltration
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We do enjoy it but I always found I invested more emotion in it (I can’t do casual sex) and that was often a mismatch with the man’s attitude.
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Yeah, most women view having sex is an extension to the relationship, while most men view sex as being physical and just because they sleep with someone it doesn’t mean they love or even like the person. But attitudes change when they get older.
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exactly!
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