Feminism

Feminism is a philosophy which argues for equal treatment and responsibilities for men and women, and boys and girls.

History

Roots of the movement in the United States and the United Kingdom include the Women's Suffrage movement of the early 1900's and the Women's Liberation (or "Second Wave Feminist") movement of the 1960's and 1970's.

The Equal Rights Amendment, which proponents claimed would address the inadequacies of the Fourteenth Amendment concerning women and citizenship, was proposed in the US in 1923. The amendment passed Congress in 1972 but was ultimately defeated, falling just three states short of the required two-thirds majority on June 30, 1982. Opponents of the amendment worry that its passage would entail several consequences, including making girls subject to the military draft, the integration of single-sex schools, the possible recognition of homosexual marriage, and the revocation of laws that protect women in dangerous jobs, such as factory or mining work.

The feminist movement in the West evolved in the 1980s with the rise of Post-Feminism (sometimes called "Third-Wave" feminism), which stresses that women have many rights that go unrecognized, often by women themselves, in everyday life, and in the American legal structure. Most members of the feminist movement support reproductive rights currently guaranteed by American law, including the legal right to abortion. This stance is opposed by many conservatives, leading political commentator Rush Limbaugh to coin the term "Femi-nazis" to refer to feminist supporters of abortion rights. As of April 2007, women in the US have a legal right to abortion, without any significant limitation. According to a recent poll, 16% of the American public favor abortion being legal in all cases, and 39% favor abortion being legal in most cases. 31% feel that abortion should be illegal in most cases and 12% believe it should be illegal in all cases. 2% are unsure on the issue. These findings have been echoed in Gallup polls, which have found that "about 50 percent of registered voters consider themselves 'pro-choice' (defined as in favor of women's choice to access abortion facilities), with about 36 percent as 'pro-life' (against abortion under varying circumstances) and the rest uncertain."

Feminism made a resurgence in the 1990s and early years of 21st century, and the movement is spreading internationally in Asia and the Middle East. During the administration of Bill Clinton these feminists overlooked President Clinton's apparently womanizing behavior in order to focus upon his attempts to procure federal funding for several of their causes. citation needed

Quotations

The English novelist and critic Rebecca West said  :

"I myself have never been able to find out what feminism is; I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat or a prostitute."

The televangelist Pat Robertson said :

"The feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians."

Radical feminist activist bell hooks said :

"[Most people] think feminism is a bunch of angry women who want to be like men. They do not even think about feminism as being about rights--about women gaining equal rights. When I talk about the feminism I know--up close and personal--they willingly listen, although when our conversation ends, they are quick to tell me I am different, not like the 'real' feminists who hate men, who are angry. I assure them I am as real and as radical a feminist as one can be, and if they dare to come closer to feminism they will see it is not how they have imagined it...Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression."

See also

• Gender equality

External Links

• The Feminist eZine Archive of articles about Feminist History.
• Gloria Steinem and the CIA, The New York Times, February 21, 1967.
• Inside the CIA with Gloria Steinem, Nancy Borman, The Village Voice.