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Should feminism exist?

Introduction

This paper discusses feminism and its effects on societal beliefs about a woman’s role in comparison and contrast to a man’s role in a family. It is one of the most debated issues in our current society, and it causes a lot of heat as women try to fight for equality and equity. At the same time, some men still believe that men are superior to the other genders and hold onto male chauvinism and patriarchy. This had led to many feminist movements that try to voice the concerns and the issues women go through.

Therefore the purpose of this argumentative research paper is to bring to the face and knowledge of the audience what feminism is and what it has done so far, as well as what other people, especially the males who still hold onto patriarchy, think about feminism. The different types of feminism are also discussed. This is because most people hate toxic feminism and do not realize a person can be a feminist even when they are not harmful. Religion is also very essential when it comes to discussion about feminism (Margaret, 06)

Background

Feminism has always existed, not in an informal manner or way in which we know it today. Therefore, the earliest forms of feminism just wanted to look into how women’s rights could be supported and made available for women. Feminists have differed in purpose, goals, and objectives for fighting for women’s rights. This has been caused by the fact that there are so many feminist movements with different beliefs, and they are in other geographical locations, therefore running for various courses. However, with all of these differences, the bottom line is that feminism is about the good and the value of women in society.

According to (Margaret, 14), all groups of women seeking to advance the course for women despite them not explicitly saying that they are a feminist movement should be regarded as feminists. This assertion, even though good for some people, is a violation of others. This is because some women groups come together and want to enhance their reasonable goals and objectives. However, they still believe in patriarchy, and they are trying to live good lives by having such movements but under the male-dominated society. They are not willing to oppose this power and believe it has existed for ages.

The main question which is presented herein is whether feminism should exist or should be tolerated. This is because there have been instances where feminism has gone overboard and did a lot of harm to society. It is a complicated question and stands to the discussion because feminism positively impacts the community and its negative impact. When looking at the history of feminism, we can say that the feminism revolution in the 19th century had a lot of effect in allowing women to have a say in public platforms where they could not have a voice before. It is essential to look into the history of feminism because, as (Routledge 05) states that “feminist theorists have frequently exhibited a too casual concern toward history and have used categories which have inclined the theories towards essentialism” from the statement, we can realize that this view caused the failure of the second wave discussed below.

History of feminism

According to (Maggie 10), the feminist movement has existed in waves, and the different waves have contributed to the success and the inevitable failures associated with the trends. The waves included; the first-wave feminist movement that addressed women being suffocated and not supported by the legal framework. This was a situation whereby the women were not allowed to vote. In this type feminism, which came about in the 19th and early 20th century, women’s suffrage was the main issue.

The second wave of the feminist movement took place between the 1960s and 1980s. Its main objective was to cooperate with cultural equality in a society where women were considered low dignity (Margaret, 53). This wave mainly focused on a woman’s role in the community and made sure that the different cultures that looked won upon women were scrapped and replaced with parts that support women and make sure the women get their rights. This has been a gradual process because patriarchy has been a concept very deeply ingrained into the minds and the hearts of different people, and therefore it needs a lot of effort to change this.

The third wave of feminism took place between the 1980s to the 2000s. This was seen as a continuation of the second wave, and it is seen as a correction of the second wave because it made several mistakes and brought a new face to the second wave’s desires and goals. These three waves depict modern feminism, but feminism indeed existed even before the 18th century only that it was not voiced as much as it is expressed of late and its effects were also less compared to its impact of late.

Discussion

Feminism should exist, but there has to be caution that feminism does not bring harm than the justice it is supposed to get. Quoting an American activist Charlotte Bunch, he says, “Feminism is an entire world view or gestalt, not just a laundry list of women’s issues.” Therefore from this viewpoint, it is okay to say that feminism should exist. Like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie says in her book on raising a girl child with the spirit of feminism in her book “Dear Ijeawele,” she talks of how to submit a girl child in a feminist manner. From it, we see how feminism should be integrated into society and not be taken out of society’s context because it is part and parcel of the community.

Contemporary feminists like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie display feminism in one of the most desirable manners. At one point, Chimamanda defines a feminist as any man or woman involved in the course to make sure that women and men have equal opportunities and chances in society. From her definition, we get a completely different view of women’s and men’s equality. She insists that men have to be involved in the issue of feminism because the less they are concerned, the more the patriarchy and the male chauvinism will increase, which will lead to more conflicts. This is because men will always think that feminists are not the right people to discuss issues with, while feminists want men to change without involving them in the conversation.

Looking at some of the people who propose that feminism should not exist, we can say that they also have their firm grounds to support this. Most people use the bible as a basis to support the argument about whether feminism should exist or not. One of the most fundamental concepts used is that the bible says that the man is the head of the family, and therefore it can only be fair to follow God’s directions. (1st Corinthians 11:3). This type of argument is religion-based and leaves out the possibility of a person not believe or be from a different religion. This does not apply to society.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it can be said that feminism should exist. However, it should involve men, as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie suggests for it to be effective. It should also not be toxic and should not aim to counteract the many years of male domination with adverse effects on society.

Works cited

Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. Dear Ijeawele, or a feminist manifesto in fifteen suggestions. Anchor, 2017.

Coogan, Michael David, et al., eds. The new Oxford annotated bible with Apocrypha: new revised standard version. Oxford University Press, 2010.

Gamble, Sarah, ed. The Routledge companion to feminism and postfeminism. Routledge, 2004.

Humm, Maggie. Feminisms: A Reader. Routledge, 2014.

Nicholson, Linda, ed. Feminism/postmodernism. Routledge, 2013.

Walters, Margaret. Feminism: A concise introduction. Vol. 141. Oxford University Press, 2005.