A Feminism for Our Time
Sarah Bigler
Staff Writer
When people think of feminism, they think unshaven legs, unstyled hair, bare faces and a loud, clear female voice, usually condemning a society that celebrates men’s rights at the expense of those of women. They don’t think of high heels.
But first, an admission of guilt. March was Women’s History Month, and as a self-proclaimed feminist, I feel I should have written this article two months ago. Having dropped the ball, I offer this piece as an apology and an attempt to salvage my dignity as both a journalist and as a woman.
Let’s set the record straight. Feminists don’t hate men. After all, some of us even sleep with them. Some choose to stay home and raise their children. Some of us do actually shave our legs, and some don’t. Some of us have high-powered jobs, some work down the street at your local grocery store. We enjoy sex, we play with makeup, and yes, we wear both high heels and Birkenstocks, blue jeans and pink dresses.
The face of feminism, like any major movement, has evolved since its inception. Some of the issues have remained the same. Women still don’t make the same wages men do for performing the same job, abortion will always be a point of contention and domestic and sexual abuse against women is an ongoing war being fought across the globe.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott and Susan B. Anthony started the “first wave” of feminism in their fight for women’s suffrage. In the late 19th century, they and like-minded men and women started pushing for equal voting rights. They wrote editorials, held protests and rallies, and one woman, the feisty and bold Victoria Woodhull, even ran for President of the United States
“Let women issue a declaration of independence sexually, and absolutely refuse to cohabit with men until they are acknowledged as equals in everything, and the victory would be won in a single week,” Woodhull said.
The victory wasn’t won in a week, but the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was passed in August, 1920. Anthony, Mott and many of the fighters of their era had long since died and never saw the fruit of their efforts.
These women, and countless nameless others, directly influenced the sexual revolution, or “second wave” feminism of the 1950s, 60s and 70s. The names most associated with feminism come from this era, such as Gloria Steinem, Betty Freidan, and Simone de Beauvoir.
Women were focused on the right to break out of the home and lead independent, fulfilling lives. Steinem, Freidan, Carolyn Maloney and Alice Paul fought hard for the ultimately doomed Equal Rights Amendment, which would have guaranteed that each civil right bestowed upon men would also be valid for women. Federally, the law never passed, but 22 states have it in their books, and various organizations continue to campaign for the ERA.
These ladies led the Women’s Liberation Movement, which fought for “unofficial” rights for women, in contrast to the specific legal and property rights of their predecessors. These rights included safety in the workplace, legal equalities in a wide range of areas, and, most controversially, sexual and reproductive rights.
This was the generation that, according to legend, burned their bras in protest. They eschewed conventional gender roles, shunned makeup and the Miss America pageants. They demanded the right to play sports professionally and in school, and celebrated the sexual liberation that accompanied the invention of the birth control pill.
Since the late 80s, feminism has faced a backlash. Many women today don’t identify themselves as “feminist,” disliking the tomboyish and sometimes militant connotation. Other critics, especially those of minority backgrounds, felt the movement didn’t include them and needs to embrace a larger population.
The focus of women’s rights in the 80s and 90s tended to be workplace and linguistically related.
Anita Hill’s 1991 testimony against the unprofessional conduct of Clarence Thomas in front of Congress brought the issue of sexual harassment to the forefront of national politics. The issue has been studied and fought in every workplace ever since.
The women of the 1990s also took charge of the way they were portrayed. Reclaiming derogatory words, such as “bitch,” or “whore,” or “slut,” and made them commonplace. Women chose to change the meanings and connotations of these words rather than remove them from the vernacular entirely.
In the world of “Sex and the City,” Lady Gaga’s “LoveGame,” and the epidemic of the celebrity sex tape, Steinem and Freidan are often drowned out. The women of today, instead of denouncing sexual objectivity and aiming for the right of employment, choose to celebrate their sexuality and refuse to let their opinions be silenced.
Steinem herself has come around to this more liberal, more sensual brand of feminism.
“A liberated woman is one who has sex before marriage and a job afterward,” she said.
In light of these circumstances, it’s unsurprising some women wonder if feminism is still relevant. They ask questions about whether the movement has failed, or succeeded, or is even still worth the fight.
I spent my adolescence considering myself a truly classic feminist. I was, and still am, pro-choice, pro-ERA, and, frankly, pro-feminist. I became so virulent in my beliefs that simply listening to the other side of an issue put me on the defensive.
The problem with this way of thinking is the complete and utter extremity it brought to my personality. This is a characteristic I was horrified to discover about myself, and a trait I generally malign in other people.
While I still hold most, if not all, of my same beliefs, I like to think my attitude has changed and I’ve mellowed out, at least a little. These days, I’m ready for debate, not dogma.
I’m one of a generation of women navigating their way through the conflicting and ultimately personal views that occur in an era of political correctness and veiled sexism. And sexism still does play a part in America
The election of 2008 showed this to be true. Despite a woman, former Sen. Hillary Clinton, running for president and making to the primaries, and another woman, former Gov. Sarah Palin running for vice president, neither woman could make a move without at least one political commentator mentioning that she was a woman.
Both candidates claimed they had been treated unfairly in their campaign on the basis of their sex. True or not, no one can deny that it’s still a hot button topic.
Feminism is an ongoing and important component of our society. Its effects are all too apparent. According to the U.S. Department of Labor in 2008, women made up around 47 percent of the workforce in America
The numbers are even worse for minorities. Black women make 64 cents to the dollar of a white male. Hispanic women only make about 52 cents to the dollar.
Paradoxically, the more education a woman has, the higher the disparity there is in wages. This is despite making up 51 percent of upper level and higher paying jobs in management and business. Women’s Media, an organization for working women, found that women in high-level professional positions make 72 percent of what men in the same position make.
Domestic and sexual abuse are still, unfortunately, key issues. The American Institute on Domestic Violence estimates half a million women are stalked by a former or current partner per year, and 1,232 women are killed every year in an abusive relationship.
The same organization reports a shocking one in four women will experience domestic abuse or violence in their lifetime. Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women, and costs $5.8 billion in physical and mental health bills in the United States
These are just a couple of the many issues plaguing American women today. The National Organization for Women, or NOW, also includes lesbian rights, and diversity and race sensitivity training among the ongoing issues of abortion and economic discrimination.
So are we living in a “postfeminist” world? I hope not. I certainly hope there hasn’t been a substantial drop in the number of activists working to right the wrongs still ailing America
Today’s feminists look a lot less like hippies and a lot more like the general population, male and female, black, white and everything in between. We still have a long and bumpy journey ahead of us. But true equality for women cannot just be a pipe dream, something we strive for, but feel we might never reach.
Former first lady and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has spoken often about feminism and the role it has played in her life and in today’s world.
“There cannot be true democracy unless women's voices are heard,” she said in 1997.
“There cannot be true democracy unless women are given the opportunity to take responsibility for their own lives. There cannot be true democracy unless all citizens are able to participate fully in the lives of their country.”
