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Feminism

For most of us in America, the idea of feminism conjurers up visions of women with hairy armpits running around the streets burning their bras and talking about free love.  I don't shave and i don't always wear a bra (mainly because my figure doesn't require me to), but this isn't done with a conscious thought about feminism or to prove that women do not have to live by any societal norm.  i have my own reasons why I don't do those things, but reading this chapter makes me wonder if my ability to wear a tank top with my armpit hair and without a bra comes from the feminists of the past.  I grew up, and am still a part of, the punk rock "scene" and many of the punk women that I have admired in my formative years and today are definitely feminists in their own right. Breaking with cultural norms and standing on their own as strong, independent women.  So maybe since they have already taken a stand on so many feminist issues, i have the luxury not to have to think about it as much....and maybe sometimes i take that for granted....

 Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth

Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill

                                                                                              making a statement about derogatory slang                                                                                               used to marginalize women 

Also, reading this chapter made it clear to me that the feminist movement presented itself differently depending on the needs of the women involved in the movement. And that, as with many movements, opinions differed about which issues were of greatest importance.

In the West, the feminist movement that had died out in the 1920's began to resurface in the U.S. and Europe.  The books, "The Second Sex" by French author Simone de Beauvoir and "The Feminine Mystique" by American author Betty Firedan spurred the movement and spoke to women who had felt oppressed by asking them to demand control of their bodies and focus on the education and employment of women and focus on obtaining equal rights for women in all areas.  A more radical branch of the feminist movement in America became known as "women's liberation" and followers of this movement felt that women had been exploited throughout history by a patriarchal system.  These women preferred to take personal action to correct this rather than the political lobbying done by the equal rights feminists.  They did this by tossing stink bombs during the Miss America contest of 1968 and by throwing tweezers, high heeled shoes, bras, and other "articles of oppression" into a Freedom Trashcan.  They also discussed the idea that free love, lesbianism, and celibacy should be held in the same respect as heterosexual marriage.  The African American women of this time held a different view of feminism.  They did want to segregate themselves from the African American men, and instead joined these men to fight against racism and poverty.  

For women in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, feminism was much different for it focused on topics not related to gender issues.  These topics included colonialism, racism, political oppression, and revolution.  These women criticized western feminism for being too focused on sexuality and not paying enough attention to motherhood, marriage, and poverty.  They also felt that the western feminist's view of genital mutilation and polygamy was damaging to their culture, who had held these practices as cultural traditions.  Instead of focusing on issues of sexuality, the women of Africa at this time created small associations of women to aid each other in times of need.  These groups had a combined total membership of more than 1 million by the late 1980's.  

In Chile in the late 1900's, women mobilized against the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet who ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990.  During Pinochet's reign, women were seen as invisible in the public realm and this may have been to their benefit in this situation.  Women were able to organize themselves despite the military regime of the country, and this women's movement crossed all lines of social class and political affiliation.  The women of Chile brought attention to the use of torture and to the "disappearance" of those who opposed Pinochet's regime.  These women also started soup kitchens, craft workshops, and shopping collectives with the goal of promoting the economic status of families in Chile.  Middle-class Chilean women fought for, "democracy in the country and in the home". (p. 1153) The women's movement in Chile was a very important part of the national protesting the eventually brought Chile to democratic government in 1990. 

Proving that the feminist movement is not a thing of the past, as recently as 2004 the women of Morocco stood up to claim a greater sense of equality.  Before 2004, Morocco's Family Law Code defined women as minors, making them subservient to their husbands.  In 2004, Morocco's feminist movement, aided by some supported men and their liberal king, the Family Law Code was changed so that is recognized women as equal to their husbands.  This granted them the ability to initiate divorce and to claim custody of a child.  

Feminism was recognized as a global movement when the United Nations declared 1975 as International Women's Year and the next 10 years as the Decade for women.  In 2006, 183 nations (but not the U.S...what?!) ratified a UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.  But this attention on international women's rights revealed the different ideas people of different countries and cultures had regarding the issue.  Muslim delegates at the Beijing Conference in 1995 opposed the idea of women receive equal inheritance as men because Islamic Law states that sons should receive twice as much as daughters.  But the women of Africa felt that equal inheritance was important for the survival of young girls orphaned by AIDS.  There were also women who disagreed with the idea of feminism because they felt it eroded the "proper" relationship between men and women, and family life.  Westernized feminism did not go over well with Muslim women for they felt it was offensive.  The feminist movement actually incited a movement of religious revivalism among some Muslim women that required them to wear the veil and lead restrictive lives.  Both Muslim and Catholic countries did not appreciate the feminist movement's insistence on reproductive rights, including abortion rights and access to birth control.  

So, the feminist idea of equal rights for all people has changed to reflect the values of women in different countries and with different cultures.  I will continue to admire women who stand up for what they believe is right for their lives, despite pressure from men, government, and even other women.