Monday, September 3, 2012

Rowe-Finkbeiner, "A Tsunami in History" from The F-Word: Feminism in Jeopardy; Hogeland, "Fear of Feminism"


Argument 1 taking from "A Tsunami in History":
This author argues that women have gone through history to fight for the rights to vote, equality, working conditions, professionalism, other rights, contraception, education, and all that the two waves have implemented to make the lives of women today an easier journey.  She starts by explaining that as simple as a momentum that was passed through generations, there was the added right to stand up for the rights of women and fight like her ancestors did.  Then she goes to explain that the first wave of the women's movement was our ancestors of this nation breaking down the door for the right for women to vote, health issues related to women, the independence of women from the umbrella of their husband's, and etc.. Their fight was one that paved the way for women of the second wave to get the right to vote.  These women of the second wave fought for the right to go to other work places that were not designated as a women's job.  In those jobs to have the equality of the men that do the same job, and the working conditions to be better. They also fought for women's health issues to be addressed.  They fought for the housewives to have the opportunity to work outside of the home, because it was rarely seen or even done. To break the chains that were set for them and be able to freely decide if they want to work or cater to their husband's.
Then we enter the third wave the author discuss the fact that women are enjoying the freedom set for them by the generation before because those women faced the issues together, but at the same time apart (race, color, and sexually preference). "The sad fact is that many modern women face the challenges of gender inequality alone, as individuals", was predominately viewed by the author as an injustice.(A Tsunami in History)  Instead of the women fighting in union  with one another the challenges that they faced from the 1960's on became more of a personal burden to face. The women of the third wave live in an age were we are free to decide what we want to do, wear, work, educate ourselves, fight for issues, support our children by ourselves if we have to, and even the right to have an abortion which is still a political debate. There are still things that are slowly in progress like the equality in the work place in an example of one. We continue to fight but not like our ancestors did, because time has changed.

Argument 2 taking from "Fear of Feminism":

This author argues that we women of the third wave have lost our fight for the rights and equality of women due to fear. This was due to politics, fear, different types of genera, to even being characterized of different sexual preference, and to the threat that the world has implied on actions of that nature to occur. She goes on to discuss that women have been given all these rights by the fight of previous women, and that we simply enjoy the rights and don't think where they came from or even how they were obtained.  She goes to describe that women have a fear that pertains to the word feminism where she states, "Fear of feminism, then is not a fear of gender, but rather a fear of politics. Fear of politics can be understood as a fear of living in consequences, a fear of reprisals."(Fear of Feminism)  Then she goes to discuss domestic violence issues that also place fear in women to stand up for their given rights.  To be of a homosexual preference was equivalent to being a feminist and that placed a fear in women to be classified as such.  Our youth is corrupt because of the fear to stand for feminism and the rights of women today. The author goes on to describe the power/ fear that men place on women, but these women don't speak out about it, because they are afraid of the consequences. In the eyes of the author to be of intellect and skill is one that stands for feminism.  This brings a great question to mind are we the students of Gender in Society with intellect afraid of what feminism stands for?  Have we been swayed by the political parties to fear the right to be feminist?
Press here to see an article pertaining to contraception and politics vs. feminism


 

3 comments:

  1. Hey Sue-Ellen, I really enjoyed reading over your thoughts about the authors arguments in "Fear of Feminism". Check my blog out I wrote about you!

    Sabrirochelle.blogspot.com

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  2. Sue-Ellen you did a great job on getting both the arguments out on each article. You broke it down and made it clear to the class.

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  3. Hi Sue, I thought that the way you set up the information for us to read by separate arguments was great!

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