More handpicked essays just for you.
Reproductive rights for women feminism
Liberal point of view on abortion
Reproductive rights for women feminism
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Freedom to control one's body through through sexual intercourse Was another option that opened women to feminism's message as well as other General freedoms. The idea however that women could have sex as they wanted created a confusing situation in that it was harder for women to say no to sex even if they did not want it. “Sexual politics” became a term and as early as 1949 as illustrated in Document 2, “women are household
A second revolution of feminist literature and the taking on of professions once considered only acceptable for men to work was the catalyst to a long, hard fight for gender equality. Of these ‘second revolutionists’, Olympe de Gouges, Marie Claire Heureuse Bonheur, and Juana Inés de la Cruz stand out as women who, through their literature and actions, promoted feminist ideals. Despite their many differences, such as nation of origin, occupation, and the differences in how they impacted feminism and their respective revolutions, Olympe de Gouges, Marie Claire Heureuse Bonheur, and Juana Inés de la Cruz all took on roles in society that were considered unprecedented territory for women, in which they inspired feminist activism, became active in the politics or humanitarian aid of their revolutions, or served as models for women desiring to have more autonomy over their lives. Olympe de Gouges was a clear feminist, who directly took on the challenge of sexism during the French revolution. Working-class France, having just recently achieved ‘liberty’ against the oppressive monarchy and estate system, created “The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen”.
Words such as ‘unspoken assumption’, ‘insidiously’,‘exaggerating’, and “preoccupation” show suspicion towards the topic of women's rights and movements . In addition, the author also gives emphasis towards the downfall of men’s rights by including details such as “special privileges and protection to women” and “men’s supposed mistreatment of women”, thus showing how the author is directly opressed by the fight for equal rights. The author sees men's rights and their struggle with oppression as them being expected to have traditional cordial manners and fall into the traditional role of the patriarchy of the family, and decides to ‘debunk’ feminism by using these few points against a legacy of hatred, oppression, and misogyny that created
The Gradual Unbinding of Revolutionary Women Women back in the 17th to 18th century were labeled insignificant and served no major roles in any life-changing events. The fate for most of the women, was being confined in their own living spaces- left to prioritize housework duties such as cooking and cleaning. The etiquette of women was subjected to remain obedient to men. The inferiority of women forced imposition of loyalty and obedience towards men; the respect to women remained unrecognized in society. Preluding to the beginning of the 18th century, before the American Revolution arose, the position of a woman was strictly only to maintain household orders and comply towards the necessities of men.
These policies violated women’s basic human rights and left them with little agency and control over their reproductive lives. The discrepancy between the rhetoric of gender equality and the reality of reproductive control by the state undermined the popular belief in communism as a progressive ideology. This intrusion into women’s personal lives and reproductive decisions was seen as a violation of their basic human rights and autonomy. It also conflicted with popular beliefs in communism, which claimed to prioritize individual freedoms. Women who resisted or tried to assert their reproductive rights often faced consequences such as social ostracism, loss of employment, or even legal repercussions.
Notice that it’s not black or Hispanic women who are making a fuss about this—they come from cultures that are fully sexual and they are fully realistic about sex.” (Paglia). Here, Paglia uses a hasty generalization by characterizing all young feminists as “protected, white, middle-class” and “sexually repressed.” She characterizes all black and Hispanic women as “fully sexual,” while offering only weak or no evidence to support her conclusion.
European political revolutions between 18th and 19th century are exemplified by the French Revolution, which opposed to absolutism and patriarchy, gave birth to the idea of individuality, and thus changed Europeans’ daily life, including fashion, sex, food, music, and gender norms. The French Revolution transformed Europeans’ daily life by replacing aristocratic lifestyles with common people’s style with emphasis on individuality. The French Revolution transformed fashion to be approaches of self-expression, rather than the signifier of group identity. Meanwhile, calling for equality and countering feudalism, it also led a fashion of common people, which differentiated them from the aristocratic expensive style.
In her 1975 article, “Feminism in the French Revolution,” Jane Abray provides a dismissive view of women’s movements during the Revolution. In the article, Abray emphasizes the failures of revolutionary feminism. In her opinion, the most compelling reason for revolutionary feminism’s failure was that it was a minority interest that remained inaccessible to the majority of French women who accepted their inferior status to men. Abray suggests additional reasons for the movement’s “abject failure,” including its inability to garner support from the male leaders of the Revolution, the disreputable characters of the feminist leaders, the strategic errors made by the movement’s leaders, and a “spirit of the times” that emphasized the nuclear family
The French Revolution intended to accomplish three main goals: liberty, equality and fraternity. The liberty that the revolutionaries wanted was the freedom from an oppressive government, particularly the absolute monarchy King Louis XVI headed before the revolution. An emphasis was put on fraternity because the French believed that without unification, their goals would never be accomplished. Equality under the law regardless of socioeconomic class was desired, not equality under the law regardless of gender. Despite egalitarianism not being the main intent of the revolution, women’s rights’ advocacy saw its beginnings in France during this time.
She argues that it is possible to frown upon pornography and also defend one’s freedom of expression in the society; which seems to be guaranteed in the First Amendment. In addition, Jacoby is determined to show how individuals need to take the so called “healthy and holistic” view of the censorship without taking rigid stances as either pro-First Amendment or ant-First Amendment. Her less important conviction that the First Amendment should be upheld in the society without the regard to the context of expression and freedom has little appeal to the feminists. She even admits that she is criticized and ostracized by many women meaning that her First Amendment isn’t that important to them. Susan Jacoby finds pornography offensive in the society, although she stoutly opposes the idea of censorship on
Michel Foucault’s The History of Sexuality(1976), indicate that the history of sexuality is the history of oppression .The relationship of sex oppression always as power, knowledge and sex. Sex becomes an object to be oppress because it is unproductive in a capitalism society. The bourgeoisie not allow the workers use energy on sex, since workers’ energy is for production.
The French Revolution had started in 1789 with revolutionaries and radicals overthrowing the monarchy and creating change in government and ideals. Women had played a large role in the French Revolution. During the time period a societal change regarding the rights of women had begun to take place. Three women named, Etta Palm D’Aelders, Olympe De Gouges, and Pauline Leon all have made immense contributions to the development of the French revolution by advocating for equal gender rights, writing to the National Assemblies and Legislatures, and expressing patriotism for their country.
The ‘formula of domination’ , as Foucault calls it, is defined by ‘a policy of coercions that act upon the body, a calculated manipulation of its elements, its gestures, it behavior. (…) a machinery of power that explores it, breaks it down and rearranges it’ . The body becomes a tool, a medium for control and thus no longer an autonomous human being, acting and functioning mechanically in predetermined systems of
Liberal feminists were so obsessed with the ‘equality’ that they oppose the protective legislation for women (based on this position they have been severely criticized, it will be discussed later in the paper). Jagger (cited in Acker, 1987) discussed liberal feminism’s opposition to protective legislation, based on its desire to overcome sex based laws and establish formal equality. Liberal feminists seek the repeal of all laws that ascribe different rights, responsibilities and opportunities to women and men. They oppose protective legislation for women, believing that the same standards of health and safety should apply to everyone. Feminists such as Marry Wollstonecraft, Johnstuart Mill, Jagger and Struhl, Eisentein and Scheman rejects the major component of tradional liberalism, and asserted that the value of women as human being is not instrumental to the welfare of men and children and that it is equal to the value of men, and demanded various forms of public and private recognition of it, including respect for women and privacy.
After fifty-five years, we look back at the year 1963 that signaled the beginning of the feminist movement. The feminist movement lead to many changes in the society for women, such as reproductive rights, maternity leave, equal pay, women’s suffrage and a decrease in domestic violence, sexual violence and sexual harassment. All these changes have fallen under the label of feminism and the feminist movement. In response to this, author Simone de Beauvoir, who was a journalist and philosopher talks about the “Eternal Feminine” in her book, “The Second Sex.” “The Second Sex” is considered a pioneering work of the modern feminism movement because of how the author radically challenges political and existential theory.
