Chapter 23: Capitalism and Culture

Chapter 23: Capitalism and Culture

(Feminism)

*This blog isn’t divided into sections that the book is in. I just ordered and labeled information to how I

saw fit

New Feminism

Ideas of liberation were spreading widely in the recent century. The 1960s especially showed

a wide range of protest movements for the advancement of human rights. Protests for civil

rights, against consumerism, against even against middle class values occurred. Although

the struggle for suffrage was mainly in the 19th century, the 20th century was also filled with

feminist struggles, this time with an emphasis on employment and education instead. A

radical form of this feminism was known as “women’s liberation”, which aimed to portray

patriarchy as a form of domination. A quote from this group that I found interesting was, “We

are considered inferior beings...because we live so intimately with our oppressors, we have

been kept from seeing our personal suffering as a political condition” (Strayer 1038). I cut out

other parts of the entire quote, but this part is something I can agree with. At the time, women

were considered unable to be able to do things that men can; they were seen as less. Some

people still believe this today, but the consensus is slowly changing. I feel that many today

believe women and men have different biological strengths, but that they are both equal;

neither is “less” or “inferior”. I am happy to see this change. The second part of the quote I

picked is something I can empathize with. Often times, because you love someone deeply

and they are close to you, you don’t want to believe that they are causing your oppression.

The women at the time might not have believed it was the men’s fault per se, but the

system’s fault enforced by men’s social sin.

Divides and Criticism

The feminist movement was divided. Certain subgroups within the feminists had specific

goals that the rest of the world didn’t agree with. Since everyone had a different situation and

different form of oppression, they couldn’t support each other fully. For example, middle class

whites focused on breaking free from the chains of homemaking. Meanwhile, African women

in the U.S. were already used to working outside the home, so they focused on racism and

poverty instead. The developing countries at the time were highly critical of Western feminism

as well. They believed that there should be more focus on issues of motherhood, marriage,

and poverty instead of sexuality.

Issues and Approaches

Africa’s approach to feminism was to start “women’s groups” where women provided support to

each other in times of need, like during birth, marriage, and funerals. They helped each other with

community projects, which helped to empower each other. In Morocco, the Family Law Code which

defined women as minors was changed. Women eventually were recognized as equals and were

able to divorce and claim child custody. In the 20th century, women were able to portray the quest for

women’s rights as a mission to defend human rights. In 2006, the UN was able to ban all forms of

discrimination against women in 183 nations. Some today feel that feminism is too radical and has

damaged the family life. The issue is still being argued over.

Final Thoughts

When I thought about writing my blog, I wanted to write about environmentalism at first because

it’s just easier to digest. Most people believe in global warming and it’s such a prevalent issue that

most people I know would support the end of it. But feminism is also important. It was a bit difficult to

write this blog since it’s debated whether or not female oppression is still present in today’s world.

Because it doesn’t seem like a big deal now (since many women have the same legal rights as

men), I feel that some feminists are criticized heavily and are even bashed for their viewpoints.

Sometimes I see videos online with titles like “I took a gender studies course so you don’t have to”

and the video poster rants on about how useless the course was. I do think that learning the history

is important, even if someone doesn’t believe that female oppression exists today. It’s a way to pass

on knowledge and prevent past mistakes. There are a few radical forms of feminism I don’t agree

with, but not all forms are like that. I believe in the female struggle, which is why I decided to write

about this today.