Society's View on Feminism
An issue that has been made apparent when researching feminism is how people in society see and perceive feminism/feminists. Urban dictionary and personal examples have shown that society doesn't understand/has a different view on what feminisms is and what feminist beleive/core principles.
This article interview asks a range of different psychologist and professors to explore why this is and what is feminism biggest issues in society now. What are the issues that still are current, what can be done and what needs to change.
http://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2006/09/feminism.aspx
'"We've had trouble communicating feminism's continuing relevance to young people and people of color," says de las Fuentes, an associate professor at San Antonio-based Our Lady of the Lake University.'
'What are the biggest challenges in feminism today?
de las Fuentes: A lot of young people think that women's rights has already been accomplished. We've got Title IX; we've got laws against gender discrimination. But they don't realize there are still so many forces against women's rights, like reproductive rights and pay equity. We still have 73 cents on the dollar a man earns.
Espin: People make all sorts of excuses for the earning gap. Maybe women don't work. They stay home from work and take care of the kids. Yet studies show that even when the woman earns more, families more often move to where men get jobs. The most important thing for many women is still to have a man, and pleasing him comes first. When the woman works outside the home, she still does more housework, and when men do it, it's usually things that can be postponed.
Why is feminism considered "the F word" by many of today's young women and men?
Dottolo: A movement of powerful women is seen as threatening. Reflecting that, the media creates negative stereotypes of these powerful women: Who would want to be a bra burner? A related reason is a lot of people just don't like labeling. They say, "Don't put me in a box," and have a defensive reaction to the idea of calling themselves a feminist. Others think the women's movement is a political relic, and that kind of thinking becomes a useful tool for the patriarchy. And it's harder to accept that there's structural inequality. It's upsetting and disturbing in the same way that people deny personal problems.
Does feminism need redefinition?
Richmond: Yes. Perception of feminism needs to change. One misperception is that third-wave feminists ('80s through today) are not doing enough or that they do not appreciate what has already been accomplished within the movement. I don't agree with this. I think politically we're in a time of backlash that's dangerous for minorities in general, and for women. But that doesn't mean that young feminists aren't trying to figure out new ways to address these challenges.
We should value the groundwork the second-wave ('60s and '70s) feminists laid for us and also become innovative and flexible...to move in a direction that's helpful for all women, regardless of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation and so forth. Historically, feminism has been perceived as a white, heterosexual, middle-class movement. Many of us want to see it broadened. The Div. 35 task force is an exciting step in the right direction.
Kahn: No, not redefinition. Rather, it needs to be reclaimed through education about what feminism really is. I teach an undergrad class in the psychology of women and gender. On the first day of class, almost nobody says they are a feminist. By the end of the course, they all say they are. If you have a group of right-wing commentators who claim feminists are braless lesbians who want to destroy the family, and who repeat that message for 40 years, lots of people will think that. It behooves women to stand up and say, "No." The most powerful T-shirt from the 2004 March for Women's Lives, worn by a very diverse crowd, was "This is What a Feminist Looks Like."
How does feminism apply in psychology today?
Wright: Even though the majority of degrees in psychology are granted to women, we are still under-represented in upper positions, as journal editors, full professors, department chairs. Also, qualitative research has been encouraged by feminists, and it still has not gained the respect that quantitative research gets. So we need to move toward seeing benefits of both. The personal is the political. It's imperative that those of us who identify as feminists spread the word about how feminism is relevant for us, that we show people every day, "I am a feminist. This is what I look like, and do I fit your stereotype?"
Kawahara: Professionally, it matters beyond just how it affects psychologists. Each person needs to think about how they, in their own way, would seek social justice for things like prejudice and inequality in the workplace and careers for women. It's changing things so the obstacles aren't there for our clients-making a difference in the daily lives of all people.
Analyzation
After studying this article the issue made apparent is that it's how people look at feminism, what people are taught feminism is now or how they feel it's irrelevant to nowadays society. People feel that as women now have the vote, the need for feminism isn't necessary in our modern day world where as worldwide and there are still many issues relating to equality that need to be worked on. Education needs to be done so that most people understand feminism more, it needs to be taught better.
Also feminist is a label that not many people want to brand themselves with due to the negative connotation, the movement need to be boarded to all those it effects. The media portrays feminists as 'braless lesbians' and this is therefore what many people associate with the ideology with. Three a very strong stereotype that needs to be changed. THE VIEW ON WHAT A FEMINIST AND WHAT FEMINISM IS NEED TO CHANGED.
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