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The Relevance of Feminism Today
The term Feminism, represents different meanings to different individuals. A historian would mostly see it as 19th century movement in the United States and Europe with women petitioning for equality of basic political rights. A scholar might look at a more comprehensive view which classifies the feminist movement into waves; the 1st wave being the demand for suffrage, the second wave where feminists broadened the scope of their demands from merely the political level, but to the workplace, at home and in society, the third wave which almost coincided with the second wave but including women of the 21st century seeking the same elusive goals. To a layman, feminism might just mean women pushing to end, discrimination at all spheres of life. Since there is no consensus as such, in this analysis of the relevance of feminism, there won't be much focus on its history, as much as on the underlying principle of gender equality measured not just in objective parameters of political, social and economic rights but in subjective terms such as the way women are treated and perceived in society today. So what makes a philosophy that had its origins over two centuries ago still relevant? One of them would be the objectification of women, a concept rapidly gaining vogue. As Jackie Ashley, of The Guardian, UK correctly puts it, today’s female youth are constantly encouraged to pride themselves on sexual precociousness rather than be respected for their intelligence and abilities. Although, the focus today isn't on domestic competence, it has shifted to one's sex appeal instead. So in a generation where heels are said to boost your confidence, and fairness creams being difference between you and your dream job (all fallouts of excessive consumerism) feminism is a key catalyst in diffusing pressure to conform. Feminism provides the meaningful, although vanilla alternatives to a young girl; that of a fulfilling career, a happy home and a holistic life. Addressing another grave and ubiquitous issue; domestic violence and sexual assault of women is still rampant. Women are still being physically and mentally abused in several households and it isn't only limited to impoverished families, but extends across all economic strata. A WHO statistic (a study carried across10 countries) states that as much as 71% of women reported physical or sexual violence by their partner. The same source asserts that 5000 women are murdered worldwide every year in the name of family honor. If there's any way that these statistics have to decline, it requires the efforts of dedicated women’s groups and self-convinced feminists. The method to educate the community on the causes and consequences of gender inequality is provided by feminism. It has been studied that for the same job, and the same number of working hours, a woman earns 21% less than a man does (A study conducted by the United States General Accounting Office). Apart from such blatant differences, there is also the matter of stereotyping of jobs. Women are supposedly more inclined toward the arts, and this myth has been perpetrated through generations; as a result of which the chances that a woman will enter a technical field and pursue a career in the same are really bleak. Women are conditioned to believe that men are intrinsically better at some jobs, and feminism truly aims to do away with such baseless stigmas. Feminism also encourages women to not adopt the roles they do, just because they have been traditionally allotted them. So, on the surface of the scheme of things, feminism does seem to have got its concepts right. However, if you take a closer, unbiased perspective, it might reveal that some of its objectives are rather inconsistent. Modern feminists seek to achieve 'equality amongst the sexes'. This is impossible when you're trying to eliminate disparities that are gender intrinsic; the same differences that men and women rely on each other to be different. These differences are a necessity to the point of the existence of human life. Using a mathematical analogy, men and women often don't share the same coordinate axes so an equality sign simply doesn't make sense. As Deborah Orr of The Guardian, UK says, feminists don't admit to recognizing the differences and the flaws in their campaign for the fear that it might encourage discrimination. Establishing outright equality between two people who were meant to be different is absurd, so present feminism has become synonymous with an anti-male propaganda. Women receive exclusive treatment in the form of lower physical requirements in professions such as military which means men are expected to work harder, for no more pay. Another pet-peeve of the anti-feminists is the educational criteria which have been drastically relaxed for female engineering students in many states of India. A lot of seats are being studied with students of lesser capabilities while the more meritorious students fall out in the attempt of conferring equal opportunities to female students. This is why most feminists are perceived to be insecure of their capabilities, and are handicapping women by handing over monetary compensation for their lack of abilities. So in spite of some obvious double standards that still exist in the world at large today with respect to the treatment of women, Feminism is not flawless. Though it started out as a righteous cause, feminists have sought both disproportionate penalty and reward too often. This, however, does not in any way undermine its relevance to our world today, and to any world where a girl doesn't even have the same chance as a boy to leave the womb alive.
Editor's note: Most articles submitted to Chillibreeze go through a selection process. Only 30 percent of submitted articles are accepted for publication on the Chillibreeze.com featured article list. All accepted articles are edited and proofread for glaring errors of punctuation and grammar. Sentence structure is changed in certain cases and sometimes, entire sections are rewritten. If you notice any errors that have slipped through the cracks, do let us know! (Email us at info at chillibreeze dot com). Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in July, 2011. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.
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