Feminist Issues

Abstract

Alternative feminism courses and movements demonstrate the multifaceted and questionable background of the following complicated conception, based on the existence and cooperation between the feminist groups and inside each of them. As well as any other social movement, a feminist position can be the focus of female and male communities’ attentions. The analysis given below illustrates distinctions and criticism in interpretation of the feminist concept according to Kolb’s models criteria. My attempts to define all existing feminist categories are rife with uncertainty. The wide range of remarks relating to the majority of feminist positions described in the course work will undoubtedly cause confusions and difficulties in attempts of giving the distinct explanation of feminist issues. Feminism resists all types of definitions by its existence and purposes, demanding a more detailed and confusing study. 

Feminist Issues

Feminism as separate concept can be interpreted as a social political movement aimed to authorize women as freemen. In my understanding the feminist movement appeared in order to emphasize the gender discrimination and male chauvinism. One of the main feminist issues supposes to lead the women spirituality from the silent sphere. Betty Friedan in her famous book The Feminine Mystique (1963) has made a slashing criticism of the idea about women realization, regarding the housework and child-rearing. That book gave an initial impulse to the modern feminist movement and the result of those changes became the rapid growth of society developments in the USA and many others countries worldwide. The paper will discuss the aspects and issues of the feminist theory at a simple level and real world situations related to my personal attitude to the feminist questions combining with the wisdom of the ages. Based on the Kolb’s views learning areas my paper work includes my own knowledge and experience on the feminist topic complemented by new ideas, interpretations of exciting concepts and abstract results of a feminist movement.

Concrete Experience

Sexual Equality Theory

The position of men and women with respect to the sexual equality rightly belongs to one of the most discussed question during last half a century. Modern life presents the topic of sexual equality as an interminable controversy between male and female population in social and everyday life. The ideals of old times discriminated all young women against their interests and social conditions they were placed in. I think there was nothing unusual and disgraceful in those simple rules on the condition that women were working in them. The women were taught to become a pattern wife and honest persons in order to devote their whole life to being a service for men. The situation was not uncommon when woman could be acquitted of housekeeping only in case of being seriously ill. Thus, a piece of injustice can be seen here as being present at all times. It is rather unfair in such situation for the woman to be able to say no to their duties just in case of a major illness. It is not surprising that the feminism rising period predicts the situation when men were terribly blamed for the seven deadly sins. From all angles, a global sexual revolution existed on the back of exacerbation and hostile attitude. Feminism concept as an ideological and social movement was born on the British Isles a century before, because of ponderable reasons. Everyone thinks that sexual equality, freedom of religion, choice and profession were always available. Unfortunately, modern people owe their independence to the British women heading against traditions and laws that were made for a fall.

Modern women work of reframing of their life rights, without the means of such habitual moments as cooking, cleaning, laundering, shopping and driving a car in order to  free from men’s captivity. Modern life dictates new rules and conditions. According to the social changes, a regular woman starts learning men traits, sports and obligations. Thus, the results are not late in coming. It is difficult for men to take give love to and care of the strong independent women, the so-called a weaker sex. Women began to imitate the model of the men’s behavior at work, rest or abed. By the same token, men could not stand the competitive activity against women, being selfish, egoistic and infantile.

Nevertheless, all these social changes are not used for violation of men’s human dignity. To establish the sexual equality, it is important to take into consideration the fact of prohibition of both, men attacks and women oppression. Under this approach it becomes unavailable to reach success, hardly cornering the situation. Over the time everything changes, normalizing the women’s social position. There is no universal advice, helping to establish the equality in family relations between married couples. But it is reasonably safe to suggest that family is the only place for everyone to live in peace and cooperate with each other tightly. In this context, families demonstrated calm, balanced and friendly position on these social issues, without having to deal with the problem of the gender equality. Considerable aspect of family life is based on appreciating loyalty and love. It is a great miracle made, with two separate gender identities being created, entrusted with their special needs, roles and life views for each of them. I think that it is not possible for women to refuse their femininity, natural infirmity, and biding for sex equality. There is no need to go to the extremes.

Radical and Liberal feminist Positions

According to the author’s research work, radical feminism was always dedicated to the creation of the heroic woman figure and the process of making it a reality. Heroic deeds of modern women are reflected in art, literature, sexual relations and daily living. Making special reference to physical equality, the radical feminism position can be called an opposing view to gender roles set patterns and women discrimination, being based on woman’s perception as rather passive, helpless and weak creatures. Trying to disprove this opinion, the radical position is still cherishing a hope of heroic women unity, an affirming weight-woman, and a woman-commander or soldier.

Liberal feminism can be rightly named as cultural. It began its progressive development after a radical decay. Having noticed a great difference in standpoints of both of these positions it is important to emphasize that radical feminism was a special movement with a big aim of the society’s transformation. As far as I know, the cultural position seems to be rather avant-garde instead of aiming to develop a women’s separate culture. Significantly, some of their previous cultural attempts were successful. I can express my positive opinion concerning the creation of women crisis centers and other social institutions. From time to time, cultural feminists still make inconsiderable announcements, expressing nobody’s point of view . It should not go without mentioning that the strong position like “women are biologically more gentle and kinder than men” sounds rather Victorian.

Reflective Observation of Feminist Theory

Feminism can come in different forms and it is interesting to know that the modern feminist theory is accepted by both, men and women. The stronger sex has felt into protection of a weaker part of the society – women. The directed movement for gender equality is rather new. Its rich history began a couple of hundred years ago. However, this short time was enough to make this practice commonplace, and collect a lot of interesting and addictive facts. The existence of numeral feminist varieties leads to misunderstanding and communicational failure between the representatives of feminist groups and delegations. 

The most intriguing fact about feminist issues belongs to the age of an early feminist period, when defiance actions were actively taking place. In the end of the XIX century, feminists were actively involved in forcible struggle events. Those movements were called suffragism, being widely spread in the USA and Great Britain territory. Women had no voting rights and were excluded from the voting lists there. Most of the episodes of civil disobedience were equal to the modern feminist concept by their creativity and publicity. Women rightists were hitting the wall with their radical approach. They were laying the rails, raised to a new level by holding mass-meetings, chaining to the wall.

In spite of the feminist concept’s popularity, it is difficult to find it in its pure state. Dozens of movements, different in their points of view, gender positions and methods are included into the general feminist concept. In this context, the followers of each movement have a wide choice of becoming the supporter of several ideological directions at once, and combining them. There is a social and mental, existential and postmodern, liberal and anarchic as well as men feminism. Male population can be also included in feminist movements at times. Thus, men can sometimes be called feminists. In the broad sense of the word, feminism represents a person, a man or a woman fighting for his/her sexual equality, against sexism, family violence, traditional patriarchal, and matriarchal structures. Particularly, there are many men-feminists in Scandinavian countries. What is the most astonishing, men support is readily accepted by women social movements. Nevertheless, some of the popular feminist organizations are not ready to be actively involved in face-to-face cooperation between men and women.

Abstract Conceptualization

Modification of an Existing Feminist Concept

The author of the work does not I do not have a strong opinion concerning the feminist central issues, proceeding from the position that it is of a rather generalized character. Speaking of the feminist theory it is often overcomplicated to be committed to a certain function. It is better to clarify the actual view by disproving the myths I have heard and my clear position concerning each of them.

Feminists always fight against the male population. Sure enough, the struggle is not against men, but for women. It is difficult for the modern female population to understand and appreciate all the outcomes that feminists achieved in the distant past. Nothing matters more to them than women’s right to get a qualified education together with men (the end of XIX century), equitable voting rights and obligations (beginning of XX century). A modern female could not care less than they have not had a right to satisfy their educational function before and only men could participate in election processes.

Feminism is a rather harmful concept for the modern society. It is hard to believe that feminists will come and hurt everyone subjectively, especially when nobody meets them or participates in other social movements. Nevertheless, it can be a very useful cooperation and there are many positive examples of the feminist’s healthy influence. I cannot remember a better example than the Sweden movements. A country with a traditionally strong feminist spirit could obtain varieties of social benefits for women, their rights and duties. The women rights are strongly observed and it was established by United Nations organization commission that Sweden women has the best living conditions in the world.