Edith Stein Feminist Theory

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Edith Stein was a member of a women’s community known as the Carmelites. She believed in the progression of women in many areas ranging from work to education. As she continued to hope for an improvement, she spent some time questioning her relationship with God and her religion. She struggled with prejudice and encounters in her professional world, resulting in her staying in a community where oppression of women was prevalent. This engagement paper will discuss Stein’s theological development and how her feminism helped to drive her life’s work to overcome prejudice. During the course of Stein’s life, her theology gradually developed. She was born a Jew and her family, especially her mother, was proud of their Jewish religion. As she entered …show more content…
She discussed her feministic view, which was Tom West’s Reform Feminism. She spent much of her time speaking to young girls and encouraged them to enter all professions. She insisted that there was no profession a woman couldn’t occupy (Hill, 202). Stein’s focus was on trying to make a difference within the community, but not create a stir or make people uncomfortable like the acts of MLK or Gandhi. Stein’s effort was to alter the system, but not make it known. However, I think Stein could fit multiple types of feminism because I can see her also fitting West’s Difference Feminism because she was an essentialist. Stein realized that men and women were different; however, she thought that we should all have equal rights and opportunities. For example, “She was convinced that women were unique by nature, and should therefore have educational systems designed to meet their particular needs. She was strong in her conviction that women should be given open opportunities to bring their special gifts to the world” (Hill, 202). In addition to her speeches to young women, she found it her duty to teach about the corrupt system of male domination. Stein continued in her efforts to keep speaking out because she was opposed to the lack of freedom women had in the workforce and professional life. Furthermore, Stein counseled women about prejudicial experiences that were occurring

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