Feminism has had a profound effect on western culture in the past century, and is now beginning to affect the eastern culture as well. Feminism is the belief in social, political and economic equality of the sexes and is organized activity on the behalf of women 's rights and interest (Merriam 418). Feminist theory is one of the major contemporary sociological theories (Crossman n. pag.).
History
The term Feminism was first coined in France in the 1880s, originally said Feminisme. Femme means women and the -ism is in reference to a social movement. (Freedman. 3) Feminist politics began where capitalism, industrial growth, democratic theory and socialist critique came together. Feminism and the politics it represents have been transformed by evolving responses of men and women from numerous cultures (Freedman 2). Feminism began in Europe and North America after 1800. The first U.S. women 's rights convention was held in 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York, where three hundred men and women …show more content…
Since 1970, feminism has been a global theory (Freedman 2).
Why We Still Need Feminism While a primary purpose of feminism is to empower women, it does not mean feminists view all women as weak and oppressed. Feminists are not aiming to make women stronger; they already know they 're strong. The goal is help society to see it too. There are some people who believe that feminism is a thing of the past. Some say that we don 't need it anymore since the patriarchal system no longer exists now that we can vote. Yet women still hold less than 20 percent of seats in Congress, even though they make up more than half the population. Some believe the patriarchal system doesn 't exist because we have equal employment opportunities. But if this were really the case would there still be a 23 percent pay gap (Crossman n.
History
The term Feminism was first coined in France in the 1880s, originally said Feminisme. Femme means women and the -ism is in reference to a social movement. (Freedman. 3) Feminist politics began where capitalism, industrial growth, democratic theory and socialist critique came together. Feminism and the politics it represents have been transformed by evolving responses of men and women from numerous cultures (Freedman 2). Feminism began in Europe and North America after 1800. The first U.S. women 's rights convention was held in 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York, where three hundred men and women …show more content…
Since 1970, feminism has been a global theory (Freedman 2).
Why We Still Need Feminism While a primary purpose of feminism is to empower women, it does not mean feminists view all women as weak and oppressed. Feminists are not aiming to make women stronger; they already know they 're strong. The goal is help society to see it too. There are some people who believe that feminism is a thing of the past. Some say that we don 't need it anymore since the patriarchal system no longer exists now that we can vote. Yet women still hold less than 20 percent of seats in Congress, even though they make up more than half the population. Some believe the patriarchal system doesn 't exist because we have equal employment opportunities. But if this were really the case would there still be a 23 percent pay gap (Crossman n.