According to the statistical service of the European Union, depending on the country, the difference in pay for male and female labor ranges from 0.5% to 53%. In addition, domestic violence, forced marriage, sexual harassment, and forced customs remain a big problem. It is with them continue to fight modern feminists. The article will discuss the definition of feminism, the evolution of the concept and the explanation of what is equality in everyday life.
What is feminism
Feminism is not a collection of laws, but the freedom to be the woman you want, despite the generally accepted social framework. For everyone, the concept takes on its own meaning, so it’s very difficult to talk about it "as a whole".
The term is derived from the Latin word. femina (woman) and all manifestations of feminism are associated with women. It presupposes a common ideology of fighting gender inequality, but in reality there are many subgroups within the movement: liberal, radical, legal, heroic, Russian, role-playing, popular, multicultural, and others.
For those who consider feminism something obsolete, creepy or overly aggressive, There are additional explanations:
- It seems that today all rights have already been won, and we live in the world of victorious equality. In fact, there are many problems associated with gender discrimination. For example, a woman may be told that she is too smart for a blonde or denied a management position. And in some countries, the quality of life also depends on sex today. Girls are crippled, forced to marry, raped or sold in brothels.
- You should not reduce the idea of equality to the primitive "Voted, now drag your suitcase itself"Yes, men and women are biologically different. But they deserve the same economic, political or legal rights.
- You should not confuse feminism, matriarchy and misanthropy. Feminism is a female emotionality and spirituality that cannot be equated with sexual promiscuity, the devaluation of marriage.
- You should not say that the feminist is an unattractive, masculine old maid in heavy shoes. Among them are brutal bisexuals in a strict suit and airy, like a flower, blondes with painted lips. They master "non-female" professions or raise children with pleasure. They are different, neither is like the other.
- Sayings that feminists dream of exterminating all males or subjecting them to their will also do not correspond to the truth. Feminists respect men who respect their rights.
Quotes of famous women will help to understand the main idea of the movement:
"A feminist is any woman who tells the truth about her life."- British writer Virginia Woolf.
"Feminism is not dictate. He does not order, he is not a dogma. He only defends the right of free choice."- actress Emma Watson.
"I know that they call me a feminist every time I don’t allow me to wipe my feet"- writer and journalist Rebecca West.
Feminization history
Today it has become fashionable to be ironic about the struggle for equality, to criticize and feel sorry for old-fashioned ladies who demanded voting rights, the opportunity to learn, to get a decent job. They are called neurasthenics, which are trivially envious of men or old maidens, deprived of attention. The word "feminism" is usually supplemented with epithets frantic, malicious, perverted, and the concept is put in one line with extremism. But it is hard for us to imagine the prejudices that have existed for centuries.
With the exact date of the concept, scientists have not yet decided, but found the origins of feminist ideas in the events of the XV century. The most famous historical hero of the time was Jeanne d'Arc, who persuaded to entrust her command of the troops. In 1403, a French poetess of Italian origin, Christina Pizanskaya, published an essay "The Book of the Grade of Women", where she first wrote about her undeservedly cruel attitude of husbands to wives. But it was the exception rather than the rule.
Feminism waves
At the end of the 18th century after the War of Independence, women in the United States for the first time voiced demands for equality. In the same period, France began publishing a magazine on the struggle for gender equality, and the first women's clubs appeared in the country, advocating for the same gender rights in the political struggle. Among the first fighters for equality were also men. In 1763, the French author Poulain de la Bar published an essay "On the Equality of Both Sexes". According to one of the versions, it was men’s thinkers of liberal or left-wing principles who stood at the origins of feminism. And they called themselves "women's lawyers" or "women's advocates."
The feminist movement began to unfold actively with the development of industrial society of the second third of the XIX century. People migrated en masse from villages to cities, and it was difficult to live with a large family for the salary of a husband. They focused mainly on basic labor and social rights, but the topic of violence and divorce was raised. At the same time, another social movement for women's voting rights emerged - suffragism. The initial round was called traditional feminism.
Played their role First and Second World War. Men went to the front en masse, women took their place. But in the 1950s and 1960s, it turned out that the privileges won earlier were not enough for a decent life. The right to work, education, ownership of property turned out to be theoretical. Began to see the prerequisites for the next round.
Ancestor second wave 60-80-ies of the XX century was the art historian and philosopher Simone de Beauvoir. The movement became widespread, and its main demand was women's rights to run for political office. Questions were raised about affordable contraception and violence. In 1979, the UN adopted the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Female Discrimination.
Neo-feminism third wave started in the 1990s and lasts to the present day. An important part of the ideology is an alliance with the LGBT movement and language correction at the vocabulary level. In the USA, for example, applicants send resumes without a photo and gender. That the employer made the decision only on the basis of competence.
Third wave feminism does not explore the question of who the modern woman is. He finds out who she might be. The main features of the modern period are inconsistency and diversity, seasoned with a share of humor and self-irony.
Relationship with a feminist: what is the benefit?
The movement for equality has been raging in Europe for more than a hundred years, and Russian women still live according to the rule "beats, it means loves" or "inferior, yes my." But sensible feminism can be useful not only for women, but also for men. Benefits of a couple that lives on equal terms:
- A man does not have to single-handedly extract a mammoth. In a couple, you do not abuse dependency, together you manage a budget, distribute household chores, help each other develop, be realized.
- You are not affected by gender stereotypes. You choose who to take parental leave.
- Your life becomes easier. There are no "you are a man, must pull" or "oh, I must give birth."
- You do not blame each other for the sexual past, but do not tolerate betrayal.
- You are not trying to fix each other. A man is not obliged to pay for all women's whims, and a woman is not obliged to cook a three-course dinner after work.
- You raise children together. You show children a model of marriage based on equality, together you answer questions about sex.
- You do not expect the initiative only from men. A woman can seduce, offer to get married, have sex or get a divorce.
- Social realization is equally important for you. You do not give in to public opinion, but together find the optimal balance between the family and the implementation.
- You understand each other’s problems. The man does not hear from the woman "all men need only one"and the woman does not hear the phrase"it looks like someone has PMS".
- You do not tolerate domestic violence. Never.
Findings:
- Feminism - the desire of women throughout the history to get rid of the care of men and force them to reckon with their personal qualities.
- Feminism does not deny marriage, but recognizes the right to choose - to marry officially, live in a civil marriage or build free relations.
- Three waves of feminism: the first is related to inequality at the legislative level, the second is an attempt to change the structure of society, the third is about the limited perceptions of women about themselves and others.
- Equality in marriage is equally beneficial for a man and a woman: you can raise children and pursue a career together.
