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Jessica Rojas
Mrs. Boyd
English 111
December 1, 2014

Why we need feminism

Over one million women each year are raped, and society still questions what the
victim was wearing (1). Many people have heard the term feminism, but not many
understand what the word actually means. The need for feminism is not just in the U.S
but also the rest of the world; People, not just women, need feminism.

Feminism is described in the dictionary as the advocacy of women's rights on the

grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. The feminist movement
started in a wave during the 1960s to give women more say and equal rights. The
feminist movement of the 1960s and '70s originally focused on dismantling workplace
inequality, such as denial of access to better jobs and salary inequity, [and] antidiscrimination laws (4). We have gained so much from the feminist movement
including right for women to vote, equal opportunity at jobs, and much more.

Many people think of the term feminazi when they hear the term feminist. This
type of association is hurtful because they automatically assume all feminists are radical
and crazy and pro-women when in reality they just want equality. Reasons why people

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appose feminism are because they do not understand what it truly means. They believe it
means that women should have all the power and rule over all men. Betty Friedan was
determined to make the movement a respectable part of mainstream society and distanced
herself from what she termed the "bra-burning, anti-man, politics-of-orgasm" school of
feminism(4). They believe it means that women think that they are the victims in the
situations and that men are not allowed to voice their opinion.

A good way to see how much feminism is needed is seeing how other countries
treat women. If you take into a country like Afghanistan into consideration you will see
how they treat their women lives as objects, a thing that can be and is owned by man,
primarily a father or husband. They are bartered away and exchanged for goods and
money as some sort of transaction to people they have never met. Every year 15 million
girls are married as children, denied their rights to health, education and opportunity (2).
Feminism has helped those countries give women the refuge they need. There are women
shelters built to protect women who have been abused or whose life has been threatened.

Feminism has also help being to light gender discrimination and gender
stereotypes. Growing up boys are taught to go outside and play in the dirt, run, and play
with toy soldiers while girls are given baby dolls to take care of and easy bake ovens.
Because of gender stereotypes taught at a young age like blue being a boy color and that
being emotional is a girly trait it hurts society as a whole. Men who become nurses are
ridiculed for having a womans job while females are called names and slurs when they

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gain a position of leadership or power. Boys are taught that they have to be men and
cannot show emotion while females are taught that one day there prince charming will
come save them and they will live happily ever after. But that is simply not the case,
women can be soldiers while men stay at home and cook and clean and there is nothing
wrong with that. Feminism is giving people the choice of what they want to do whether a
women wants to take care and tend to her husband, there is nothing wrong with that, but
feminism gives her the option and opportunity to do other things should she want to.

Regardless of what people perceive feminism to be, it is needed in our society for
the security in equal rights of all members of society and not just women. I think a better
way to educate students is to change the way they see things. Men and women wrote and
made history but that is hardly ever shown. I think showing that females had a greater
part in history than previously taught will enable girls to feel more powerful and give
them the assurance that they too can make a difference.

Sources
1.

"Sexual Assault Statistics." One In Four USA. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.

2.

"About Child Marriage - Girls Not Brides." Girls Not Brides About Child Marriage
Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.

3. Cavanagh, Casey. "Why We Still Need Feminism." The Huffington Post.

TheHuffingtonPost.com, 18 Sept. 2014. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
4.

"The 1960s-70s American Feminist Movement: Breaking Down Barriers for

Women." Tavaana. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2014.