25 April 2017

Sexist behavior and Feminism in America.

The United States of America is a country in which liberty is presumably granted to each

individual. The reality is that liberty, opportunities and rights have been a privilege fully

practiced only by certain groups, leaving in oblivion the minorities. Problems arising from

gender inequality are still prevalent in a great part of the country and the world. The idea that

men and women do not deserve the same respect as human beings still navigates on the tracks of

the social imaginary. Women, as a vulnerable group, have been forced throughout history to

fight for the recognition of the most elementary rights that protect society. Feminism, like any

other social movement, has changed over time depending on the needs of the historical context in

which it develops. The issues that were fought for at the beginning of the movement and those,

in which people have made an emphasis today, differ in many ways. This situation has forced a

large number of professionals and society to ask themselves if the ideals of the feminist

movement today are still held in favor of equal rights or if its frivolity has made it lose its power.

Letters Between John and Abigail Adams is a collection of the letters that the Adams

exchanged during the American Revolution War. In such correspondence, both of the authors

talk about their political views around the problems surrounding the country and Abigail Adams

makes a special emphasis on the recognition of womens rights. Although the concept of

feminism was unknown for them, her point of view could be considered as one of the first sights

of the feminist movement in favor of giving women more opportunities. Adams use oppression,

equality and freedom to examine the feminist notions through time.

The factor that leads to the rise of any social movement lies in oppression. Sexism even if

it is benevolent is used to subdue women. The feminist movement is born of the need to make

women visible and to make their voices heard in a historical context where they are seen as
inferior to men. Although the United States of America has taken big steps in order to eradicate

sexist behavior that oppresses woman, the problem still persists in many sectors of the

population. In more than one occasion the multicultural aspect of the country has been discussed

and there is a tendency to emphasize the positive aspects it offers to diversity. Nevertheless, the

negative aspects that contaminate the idea of the common welfare have been left in oblivion.

People cannot deny that within most of the ethnic groups in the country, the pattern of sexist

behavior persists and leads to gender violence. Sexism as part of culture and ideology is difficult

to eradicate. It may seem that the type of oppression practiced against women undoubtedly varies

depending on the geographic location in which it operates. Nevertheless, the violence derived

from such situation is universal. It has nothing to do with any nationality; the problem is related

to a patriarchal, economic and religious system. The problems that a Western woman presents

may look distant to those suffered by an Eastern woman and people can even attribute a value to

each one. Although they differ, they share oppression as a common root.

The concept of equality has been widely used to describe the ideals of the feminist

movement throughout history. The debate arises when people talk about the supposed

contemporary approach that promotes female superiority. According to Lozada (1), in the last

decade, the feminist movement has adopted a position that contradicts the ideals it used to

defend. This places the female figure as the axis and target of gender privileges. Leaving behind

the essence of the initial movement that promoted equal opportunities between men and women.

To defend the value of feminism as a social movement, it is necessary to understand the

interdisciplinary task of equality and equity. It has often been said that both concepts are

independent of each other and about the need to separate them when talking about feminist

ideals. Nevertheless, although they differ in their meaning, when society practices them, their

value emerges as unifying forces. From equality derives the guarantee of having the same
opportunities between men and women. That is to say, equality guaranties the fair and dignified

treatment that many sectors of the population lack. In the other hand, equity talks about giving to

people, regardless of any gender, age or race reason, the possibility of actively participating in

society. In this way, it is necessary to recognize both equality and equity, not only as ideals

pursued by the feminist movement, but as part of the basic rights of all human beings.

Every problem once debated by the members of the feminist movement, leads to talk

about freedom. For a better understanding it is necessary to emphasize the consequences of

sexism in Americas society. Far from what most people think, the sequels of sexist behavior do

not affect only women; men also suffer from their impact on society. Sexism limits the freedom

of decision of men and women. Remember the Ladies (Adams 12) asks the author. The

feminist movement, from its beginnings has fought for the freedom of decision and equality of

opportunities for women. A large number of opponents of feminism argue the supposed

reductionist point of view by taking only women into account. Nevertheless, feminism today is

facing gender inequalities affecting not exclusively women. Nowadays the feminist agenda also

considers the overthrow of barriers imposed by society that dictate patterns of behavior

categorized by gender. That is to say, dispose of the expectations that men and women must

fulfill in order to belong to society. This ideology, as part of an extensive process of assimilation,

is difficult to eradicate. The goal is to assure that both, men and women have the ability to make

their decisions freely. In this way, freedom of speech and decision is granted. According to

Parker (1), sexism has always affected people regardless of their gender. The main reason why

people should give feminism a place into society and its personal agenda is because now it

recognizes more than ever the need to demand freedom for men and women in the same way.

Finally, as a conclusion, sexism is a phenomenon that does not only affect women. The

feminist movement is aimed at getting men and women to have the same rights and
opportunities. As a social movement, feminism is more present than ever. The supposed frivolity

exposed by society is a reflection of the ideals imposed by culture. Reality, because of its

dynamism, is subject to change over time. That is to say; the needs of society have changed as

reality has changed. As a result, there is an open feminist movement, where the goal to achieve is

equality of opportunities, equity within society and the freedom of decision for men and women.

One of the reasons of the persistence of sexism is because people are not giving to it the

importance it deserves. Because when a woman decides to raise her voice and denounce

discriminatory attitudes toward her, she is beaten by society, stereotyped and finally quiet and

subdued. Although the constant pursue for eradicating sexist attitudes is rapidly advancing, much

more remains to be completed. Men and women in this case should not act as separate entities,

but as unified forces. The only way to change a reality with negative consequences for the entire

society is to change the paradigm from its most basic bonds. The key to success lies in two tasks.

The first one refers to the individual's cognitive structure. Each person must identify the sexist

attitudes that they practice and modify them in order to start treating all human beings with the

same respect. The smaller change can mean the beginning of an enormous one. The second task

is education. Family as a primary group has the obligation of educating children to learn to value

the human being regardless of whether it is a man or a woman. To understand that no one is

superior or inferior to anyone, that value does not depend on gender. Everyone who is part of the

society should get involved in the achievement of both tasks. A continued discussion between

the social sciences fields needs to be pursued in order to take bigger steps into developing better

strategies to eradicate sexist behavior and its consequences in society.

Works cited

Adams, Abigail, Adams, John. Letters Between John and Abigail Adams. Mercury Reader

edited by Janice Neuleib, Kathleen Shine Cain, Stephen Ruffus, 2014, pp. 10-15.
Lozada, Carlos. "When Feminism Is Cool, Is It Real?." Washington Post, the, June 2016.

EBSCOhost.

Parker, Suzi. "It's Time for Women to Take Back the Word 'Feminism. The Washington Post,

Feb 10, 2013, US Major Dailies.