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Jessica Cannon

Mr. Clark

Honors British Literature 12

9 March, 2018

Understanding of Feminism

I. Feminism: What is it?

Mary Wollstonecraft writes in A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, “I do not wish

them [women] to have power over men; but over themselves” (Wollstonecraft 34).

Wollstonecraft’s publication challenged the ideals of England’s society in the eighteenth century.

She argued that men and women are naturally equal partners and deserve the same opportunities

in work and education. Feminist activists in England and North America sought political and

societal change. (brittanica.com) Feminism is a widely disputed movement that began in the late

eighteenth century Enlightenment Era and has evolved into three separate concepts. The first

wave of feminism was sparked by women’s fight for suffrage in the United States during the

nineteenth century.

Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton organized the first gathering for women’s

rights in 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York. At the Seneca Falls Convention, Stanton wrote the

Declaration of Sentiments, Grievances, and Resolutions that requested thirteen goals for women,

including the right to vote. The declaration demanded that men and women have equal access to

employment and education. Their movement did not pick up momentum until the 1890s, when

more middle class women began to volunteer in support of the effort to vote. In 1890, Stanton

and Susan B. Anthony created the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA)

that focused on women gaining the right to vote. (history.house.gov) In 1917, President
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Woodrow Wilson urged Congress to pass a voting rights amendment. On August 26, 1920, the

19th amendment was ratified nationally, and it guaranteed women full voting rights. However,

women and feminist activists were still not satisfied with their role in society and the failure of

the Equal Rights Amendment, which prompted the second wave of feminism in the 1960s.

(scholastic.com)

During World War II, women had many opportunities to be employed in businesses and

factories where they were treated as equal to men. Women’s roles in industries supported the

manufacturing of goods, especially military equipment that supported the war. Following World

War II, women began to question why they were treated as secondary to men in the home and in

the workplace, when this had not been the case during the war. Women saw and proved their

capability in the workplace, which caused them to challenge the social inequalities they faced.

The second wave of feminism began to develop with Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique,

which was published in 1963. Friedan examined women’s roles in society in the twentieth

century and argued that the stigma surrounding women’s abilities, intellect, and talent did not

disappear after the first wave of feminism. (dailyhistory.org) She writes, “The feminists had

destroyed the old image of woman, but they could not erase the hostility, the prejudice, the

discrimination that still remained” (Friedan 163). The segregation she is discussing is that in

1961, only 19 members on Congress were women, and that for every dollar an American man

earned, an American female earned fifty nine cents. In the 1970s, the ideology of feminism

began to switch from economic equality and opportunity to the patriarchal structure of society

and abortion. Some feminists argued that the only way for women to not be oppressed was to

adjust the male dominated society and government. (ushistory.org) Women also wanted the right

to plan their families through the use of contraceptive pills and abortion. The debate about
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abortion, sexuality, and gender roles continues into modern feminism. Today, feminism is no

longer a bipartisan effort and has become an extremely controversial term. The third wave of

feminism focuses on fighting against oppression based on gender, race, and class. The main

issues are violence against women, sexual harassment, rape and gender roles. Most modern

feminist activists also fight for women’s reproductive rights. The feminism movement has

developed since the eighteenth century and continues to grow to support and empower women

around the world.

II. Where does the Church Stand?

Sacred Scripture states, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God

he created them; male and female he created them” (biblegateway.com). If God created men and

women as equals in his own image and likeness, then why do many Catholics ask themselves,

can I be Christian and a feminist? Some members of the church argue that Jesus and Christianity

have played a key role in changing the way the world views women. However, the words

Catholicism and feminism have been widely politicized and misconstrued, that together they

sound opposed. History shows that the church has been an essential supporter of the feminist

movement’s ideals of equality and societal roles, but the two crusades divide on the topics of

reproductive rights.

Pope John Paul II writes about the feminist movement in his World Day of Peace

Message, “The journey has been a difficult and complicated one and, at times, not without its

share of mistakes. But it has been substantially a positive one, even if it is still unfinished, due to

the many obstacles which, in various parts of the world, still prevent women from being

acknowledged, respected, and appreciated in their own special dignity”(wt.vatican.va). The

church has taken action to support women that are victims of sexual violence and publicly
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opposes cultures that view women as secondary to men. Violence against women is a worldwide

issue that devalues and objectifies women’s rights. UNICEF reports that one million children,

primarily girls, enter the sex trade every year. In addition, more than sixty million girls have

been killed due to sex-selective abortions. The church reports that a “new feminism” is necessary

that does not imitate models of a male dominated society and fights for women’s dignity to be

acknowledged in every society. Pope John Paul II calls for a campaign to end violence against

women and a universal recognition of the dignity of women. (usccb.org)

The church and the feminist movement disagree on the topic of reproductive rights,

sexual freedom, and abortion. Many feminists argue that women have a right to plan out when

they want to have children and do not have to conform to society’s role of being a mother. The

church believes that women deserve better than abortion because it is harmful to their

psychological and mental health (usccb.org). The church argues that laws should be in place to

protect women from sexual violence and rape, instead of using abortion as the solution. Members

of the church want to support expectant mothers and struggling women so that they are able to

have a child while receiving an education, pursuing a career, and remaining financially stable.

Instead of feminists fighting for abortion, they should fight for child care, employment

opportunities, economic equality, and harsher punishments for rape and sexual violence. The

church does not force women to become mothers and does not believe that this is their only

calling. St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross writes, “There is no profession which cannot be

practiced by a woman” (olmlaycarmelites.org). God gives men and women grace and charisms

to discern their vocation. Women’s dignity is different from men because we have the ability to

bear children and bring God’s creation to life, but this ability should be celebrated instead of

scorned. The church disagrees with feminists on the topic of abortion and reproductive rights
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because they believe women deserve better, not because they do not what women to have control

over their bodies.

III. The Feminist Ideal

The basis of feminism is the equality of men and women. In order to achieve freedom

and respect for women around the world and to end sexual violence, everyone needs to consider

themselves a feminist. The ideal feminist movement accommodates it’s ideals to God’s, combats

rape culture, and opposes oppression of women around the world. Feminists should coordinate

their beliefs with Church teachings because God created both men and women in his own image

and likeness. Women that speak out against sexual violence and rape need to be uplifted instead

of shamed. Women in developing nations need to be protected from the culture of rape many of

them live in through receiving an education and equal rights. Ideally, feminism is a movement

that both men and women support to recognize their equality, end the oppression of women

through education and equal rights, and empower women to be themselves and pursue their

passions without barriers and discrimination based on their gender.

IV. Hope in the Future

Women are being denied an education, basic rights, and protection from sexual assault

and violence. They are being sold into human trafficking and forced into prostitution. Nations

that do not have women as a part of their economy have a failing society and an undeveloped

country. In a world with ideal feminism oppression is turned into opportunity for women through

education, equal rights, and fair trade.

The main issue of the mistreatment of women is that they are being denied an education.

An education empowers young girls and being denied this limits their goals, their family’s

income, and their country’s economic prosperity. Not having an education increases their
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chances at being sold into human trafficking. In the world, more than sixty-two million girls are

not in school and in some countries fewer than ten percent of teenage girls complete secondary

schools. When women are raped, experience sexual assault, or domestic violence they are

ignored and punished. (peacecorps.gov) Women in developing countries need to have the

opportunity to receive and complete their education so they can contribute to society, prosper

economically, and be protected.

Once women can receive an education, they can fight for equal rights and pursue

economic prosperity through fair trade. The fight for equal rights for women in developing

nations cannot be done without educated women. Today, women in developing countries are

starting businesses to avoid being sold into human trafficking and prostitution. They are

designing hand made goods and jewelry made with eco-friendly and local resources. These

products are fair trade certified and are sold around the world in different stores. Fair trade

provides women and children with a safe place to work, make a living, and avoid prostitution.

The key to ending the oppression of women around the world is to provide safe access to

schools, a right to education, fair trade, and empowerment by other nations.