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Women's importance in society
Strengths and weaknesses of feminist theory
Women's importance in society
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Recommended: Women's importance in society
Name: Rethabile Moloto
Student number: 215026187
Lecturer: Dr B. Magoqwane
In Sociology, the feminist theory is one of the major branches that is common for how its inventors create a different logical view, assumptions and topical focus away from the male viewpoint and experience. Many people have the false belief that Feminist Theory puts its focus on females and that it has an acquired goal of promoting women to be superior to men, whereas, in reality, Feminist theory has always been about viewing the social world in a way that illuminates the forces that create and support inequality, oppression, and injustice, and in doing so, promotes the pursuit of equality and justice (ThoughtCo., n.d.). Overcoming that, feminist theory puts its focus
It was originated in the West, established worldwide and is represented by different organisations that deal or stand on behalf of women’s rights and their interests. Feminist theory is however the theory that takes over and represents all the inequalities and gender related issues that females face in the society and organizations.
According to (Acker, Gender & Society, 2006), organizations have inequality rules or routines that are defined as loosely interconnected practices, processes, actions, and meanings that result in and maintain class, gender, and racial inequalities within particular organizations. Inequality in organizations is defined as systematic differences between members that are in power and control over goals, resources, and outcomes; workplace decisions such as how to organize work; opportunities for promotion and interesting work; security in employment and benefits; pay and other money related
If a man wants to be a manager, no qualifications but suits to be a cleaner, then it suits him. Strength and power should not determine what kind of jobs people should apply for.
Concluding everything, I personally think it is among the organizational policy to come up with rules that people will abide to. Rules that will be specific enough to address the issue of feminism in an organisation. These rules should clarify that any gender has any right to become anything they want if they have the requirements. Everyone has the right to be treated equally regardless of power, gender, age or strength. References
Acker. (1989).
Acker. (2006). Gender & Society.
Aruna Rao, R. S. (n.d.). Gender at work.
Cyba, E. (n.d.). Social equality and
“Feminism is both an intellectual commitment and a political movement that seeks justice for women and the end of sexism in all forms” (Baptiste). Just as in the past, feminism continues to act as a controversial issue among men and women. In the 1960’s, women finally addressed workplace inequity and created woman organizations to achieve equality. In the early 1960’s, the Equal Pay Act and the Civil Rights Act set a milestone for women’s progression towards work equality. Though women have made great leaps towards true equality, women still face many challenges and continue to be categorized as the subservient gender.
To begin with, feminism started off as a social movement in England, which sought to achieve equality between the sexes by extending the rights of women. Feminist theory is an outgrowth of the general movement to empower women worldwide which is the belief that women should have equal rights to men. It can be defined as a recognition and critique of male supremacy combined with efforts to change it. Feminism is both an intellectual commitment and a political movement that seeks justice for women and the end of sexism in all forms. The goals of feminism are to demonstrate the importance of women, to reveal that historically women have been subordinate to men and to bring about gender equity.
By linking sociological theory and political reform, feminists aim to end inequalities between men and women in both public and private environments. Feminist theory is where things such as gender, class, and race meet. Emphasis is placed on masculine versus feminine
Feminism can simply be defined as a range of movements and ideologies in which share a common ground in terms of defining, establishing and achieving equal opportunities to that of males, in regards to economic, cultural and social rights. It is a critique of male supremacy with efforts in changing this to end the social oppression of women. (Hooks, 2000)
Gender inequality has proven to be a large obstacle in many aspects of women’s lives. America has made large progress over several decades, providing mostly equal pay, mostly equal rights, and mostly equal opportunities. However, in a first world society like America, mostly equal does not mean enough. Women and men are inherently different creatures, but does that mean that inequality will always exist in one way or another? Are there some forms of inequality that are acceptable? According to the Encyclopedia of Governance, “answers depend on the degree to which one thinks women's and men's capacities differ, what should be equalized, and by what means” (ENCYCLOPEDIA). One thing is certain though; there is still progress to be made towards true gender equality.
In the majority of early cultures and societies, women have always been considered subservient and inferior to men. Since the first wave of feminism in the 19th century, women began to revolt against those prejudicial social boundaries by branching out of the submissive scope, achieving monumental advances in their roles in civilization. However, gender inequality is still prevalent in developed countries. Women frequently fall victim to gender-based assault and violence, suffer from superficial expectations, and face discriminatory barriers in achieving leadership roles in employment and equal pay. Undoubtedly, women have gained tremendous recognition in their leaps towards equal opportunity, but to condone these discrepancies, especially
Parcheta, N., Kaifi, B., & Khanfar, N. (2013). Gender Inequality in the Workforce: A Human Resource Management Quandary. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, 4(3), 240-248.
Feminist Theory is an aspect of considering feminism as having been based on socio-phenomenon issues rather than biological or scientific. It appreciates gender inequality, analyzes the societal roles played by feminists in a bid to promote the interests, issues and rights of women in the society. It is also based on the assumption that women play subsidiary roles in the society. The whole idea of feminism has however experienced hurdles in the form of stereotyping by the wider society. This paper tries to examine some of the effects of stereotypes that feminism goes through, what other philosophers say and the way forward towards ending stereotyping.
Feminism is a perspective that views gender as one of the most important bases of the structure and organization of the social world. Feminists argue that in most known societies this structure has granted women lower status and value, more limited access to valuable resources, and less autonomy and opportunity to make choices over their lives than it has granted men. (Sapiro 441)
Throughout history, women have remained subordinate to men. Subjected to the patriarchal system that favored male perspectives, women struggled against having considerably less freedom, rights, and having the burdens society placed on them that had so ingrained the culture. This is the standpoint the feminists took, and for almost 160 years they have been challenging the “unjust distribution of power in all human relations” starting with the struggle for equality between men and women, and linking that to “struggles for social, racial, political, environmental, and economic justice”(Besel 530 and 531). Feminism, as a complex movement with many different branches, has and will continue to be incredibly influential in changing lives. Feminist political ideology focuses on understanding and changing political philosophies for the betterment of women.
Gender stratification limits women’s achievement in their lives. In term of jobs, women continue to enter a narrow passage of occupations range. Compared to men, women often face greater handicap in seeking job because the higher income and prestigious jobs are more likely held by men. In the workplace institution, men are also prior to a faster promotion. There is a case where women were allowed to get promoted to a more advance posi...
Feminist theory is the extension of feminism into theoretical, fictional or philosophical dissertation. It helps to explain the main nature of gender inequality. It further explains the social roles of women in the society such as education, communication, philosophy, sociology and so on (Chodrow, Nancy 1991).
The United States, like all other societies, places women and men unequally at many different levels of social organization (Long). Gender inequality remains a major barrier to human development. Gender inequality refers to the unequal treatment or perceptions of individuals wholly or partly due to their gender. Gender is a primary marker of social and economic stratification. Gender inequality is a characteristic of most societies, with males on average having more and better opportunities in positions at social, economic and political hierarchies. Gender inequality exists in employment, politics, sports and even formal education. Gender socialization, gender stratification, social construction of gender,
At the enterprise level, gender roles are prevalently discussed in line with the benefits that organizations derive from embracing gender equality relating to improved
Michael Levin, a professor of philosophy and author of the book Feminism and Freedom, faults feminism for trying to impose an inappropriate equality on men and women that conflicts basic biological differences between the sexes (Levin, Taking Sides, 42). Women are not the same as men, neither physically nor psychologically. In the past, men tended to be the stronger more powerful gender, while women have traditionally been viewed as the weaker, more feeble one. The untrue assumption that men and women are the same in their ways of thinking and physical capabilities leads to the failure of the feminist message. Their agenda of eliminating all observable differences between men and women is doomed to fail and will inflict more pain than gain in the process. Recognizing the differences between the sexes and allowing each to do what they are strongest at will in the long run make society stronger, more efficient, and more effective.