The Modern Age of Feminism

By: Anna R.

Since the young age of eight, I loved making videos. Now that I‟m fifteen, I‟ve graduated

from the two minutes of a shaky recording to making professional twenty minute documentaries,

next year I‟m going to college to major in film, but there‟s a problem; even though I may be

talented and love making films, I have been told that, because I am a woman, I wouldn‟t last in

the film industry. I‟ve been told it‟s a „man‟s world.‟ This is only one example of the way that

people say women aren‟t equal to men and the feminist movement hopes to change that.

Feminism is defined as the advocacy of women's rights. This includes but is not limited to equal

pay, equal opportunity, and the empowerment of women. The universal truth of feminism is that

women can do anything men can do when given the opportunity to do so. Feminists promoted

this in hopes of changing the gap of inequality between men and women. The feminist

movement is made up of many different types of feminist, such as Marxist feminist, socialist

feminist, materialist feminist, black feminist, anarcho-feminist, and so on. However, in today‟s

world it seems that there is only one viewpoint of what feminism is: radical feminism. The

women who are a part of this group want women to be superior to men, which strays from the

original cause of feminism.

As stated in the beginning, feminism focuses its fight on equal pay, equal opportunity and

the empowerment of all women. The wage gap is something that the feminist movement has

been fighting against for generations. Some say that wage gap is a myth, but in the United States

there is an average of a twenty percent wage gap, but even then there are different percentages in

each state. From the 1970s to around 2007, the gap has been lessening, but from 2007 to present

day the earnings ratio has barely changed. The estimated year when women will get equal pay is

2059.

The next thing Feminism fights for is equal opportunity. According to The Psychology of

Appearance, after the first four minutes of an interview a decision is made whether or not the

interviewee had gotten the job. This is a huge hurdle for women in the corporate climb. A study

was done using different types of perfume on women being interviewed. The results showed that

there was a definite bias between the two scents, one was more masculine while the other was

more feminine. The women who wore the masculine perfume were selected over those wearing

the feminine perfume. It‟s astounding how something so simple as the femininity of perfume

could lead to a decision as big as hiring.

The third big thing Feminists advocate for is the empowerment of all women. Feminism

gives women the ability to feel empowered. In my own experience, As a feminists I realized that

I was not limited by my gender, I could do anything I put my mind to. “Feminist ideology should

not encourage (as sexism has done) women to believe they are powerless. It should clarify for

women the powers they exercise daily and show them ways these powers can be used to resist

sexist domination and exploitation.” This quote clarifies how feminism works to resist the

sexism in daily life. Without sexism, the world would be a more accepting and kind place. Not

only that, maybe women would finally be able to break that glass ceiling, or walk around town

wearing a sleeveless dress without being catcalled, or maybe teach young girls that the most

important thing is to love themselves.

Now that we‟re in the twenty-first century, we‟ve reached new heights in scientific

discoveries, technology has advanced way past what most had even dreamed of, so why is it so

hard to give women the same rights as men? To say the least, I am sorely disappointed that the

world is such a biased place, and that‟s why we need feminism. Feminism fights for the basic

human rights every woman deserves, and to try and to destroy the reputation of a movement such

an amazing movement based solely on the actions of extremists is not only outrageous but also

unfair. Radical feminism is just one sect of the movement that doesn't necessarily share the same

goals as feminism. Radical feminists want to treat men like second class citizens, when the

whole idea of feminism is that women want to be equal to men, not superior. If we work together

we might be able to achieve the equality that feminists have been working so tirelessly to

achieve. To conclude, Feminism isn‟t a movement of hatred, it‟s one of equality.

Works Cited Deveaux, Monique. “Feminism and Empowerment: A Critical Reading of Foucault.” All Use Subject to JSTOR

Terms and Conditions Feminism and Empowerment: a Critical Reading of Foucault, 4 Dec. 2014. Fahey, Gerry. “Opinion: The Psychology of Appearance – Is There a Gender Bias at Play in Job Interviews?”

TheJournal.ie, 22 Nov. 2014, “Feminism,” English Oxford living Dictionary, Oxford University press. 2016, Holmstrom, Nancy. "Feminisms Of The Left." New Politics 16.1 (2016): 66. Masterfile Premier. 18 Nov. 2016. Miller, Kevin. “The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap (Fall 2016).” AAUW: Empowering Women Since 1881,

American Association of University Women, 2015,