Is feminism still needed here (US)?

Question

Women have shown an ability in every aspect of our (US) society to be wildly successful. What more do feminist need to do in this country? Is it still needed here?

Answer 1

DB said it all! I totally agree with her. I'm only at a level 1 so I cannot rate but if I could I would definitely give you a thumbs up! I am a social work student and recently discovered that male social workers earn, on average, $8,000 more annually than women with the same degree. And how about the blatant sexism on television? All those sitcoms with skinny, pretty wives whose husbands are fat and unattractive and treat the wives like c**p? And a show such as Two and a Half Men is one of the highest rated shows? These are examples of where we are as a nation in regards to women and their roles in society. So YES, feminism is absolutely still needed here. That's like asking, "African-Americans have come so far. Do we STILL need to advocate against racism and teach cultural diversity?" Come on!!  Jazz, you are wrong. As DB mentioned, the Equal Rights Amendment was never passed, therefore, women do not have equal rights. With this being true, I am surprised at the amont of people, especially women, that feel feminism is no longer needed. It is not about a women "getting off her period" or being a "man-hater". It is about being seen as and treated as equal to men. And we are NOT treated as equals. If we were, we would not be making 76 cents for every dollar earned by a man, we would be making a dollar!!! Maybe some women are too complacent to take a stand, but please do not apply your ignorance to other women and me that choose to stand up to sexism calling us "man-haters" or "on our period".  I happen to LOVE men but I also cannot stand sexism. Just because a women stands up for women's rights, this does not make her a man-hater. So to the woman that implied that, I suggest you open your eyes and obtain some education so you are not so ignorant!

Answer 2

Nope.  Feminism is irrelevant and unneeded in modern society where women already have more than enough rights.

Answer 3

Well, women are still paid less than men even if it is for the same job.  One of the few jobs where women make more is modelling, and she must use her body and conform to unrealistic and unhealthy standards to do it.

It took until the '80s or '90s for women who were raped to be taken seriously.  It's only been since then that it was illegal to bring up her sexual history or how she was dressed in court.  Even now, though, public opinion sometimes still blames the woman if she was not dressed in a potato sack and has had s*x.

Women still do not get hired for jobs because we might have the audacity to get pregnant.  No, it is not legal, but it happens.  A woman was fired from her job as a nurse in the last few years for leaving the hospital to sit in her car with her husband and baby so she could breastfeed.  She only left while on break, and it was the baby's late night feeding, and she was still in the parking lot!  She didn't go home.  Her husband brought the baby to her.  The hospital's excuse was she was not reachable in case of an emergency.  The woman pointed out that smokers that left the hospital to smoke (and I don't believe on break) were unreachable as well.  She fought the firing.  I don't remember what happened.

We are still fighting for control of our own bodies.

Medicines and safety procedures (airbags for one) are often not tested on how they affect women, only men.

Many insurance companies won't cover birth control, but will cover Viagra.  Regrading a simliar question, one male on here decided to explain to me that Viagra is medically necessary while birth control is not.  I'd like to point out that Viagra is not essential.  Not being able to get it up (unless caused by illness, then okay) is not a medical issue.  It is you getting old, and the body's way of telling you are done with kids.  Otherwise, we need to cure menopause as well.  And the Pill is sometimes used for things other than preventing pregnancy, therefore needed.

A lot of this is simply from the way women are thought of or not thought of as the case may be.  Until women are seen as people and not extensions of a man or our children, we are not there yet.  This includes the way we see ourselves and teach our sons and daughters to see women.  It's only been in the last couple of decades that "obey" has finally been taken out of the wedding vows.  Just to refresh, it was only in the woman's vows.

I could go on.  There are small things people don't even think about, but do reflect an attitude about women and our place in society.  Yes, we have achieved a lot, but there are things left to be done.

Oh, and there is no legislative equal rights for women.  Things have been passed here and there, but the Equal Rights Amendment has never passed.

And the simple fact that I am going to get thumbs down and will be called a radical or a manhater or any other new and interesting way to attempt to negate my opinion simply because I am asking for nothing less than what men have is only going to prove my point.

EDIT-  Thank you, iluvian.  Thumbs up for you.

And Vanessa, thank you.  I forgot the big insult used to negate a woman's opinion.  I must have my period because I expressed an opinion that is not full of sugar and candy.  As a woman you should be ashamed to take such an easy road to counter someone who believes differently than you and actually expresses it.  Get a real argument and come back to me with it.  I don't hate men.  They frustrate me often, but they are so d**n cute and so much fun.  But I am also not blind to what goes on still.  The fact that this conversation even needs to be had is indication enough that while we are getting there, the journey is not yet over.

Answer 4

Women have everything they need, we really need to stop biittching about it. Men don't have some stuff equal as well. So get off you're period and do something else other than hating on men

Answer 5

Just looking at the questions on this forum indicates that women  still need feminism.

Answer 6

No. Feminists do not need any thing else. Hilary Clinton Has shown women that they can do any thing now. If a Woman can be Senator, and Run for President, then they really do not need to proove any thing else.

Also, ever since the 80's, women have been succesfull when it comes to money and work.

Answer 7

No. Actually we a movement that teaches women how to be feminine. As someone with a little life under his belt. Most of the women I run into on a daily basis act like a man trapped in a woman's body.

Answer 8

You've already answered your question but I disagree with your opinion as you've provided no facts-so I'll counter with my opinion as well. btw: This question is asked by an anti-feminist or non-feminist every other day..

In the US Feminism exists as we have right-wing nutcases running the country trying to dismantle our right to birth control and abortion as well as limiting sexual education to the point that our teen birth rates have increased again.

In the US only a few women are represented politically by other women-regardless of the reasons-it sure looks unfair. So no-I don't see women being wildly successful in the political arena.

US women still make a lot less money than men do-regardless of the reasons-it still sucks. I'm sure it's great if you're like me and you're middle-class but it is not fun for the women and children in the US who make up the majority of those living in poverty. Ask them-I don't think they'd agree with your assessment that they are living the high life.

Both US men and women suffer high rates of violence yet imprisoning more and more of our male population hasn't changed our violent culture. Feminists seem to be the only ones who seem concerned about rape of both men and women as well as the exploitation of young men and women. For some reason -most US men laugh about male rape and sexual exploitation as though it was a joke.

Even though more men are the primary caretakers for their families and more women work outside the home than a number of decades ago-men are still treated like lepers if they primarily work inside the home and women are chastised for working outside the home and "abandoning" their children or are chastised for "only" caretaking their children and home. Not exactly a win-win situation and the result of societal sexism.

Sure looks like feminism is needed for all of those people-glad you're doing so well without it.

Answer 9

Not as a political or social activist group. Women now have equal rights, they can vote, they can get a higher education and pursue a career, they can join the military etc. So what are they pursing now? No idea.