Why haven't some developing countries picked up on Feminism?

Question

I'm truly curious because many countries in subsaharan Africa, the Middle East, South & East Asia & many countries in Latin America do not support feminism or at least equality with men?

I'm Ethiopian & many outsiders would see our way of life as "primitive & traditional". My mother does not work not because she is uneducated but because she was trained to stay at home & raise her children (there are 4 of us including me). My father is an engineer & works as the primary breadwinner.

There are still some very sexist things there though & throughout many surrounding countries (Eritrea, Somalia, the Sudan, & Kenya), some tribes still have virginity testing & some wives are stoned to death if they are unfaithful & men are allowed to take more than 1 wife if they please.

I'm not Muslim but Ethio Orthodox & many countries support this, not just mine. What do you think? What is the real reason why many second & third world countries do not support feminism?

Answer 1

I agree with Guns, and I think a lot of people looking at the West will see exactly what the feminist movement means by equality and be put right off it.

The tragedy is that the feminist branch of the UN (UNIFEM) is exporting feminism in the form of crazy laws that discriminate against men (see here http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?...

...and

“As per United Nation Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), in October 2007, Gujarat had appointed 25 protection officers as part of the process to implement this Act.”

http://mynation.wordpress.com/category/f...

Answer 2

I value traditional family values ... however, it's an observation that these countries you've listed are poor ... third world .... and failing in the world economy.

I believe there is some economic benefit to fair treatment of women ... however, I do believe that feminism is a trend that keeps changing for the worse (from wanting voting, banking, to career, to right to be whores).

Answer 3

Sexual liberation, scholarship, scientific philosophies, flexibility in sexual orientation, and other forms of cultural advancement, require leisure time.

In order to advance culturally, a society has to be able to support a number of people who can sit around thinking about issues that are not immediately concerned with dinner, a roof, and shoes.

The poorer the society, the less abstract research it can support, be it in philosophy, politics, physical sciences, or whatever.

The 1st world nations not only have the fruits of the industrial revolution to feed such "useless mouths" (not REALLY useless, but appearing so to the unsophisticated), but they also, through colonialism and imperialism, brought in wealth from overseas to further enrich their standard of living.

Therefore, they will have more advances in such areas.

Don't worry.  As the 2nd and 3rd world nations advance more technologically and economically, they will also advance more socially.

Plus, when some of the 1st world nations go, and STAY, socialist, there will be lots of international cross-pollination.

Don't let the oppression and wars fool you -- we are on the brink of a global renaissance.  These are GREAT times to be alive.  Workers, women, minorities, and the poorest of us all are about to enter our greatest days.  We are about to enter a period of a true planetary society - and I don't mean the exploitation of "globalization," either.

Humanity will prevail.

Answer 4

Feminism has been associated with sexual liberation, and these cultures are TERRIFIED of female sexual activity before marriage or with multiple partners.

I'm not being stereotypical, but being East Indian, it's amazing at how female virgnity is given so much importance to the point where people don't want to deal with sexual abuse/rape because it means admitting that the female victim is no longer a virgin for marriage.

When  other cultures look at the West, they see a lot of s*x and they don't want their women subject to that.

I don't agree with this notion, but that's how it is.

Answer 5

They are less materialistic cultures. They are more spiritual and are less inclined to be led by cupidity and greed for more things. They are less egotistic as a result. They place their values predominantly on human relations and the family network rather then climbing up the corporate ladder and ruthless achievment.

At the other side of this as you said, they are developing countries, inchoate, not yet completed and therefore are at a more archaic level of societal growth, living on a primary or even a secondary structured economy and therefore they live a 'hand to mouth' existance and individual achievement and freedom for all is simply not feasible. They are too poor! Survival is a more powerful influence then human rights in such instances

Answer 6

Societies rise in maturity or social consciousness.  Those societies that are least mature remain mired in pre-humanistic pre-rational magical-cognition Master / Slave patriarchal belief systems.

http://www.integralworld.net/images/spir...

Answer 7

The answer is quite simple.  Feminism is a destructive social force.  Take a look at how many children grow up without a real family here in the west.  Feminism is at the root of this.  Do you think people in developing countries can socially and economically afford the deleterious effects of feminism?  What use do they have for feminism?  I commend the developing world for largely sticking to their core family values.  They know what a man is and what a woman is.  There is no confusion as to which is which and each plays his role as mother nature intended.  200,000 years of human history supports these roles.  Compare that to 50 years in one section of the world.  I wonder which view I will follow.  The answer is quite clear to me.

Answer 8

Feminism has already plagued the West; I hope that it won't spread to other countries.