Transcript Feminism * Women*s Rights

Gender – Feminism –
Human Rights
Professor Crain
Lady Gaga Feminism
• “She’ll say something feminist one minute and
equate feminism with man-hating the next.
Sometimes she seems too skinny, too blonde, too
commercial–but then she explains how her Bad
Romance video simulates the trafficking of women
as commodities in the music industry and I swoon.”
“Ain’t I a woman”
• Sojourner Truth (1797-1883): Ain't I A Woman?
Delivered 1851
Women's Convention, Akron, Ohio
• “Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mudpuddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a
woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed
and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man
could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as
much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have
borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to
slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief,
none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?”
Terms
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Biological Sex: “Biological sex" we mean the biological
differences between males and females.
Gender Expression: “Gender expression” refers to the ways in
which we each manifest masculinity or femininity. It is usually an
extension of our “gender identity,” our innate sense of being male
or female. Each of us expresses a particular gender every day –
by the way we style our hair, select our clothing, or even the way
we stand. Our appearance, speech, behavior, movement, and
other factors signal that we feel – and wish to be understood – as
masculine or feminine, or as a man or a woman.
Feminism: The advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of
political, social, and economic equality to men.
Patriarchy: A society where power was held by and passed down
through the elder males. When modern historians and sociologists
describe a "patriarchal society," they mean that men hold the
positions of power: head of the family unit, leaders of social
groups, boss in the workplace and heads of government.
History & Rights
• August 26, 1920 Women were granted the right to vote with
the 19th amendment.
• 1936 birth control is no longer classified as obscene. The
federal law prohibiting the distribution of contraception
information through the mail is modified.
• 1960 the Food and Drug Administration approves birth control
pills.
• 1961 JFK establishes the President’s Commission on the Status
of Women and appoints Eleanor Roosevelt.
• 1964 the Civil Rights Act bars discrimination in employment on
the basis or race and sex. EEOC was established to enforce
and investigate cases of discrimination.
• 166 NOW was founded – National Organization for Women
History & Rights
• 1848 The first women's rights convention is held in Seneca Falls,
New York. After 2 days of discussion and debate, 68 women
and 32 men sign a Declaration of Sentiments, which outlines
grievances and sets the agenda for the women's rights
movement. A set of 12 resolutions is adopted calling for equal
treatment of women and men under the law and voting rights
for women.
• 1869 Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton form the
National Woman Suffrage Association. The primary goal of the
organization is to achieve voting rights for women by means
of a Congressional amendment to the Constitution.
• 1896 The National Association of Colored Women is formed,
bringing together more than 100 black women's clubs.
Leaders in the black women's club movement include
Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, Mary Church Terrell, and Anna Julia
Cooper.
History & Rights
• 1970 Schultz v Wheaton Glass Co (US Court of
Appeals) ruled that jobs held by men and women
need to be “substantially equal” but not “identical”.
• 1973 Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court establishes a
woman's right to safe and legal abortion, overriding
the anti-abortion laws of many states.
1976 First Marital Rape Law is enacted in Nebraska.
This made is illegal for a husband to rape his
wife.(asserting that women are not property)
• 1978 Pregnancy Discrimination Act bans
employment discrimination against women.
What we’ve been facing:
1980s -present
• Turn back of the clock.
• Attack on women’s right to choose and
reproductive rights
• Increase in STEM programs for women, with a
decrease and consistent underpayment of women
in those fields.
• Increase in female college graduates
• Diversification of feminism - (Chicana and Black
Feminist Thought)
• What else?
Discussion:
Expanding our
Understanding
Equity v Equality
• COMMONLY USED DEFINITION
• Equity, as we have seen, involves trying to
understand and give people what they need to
enjoy full, healthy lives. Equality, in contrast, aims to
ensure that everyone gets the same things in order
to enjoy full, healthy lives. Like equity, equality aims
to promote fairness and justice, but it can only work
if everyone starts from the same place and needs
the same things.
What is the difference between
equity and equality? How do
these concepts relate to issues
of gender inequality?
references
• Read more: http://sgbaresource.ca/en/concepts/equity/distinguishbetween-equity-and-equality/
• http://gillfoundation.org/grants/withincolorado/gender-expression-toolkit/genderexpression/