Feminism is an array of social movements and ideologies that focuses on advocating women’s rights based on the equality of the sexes. To understand the development of feminism in America, it is worth noting that there are different forms of feminism. For instance, some movements involved poor and rich women, black and white women, young and older women. All these had different objectives. Further, feminist activism in the United States in the 1830s emerged at a time when there were social upheaval and the escalation of utopian movements.
According to Bell Hooks, black women experienced the brunt of chauvinism during slavery. Hatred of sexuality was ingrained in American culture, and women were subject to lust and intimidation by their male counterparts. The black woman was susceptible to all forms of psychological, physical, and sexual abuse, devoid of provisions for their protection from both black and white society. Hooks also points out that black women were often cheaper than black men and were thought to be more profitable by planters for the sake of slave breeding. Their unquestionable obedience made them a perfect subject for slavery (Pg.122). These conditions were established by European colonizers who brought their sexist culture to novel lands.
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Perhaps the greatest problem for feminism today is the millennial men and women who are convinced that women achieved quality, thanks to the efforts of early activists. While women can acquire business loans and mortgages, it is easy to notice the sexual violence pandemic, small numbers of women in political positions, and the gender pay gap. Hooks assert that this could be a result of women’s acceptance of negative myths that they are racist, sexist, and the anti-women sexual politics of patriarchal America.
Works Cited
Bell hooks. (2015). Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism . Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
