Feminism Still Has a Significance in the World

Feminism is often considered a range of movements, political and social, that are aimed towards getting social, political, economic and personal rights for women. It is often assumed that feminism is aimed at making the woman equal to the man but in reality, feminism is designed to make sure that the woman, as well as the man, gets equal playing ground and opportunities in all spheres of life. Feminism is angled on gender equity and gender equality. Equality is the provision of equal opportunities to both men and women whereas equity recognizes the historical and social injustices that women have been dealt and takes into consideration the different needs and interests that men and women have therefore it seeks to provide fairness to all parties and favorable outcomes for all. Feminism has evolved over time since its inception and is considered one of the contemporary issues in society owing to its popularity and as such a lot of literature exists with regard to the subject. Despite the fact that many of the feminist goals have been achieved and the 21 st -century women are reaping its benefits, feminism still has a significance in the world. 

Feminism is built on the concept of gender. Gender is the social construction of who a man, woman, boy or girl is. It refers to the behaviors, attributes, and responsibilities accorded to men and women depending on how the society views them. The construction of gender has made the man look superior to the woman, and as such there are more opportunities afforded to the man than to the woman. As Duvall & Beres (2011, p61) assert “how we act and make sense of our identities is strongly linked to how we perceive others viewing us.” The notions of gender have influenced the way men and women view each other. Women tended to be demeaned by the construction of gender thus encouraging the rise of feminism. Feminism arose as a result of education and enlightenment and the desire that women had to break out of the cocoon that they had been placed in by the culture in the society. As Paquin (2014, p38) notes, “all cultures “order” their members so as to enforce an internal commitment to the culture’s standards of normality and reduce the need for coercion.” Culturally, gender relegated the woman to the private sphere that is the household. According to Paquin (2014, p13), “culture can constrain people’s reality through definitions and scripted stories.” Such constraints are visible in gender construction. The attributes assigned to the woman such as being caring, submissive, nurturing and humble made the woman to be assigned to homemaking, caring and nurturing children and other roles revolving around the home. The man, on the other hand, is considered strong, assertive, decisive and capable thus he is relegated to the public sphere and given roles in superiority and dominance. The man is the provider, protector, and leader of the household. Gender has become so institutionalized to the extent that there are jobs that are deemed fit for women whereas there are those that are considered appropriate for men. It is not uncommon to find the men in the managerial positions while the women are offered the subordinate positions. There are jobs that involve caring and nurturing such as secretarial jobs, nursing, housekeeping, teaching and babysitting that are usually considered women's jobs. On the other hand, there are jobs such as doctors, scientists, managers, technicians that are considered men's jobs simply because they are considered tough, tasking and requiring skills. Owing to such constructions, feminism arose to prove that the woman was as capable as the man in that she could be able to perform like and even outperform the man. Feminism emerged to erase the stereotypes that women could not do some activities and thus provide the relevant opportunities and playing fields for the women to participate in the public sphere. The woman broke out of the household cocoon to actively contribute to society and to achieve her full potential. 

It is important to note that feminism has evolved historically since its inception. It is considered among the current affairs and contemporary issues of the world, but that does not mean that feminism began recently. Feminism began during the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. It occurred in three waves. The first wave began in the nineteenth century and was mainly focused on suffrage movement. At this point in history, the woman was forced to define her life through her husband and her children. She was not allowed to own property, seek employment in some fields, inherit property without ties to a man who would be put in charge of the property, to vote and even in some places, the woman was not allowed to be educated. The first wave of feminism was built on enabling the woman to have equal rights as the man. This wave fought for the recognition of the woman as an individual and not as a subordinate to the man. They fought for women's rights to vote, be educated, own property and seek employment. Women's sexual, economic and reproductive rights were also focused on. The highlight of this feminism wave was the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S Constitution that allowed women to vote. This is often considered the greatest and perhaps most significant achievement of the first wave of feminism. 

The second wave of feminism is recorded to have begun in around 1960. This wave of feminism targeted more cultural and political inequalities. It is often said to co-exist with the current third wave of feminism. This wave of feminism was against the patriarchal society that existed. The role of the woman in the public and private sphere was deeply politicized in that it was dictated by the men. The society back then was extremely patriarchal that women's rights were shaped and enforced by the men. This wave witnessed serious activism and public campaigns for equality. There were events such as the ‘Freedom Trash Can' and the ‘Bra banning contest.' The second wave of feminism was also against how the media portrayed women. It sought to restore the identity of women as independent individuals who were not to be defined by their husbands and children. 

Third wave feminism occurred to help salvage the movements and initiatives that had been started by the second wave. It was a response to the second wave which was perceived to have failed in its missions and objectives. This wave of feminism was modeled on the achievements that had been made by the earlier waves of feminism. This wave found its bearing on the fact that the previous waves had spread awareness and information on feminism. They sought to remodel the idea of feminism. They struggled to fight patriarchy, and the barriers dealt with women by racism, sexism, and classism. It was also angled on the notion that the second wave of feminism placed emphasis on the experiences of upper and middle-class women and had no consideration for the reality of women at the grassroots. Third wave feminism is the feminism of the 21 st century. The biggest critique to this wave of feminism has been the fact that it is more similar to the second wave feminism. Many claim that it is biased to white women. However, it is important to note that the third wave of feminism can be understood in its moves. The first step is the fact that this wave of feminism seeks to be multivocal, driven by action and also intersectional (Synder, 2008). The movement aims to draw in all women those are women from all walks of life and all origins. This wave of feminism is often said to have outlived its usefulness as much was achieved by the second wave of feminism. However, it is important to note that there is a difference between this wave and the second wave of feminism. The third wave of feminism has a new face, which is a greater inclusion of women of color and those of other ethnicities. There are new heroes such as Bell Hooks in the field of feminism. There is also an emphasis on unified agendas that are action driven rather than the use of philosophies and general statements. Multivocality has been witnessed to be the greatest strength of the movement while at the same time considered to be the biggest weakness by critics. 

It is often argued that all that was to be achieved by feminism has been accomplished since women have constitutional rights similar to those of men. The world's social and political systems are gradually but strongly being rooted on principles of equity and equality. Women are making their way to the frontline in the public sphere. Critics have been on the large to quote that feminism has had its fair share of achievements in the society and is therefore outlived and should be phased out. However, this is not true as feminism still has a major role in the society. This is because there are still many issues to be addressed in the society concerning women and girls. What the previous waves set out to do was accomplished but not in totality. A critical look at the society shows that there is still no equality or equity in gender. 

The third wave of feminism has tried to be intersectional, multivocal and inclusive of all races and ethnicities. This is not enough to eliminate to acquire gender equity and equality because many issues still need to be looked into. First of all, there is the major assumption that feminists hate men. There is also the confusion between feminists and sexists. Feminists stand for the equal rights between men and women while on the other hand sexists think that one sex is better than the other (Alhareth et al. 2015). It is true that some feminists are sexists and some sexists are feminists but these are two different concepts. People tend to assume that feminists have to abandon their femininity in the quest to obtain equal opportunities as men, but this is not the case. One does not have to stop wearing make-up and to start dressing like a man. Feminism also should not be a weapon against men since it will be irrelevant. It is built on equality of both genders hence it should not be biased to include only the women. 

Feminism is still important because some parts of the world have not got to experience it in its totality as in the U.S. feminism is for the allocation of equal rights and opportunities for both men and women and also the elimination of patriarchy in the society. Patriarchy is often defined as the leadership of men that is often to the detriment of women. It is angled on the oppression of women to the benefit of men. Some communities are heavily patriarchal. For instance, Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia are heavily patriarchal. To take Saudi Arabia, as a case study, the women in these countries are treated as less of individuals; this is in accordance with a review documented in the American Journal of Educational Research by some scholars. As Alhareth et al. (2015) document, there is still a prevalence of early marriages and a preference of male children to female children. The preference of male children also still happens among the Chinese and Japanese cultures and some African countries. There are cultures in which, when twins are born, the female child is murdered, and the male child is left to live. The woman in Saudi Arabia is considered property, and as such, she belongs to her husband. The women are not allowed to use public means of transport or to drive cars. There is limited interaction between men and women in this country. There are facilities meant for men and those for women, and in public places, there is limited mingling. Men have their own queues at the bank or at a restaurant while women have their own regardless of age or status. Decisions concerning marriage are made by men on behalf of women. This is a country that witnesses a high rate of forced marriages and early marriages. The woman’s participation in the public environment is very limited (Alhareth et al. 2015). It is important to note that the country is highly conservative and therefore the Islamic laws and Arabic customs are embraced in totality. The country is loaded with make bigots enjoying the fruits of patriarchy and women who are surrounded with social, political, economic, religious and cultural constraints to their development. 

Saudi Arabia serves as the perfect case study as to why feminism is still relevant in the current society. The society is full of gendered stereotypes. It is filled all round with systems that enforce these stereotypes and support patriarchy. These women do not have social rights of any kind and are treated as less human. These practices are not embedded in the law but are engraved in the culture and customs that the people have been socialized into. Culture is hard to get rid of or to replace. As Akinyela notes; 

“ Culture is constructed as the more powerful, and the less powerful segments of society contend for positions of power and privilege between themselves. This means that any given culture is actually a complex of contentious and complimentary interactions between asymmetrical class, gender, religious, language, sexual and other social groups.” (Akinyela, 2002) 

Only a few elements of culture can be replaced, but the whole system itself is rigid. Regardless of their age, all women have male guardians assigned to them. They are not to be seen in public alone. These cultural norms are reinforced by the religious laws of Islam which is the country's dominant religion. Limited participation in the public sphere spells little education and employment for women. They are not allowed to travel outside from their homes thus there is the hindrance from pursuing further education, it should be noted that 79% of the workforce in Saudi Arabia is made of men (Rajkhan, 2014). This means that women, whether qualified or not have limited access to employment opportunities and the existing cultural norms prevent them from participating fully in their employment. Take, for instance, the fact that a woman has to be accompanied by her male guardian and she has to go to work. Does she have a seat at her desk for the male guardian or does he stay outside to wait for her. This is nearly impossible, and this can only mean that the woman will be sought for employment at a place where her guardian works and as such can monitor her. This is an infringement on the freedom of choice, right to privacy, association, and information. These women have no laws or systems to defend them against the brutality of these laws, and that is why feminism is important. 

Feminism advocates for the equal treatment of men and women. The men in this society have the power whereas the women in this society have nothing to assist them. Women's voices are subjugated. They have less of a say in decision-making in matters involving those around them and even they themselves. These women are chosen for what to study, whether to study, where to study, who to marry, what employment to get, what to wear, where to go and even who to talk to. Despite the fact that feminism is primarily female voices, to counter the patriarchy and subjugation in this society will require a whole new technique. Feminism is the advocacy for the equity and equality. It would not be feminism if the men were secluded and separated as was done in the recent times with radical feminism. Radical feminists considered the men as the enemies and chose to advocate for women's rights against those of the men. For a society such as Saudi Arabia, the effort of the men will be highly needed to empower the women. This is because excluding the men will only make them enforce more laws and norms to oppress the women. On the other hand, if the man is re-empowered with knowledge and enlightened on equity and equality, this may be productive. The principle that can bear fruit in this society would be “re-empowering the man to empower the women.” 

The norms and cultural practices are alive because all members of the society are socialized into them. Culture is the way of life of people hence all people who are born into a culture get socialized into it and practice its norms. When the man is re-empowered with the knowledge that women are individuals on their own and can form rational thoughts and make individual decision, they are empowered to create the playing field for women. This can go in hand with educating the women on their rights and capabilities. In so doing, there shall be a collaborative effort from both men and women to end inequality, sex segregation and other oppressive practices that exist. On the other hand, if only the women are empowered, and the man is left out, the woman may be pushed to rebel against the norms and cultural forces that will, in the end, suppress her back to her relegated position. This is contrary to the other scenario where those in power are given a chance to create the opportunities while the women are empowered to seize and expand these opportunities. The former may bear results while the latter may have more devastating consequences such as stricter laws being pulled on women. Equality begets equity, and the process of getting both is gradual. The ideologies of equity and equality should first be accepted among the people before they can be practiced. When the people do not accept these ideologies, they may not practice them. 

The review on Women and Society in Saudi Arabia by Alhareth should have given suggestions as to how the situation in the country can be improved. There is the detailed explanation of the origins of gender inequality and the position of women in the society as dictated by the Islamic laws and the Arabic Customs. These laws and customs are listed fully. It would, however, be beneficial if suggestions on how feminism can be used to achieve equity and equality in Saudi Arabia were provided. 

In conclusion, feminism refers to the range of movements that are targeted towards making sure that men and women have same playing field in the political, social and economic spheres. There have been three waves of feminism historically and currently, and there is the third wave feminism which is also considered feminism off the 21 st century. Feminism has achieved a lot, but it is still important in that there is still a long way to go before the world can witness equality between men and women. Taking Saudi Arabia as a case study, documented in the review of Women and Society in Saudi Arabia by Alhareth et al. (2015), women's voices have been subjugated in the public sphere, and their rights have been infringed upon. In order to liberate the women in Saudi Arabia, it would be instrumental to educate and empower both the men and the women. This is because the men would lessen the patriarchal chains gradually and allow women to seize opportunities and develop themselves in the society to a place where there shall be an equal playing field for both men and women which is the ultimate goal of feminism. 

References 

Akinyela, M. (2002). De-colonizing Our Lives: Divining a Post-colonial Therapy [online]. International Journal of Narrative Therapy & Community Work , Vol. 2002, No. 2, pp. 32-43. 

Alhareth, Y., Alhareth, Y. & Dighrir, I.A. (2015). Review of Women and Society in Saudi Arabia. American Journal of Educational Research, vol. 3, no. 2, vol. 121-125. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/276375656_Review_of_Women_and_Society_in_Saudi_Arabia 

Duvall, J. & Beres, L. (2011). Innovations in Narrative Therapy: Connecting Practice, Training and Research. New York, NY: W.W. Norton and Company Inc. 

Paquin,G. W. (2014). Clinical Social Work: A Narrative Approach . New York, NY : Council on Social Work Education. 

Rajkhan, S.F. (2015). Women in Saudi Arabia, Status, Rights and Limitations. University of Washington, Bothell. Retrieved from: https://digital.lib.washington.edu/researchworks/bitstream/handle/1773/25576/Rajkhan%20-%20Capstone.pdf?sequence=1 

Synder, C. (2008). What Is Third‐Wave Feminism? A New Directions Essay. The University of Chicago Press Journals, vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 175-196. Retrieved from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/588436?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents