How Feminists Are Changing the World

Any succinct description provided about feminism encompasses the idea of advocacy for equal rights and responsibilities for both sexes. As such, feminism can be defined as a form of advocacy, which has at its core the aim of ensuring equal rights and responsibilities between men and women in several aspects of society (Grant, 2013). Such aspects include political, economic, and social spheres of the lives of both men and women. Given, the rich history that this form of activism has, a number feministic theories including Liberal feminism, Radical feminism, and Marxist feminism have emerged over the years driven by need to advocate for a course in a particular unique way (Angyal, 2010). Consequently, various women have been attributed to employing particular theories in championing the course for which they undertook in order to create the change they envisioned. Just like any other form of activism, the advocacy by feminists is geared towards achieving a particular social change in the society and it is this regard that this paper evaluates the aforementioned three feministic theories and how one female Rosa Parks employed the Liberal feminism theory to achieve social change in the society. 

Feministic Theories 

Over time, a number of theories have been theorized to explain in general terms the broad categories in which feminism is practiced. As such, liberal feminism, Marxist feminism, Socialist feminism, Radical feminism, Cultural feminism, and postmodern feminism are just but examples of the theories that have emerged over the years and under which feminists have based their activism. 

Liberal Feminism 

The theory of liberal feminism is an approach aimed at attaining equality between men and women through laying emphasis on the ability of an individual person to create a change in practices that discriminate against women (Lewis, 2018). In essence, liberal feminists apply their own abilities within the confines of the democratic process in order to make men and women equal before the eyes of the law, in the society and in the workplace. This is achieved through the organization of women into larger and more powerful activist groups that can uniformly use the available resources to create awareness and lobby for legislations that ensure equality of men and women in various aspects of life. 

Liberal feminism theory has many objectives in the society that are founded on its overall goal of attaining equality between men and women. According to Lewis (2018), the primary objectives of liberal feminism in the society are to attain gender equality between the men and women in the public sphere, ensuring that both men and women have equal access to education, bring to an end any job sexual segregation, equal pay for both men and women based on merit, and better working conditions. In addition to focusing on the aforementioned objectives in the public sphere, liberal feminists also champion for equality in the private sphere of life as it is a fundamental realization that the private sphere has far reaching impact on the public sphere equality. Consequently, liberal feminists also champion for equality in marriage as a partnership, ending sexual harassment and domestic violence, and more male involvement in child care. 

Radical Feminism 

Radical feminism hold the notion that women in the society live under situations of oppression caused by men and fueled by the predominantly patriarchal systems in the society (Preen, 2018). As such, a radical feminist holds the core idea that the society as it were, is designed to favor men and thereby offer undue advantages and power over women. In essence, they believe that social roles and institutional structures are constructed from male supremacy and patriarchy, which is the root cause of women’s oppression. 

The main goal of radical feminists is to completely transform societal structure and eliminate patriarchy (Preen, 2018). This shows a sharp contrast from the idea of other feminist theories such as liberal feminism as radical feminism does not primarily concentrate on the distribution of power. It suffices to mention that radical feminism, which was formulated in the 1960s during the second wave of feminism, came at a time when a number of milestones had been achieved with regards to women’s rights such as the right to vote and access to more work outside home. However, the proponents of radical feminism held the idea that more still needed to be done to alleviate women oppression by men. As such, the activism focused on issues and tactics including reproductive rights for women such as right to birth control, evaluating and removing traditional gender roles both in private and public policies, and understanding rape as means in which patriarchal power was expressed (Grant, 2013). Other areas of focus for radical feminists were gender roles, pornography, traditional families and patriarchal structures. 

Marxist Feminism 

Marxist feminism is founded on the philosophical and economic ideologies theorized by Karl Marx. Karl Marx is renowned for his work on Capitalism as an economic ideology where he showed that the working class is exploited by capitalists through payment of minimal wages to workers for their produce (Hartmann, 2010). As such, Marxist feminism sees the Capitalistic economic system as the primary cause of oppression of women. According to Stefano 2014, the Capitalistic economic system offers a set of structures, practices, institutions, incentives, and sensibilities that promote the exploitation of labor, the alienation of human beings, and the debasement of freedom. As such, it is not possible to achieve equality for women under such economic system that is less appreciative to the effort of women. 

The main means through which Marxist feminism aims to create a social change is through restructuring of the economic system and to overthrow Capitalism. In effect, Marxist feminists are reluctant to accord the category of “women” a separate and special status. In retrospect, they attend to economic organization of the society in a critical and systematic manner keeping allegiance to the working class and impoverished women (Stefano, 2014). Also, Marxist feminism advocate for the equality of involvement of women the economic production process and for better reward for the work women did in the family and to the economy. 

Rosa Parks 

Rosa Parks was a female activist who is well renowned for her contribution to the fight against equality and her fight against racial segregation. She was born to James and Leona McCauley on the 4 th of February 1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama. Following her parents separation two years after her birth, Parks moved along with her mother and lived with her maternal grandparents in Pine Level Alabama, where she lived and spent her youth. Parks’ early childhood and youth exposed her to a lot of racial segregation and she attended impoverished and racially segregated school in Pine Level Alabama (Parks, 2016). Notably, she was forced to walk to school from 1 st through 6 th grade, while her white colleagues we provided with school transportation and better school supplies. Rosa was forced to abandon school in 1929 while in 11 th grade because of the need to take care of her ailing mother and grandmother, which necessitated her to seek for employment at a shirt factory in Montgomery. However, with the help of her husband Raymond Parks, Rosa managed to get her high school degree in 1932. 

Rosa Parks’s entry into activism was propelled mainly by the environment in which she was brought up. As aforementioned, Rosa grew up in Pine Level, Alabama where co-existence with white brought with it several frustrations owing to the “Jim Crowism” segregation laws that were adhered to (Biography.com, 2018). As a result, African-Americans could attend only certain inferior schools, they would drink only from select water fountains, they would borrow books only from select “black” libraries among other segregating laws. Her husband, Raymond Parks was a member of the National Assembly for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and Rosa joined the Assembly in 1943 becoming the Montgomery chapter secretary. Joining the assembly and working with the NAACP Montgomery chapter President E. D. Nixon provided Rosa with foundations for her later commendable work in activism. 

Rosa Parks’s legacy in activism and fight for equality is mirrored in what later came to be known as the Montgomery Bus Boycott (Parks, 2016). The move was a result of Rosa brave and resolute action of refusing to give up her bus seat for a white person on the evening of Thursday December 1, 1955. The incident occurred on the said evening where Rosa was travelling home from work aboard the Cleveland Avenue bus. It was customary to exercise the Negroes-in-back policy where the front seats of the bus were reserved for whites while the people of color occupied the back seats. Furthermore, the segregation made it even possible for bus drivers to ask blacks to give up their seats for whites although the laws governing the same were debatable (Biography.com, 2018). However, on that evening Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat for a white person as was requested for by the bus driver, which led to her arrest and subsequent trial. She was found guilty of violating segregation laws and fined $10 plus an additional $4 court fee. 

Rosa Parks’s action was the genesis of what would end up being one of the most successful activism for equality. The NAACP rallied the African-Americans in Montgomery to boycott the use of city buses in protest for Rosa Parks arrest and for segregation (Feminist Activism, 2013). On the day of her trial, the African-American community in Montgomery, whore were by far the biggest proportion of city bus users boycotted the services and instead opting to pool cars or walk to work. The boycott was followed up by a remarkable 381-day boycott of the city bus, which financially crippled the institution. Several appeals and lawsuits ensued during that whole time which ultimately led to the monumental judgment on November 13, 1956 by the United States Supreme Court that the segregation laws were unconstitutional. The laws were subsequently abolished and the boycott lifted on December 20. Rosa Parks then came to be known as “the mother of the civil rights movement. 

The work and effort of Rosa Parks in creating equality and social change in the society is in line with the Liberal feminism theory. To reiterate, the liberal feminism theorist believe in using an individual’s actions and the available resources within the confines of the law to create a change that would bring equality in the society (Lewis, 2018). Although the efforts and activism championed by Rosa Parks had a racial equality underpinning, she is an epitome of liberal feminism by using her efforts to democratically rally for what eventually brings equality between men and women in the society regardless of their race. To be able to rally over 40,000 African-Americans including women to ride along her vision and seek for equality in the society epitomizes the ideals for which liberal feminists operate. It suffices to mention that her husband Raymond Parks was initially skeptical about her joining the NAACP as she was a woman and would be more vulnerable to the retaliation that the assembly members faced (Biography.com, 2018). However, that did not deter her efforts and was she went ahead and became a champion of one of the most successful activism for equality through the Liberal feminism theory. 

Social Change caused by Rosa Parks 

Rosa Parks as a female activist has contributed immensely to social change in the society through causing equality between men and women and different races with regards to segregation. The most notable social change that was contributed to by Rosa Parks was the abolishment of the segregation laws that were ruled to be unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court on November 13, 1956 (Biography.com, 2018). Prior to the ruling several segregation laws existed in the society in which Rosa Parks lived that led to unjust discrimination between men and women of different races. Case in point, the case for which Rosa was arrested and charged was founded in a local law that segregated bus riders based on their racial backgrounds. As such, the Negroes-in-back policy that demeaned African-Americans by letting the occupy the back seats of the bus while reserving the front seats to whites, who contrastingly were a lesser proportion of the total bus riders. Following her arrest and the 381-day Montgomery Bus Boycott described above, the ruling by the Supreme Court brought to an end the segregation laws and created a monumental social change in the society (Female Activism, 2013). The result was the restoration of equality between men and women of different races with regard to their occupancy of buses. As such Rosa Parks contributed to a social change by initiating a process that ultimately led gender and racial equality in the society. 

Rosa Parks as a female activist was created a social change by being an example which fellow activists would emulate. It suffices to mention that during the period of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, several social vices were still rampant in the said society and the number of women who stood up for activism was still relatively low. Moreover, in as much as milestones such as women’s right to vote had been attained, there was still much to do in order to achieve gender equality. Such efforts needed to be laid in areas such as reproductive health to give women the right to access birth control, evaluating and removing traditional gender roles both in private and public policies, and activism against gender violence and sexual harassment. The action by Rosa Parks was a spark that ignited the desire in women to participate in activism and push for their rights. The immediate impact was the notable participation of women in Montgomery Bus Boycott which led to the social change of equality of among men and women of various racial backgrounds. Moreover, the involvement of Parks in civil advocacy sparked the involvement of other women including Jo Ann Robinson, Coretta Scott King, Mary Fair Burks, Josephine Baker, Mary E. King, Daisy Bates, and the women of the Women’s Political Council in fight for equality (Feminist Activism, 2013). The second wave of feminism which would later arise in the 1960s is evidence of how Parks involvement in as a female in activism led to more women championing for their rights and equality between gender. Evidently, Rosa Parks created a social change in the society by directly and indirectly providing a good example for women to participate in activism and advocate for their rights. 

Rosa Parks contributed to social change through her contribution to the Civil Rights Movements. It suffices to underpin that Rosa was not just a regular African-America citizen but an active member of the NAACP as she served as the secretary of the Montgomery chapter of the movement. In addition, Rosa sentiments when clarifying the reason why she defied a existing law remarked that she didn’t give up her seat not because she was physically tired but because she was simply tired of giving in. That revolutionary statement was the part of a bigger mission that was taken up by her lobby group, the NAACP. Together with other participants of the assembly such as Martin Luther King Jr. and E. D. Nixon, Parks was a key contributor to the successful lobbying by the Civil Rights Movement. It suffices to mention that other women such as Jo Ann Robinson, Coretta Scott King, Mary Fair Burks, Josephine Baker, Mary E. King, and Daisy Bates were also involved in the Civil Rights Movement that gave rise to the notable social changes of racial equality. Parks became famed as “the mother of the Civil Rights Movement” (Biography.com, 2018). Rosa Parks contributed to social change women and youth empowerment through a number of initiatives. For instance, after continued harassment following the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Parks moved to Detroit. In 1987, Rosa together with her husband founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development. The aim of the institute was to serve the youth in Detroit by empowering the youth to advocate for social justice and equality for all. In addition, Parks has continued to attend and lend support to civil rights events. She also wrote her biography titled Rosa Parks: My Story which provides readers with the will to advocate for equality in various aspects of social justice. As such, Rosa Parks contributed to social change through her notable participation and contribution to the Civil Rights Movement that saw fight against sexism, racism, and discrimination based on age, ability or religion. 

Conclusion 

Feminism as a form of activism is a powerful tool useful in the advocacy for equality of rights and responsibilities between men and women. Over the decades, the means by which feministic activism is expressed has taken various forms, which led to the emergence of various theories of feminism. Although the theories all aim at improving the condition of women, the theories have sharp contrast to each other in form of approach used. Liberal feminists advocate for equality through an individual’s use of the available resources and the applicable law. Radical feminists on the other hand aim to change the societal structures, which in their views seems primarily patriarchal. Marxist feminists aim to achieve change through abolishing capitalism that seems to value women less for their effort. The various feministic theories are applied in society by different activists with an aim of causing a social change in the society. This is evident through the activism by Rosa Parks, a female activist who employed liberal feminism principles in advocating for equality between men and women and avoidance of racial segregation. Parks contribution through starting the Montgomery Bus Boycott, acting as a role model to other female activists and active participation in the Civil Rights Movement epitomizes how feministic activism can be used to cause social change in the society. 

References 

Angyal, C. (2010) Survival of the Feminist: Social Change and Institutional Evolution- Fenisting.com Retrieved from http://feministing.com/2010/08/11/survival-of-the-feminist-social-change-and-institutional-evolution/ 

Biography.com. (2018). Rosa Parks. Retrieved from https://www.biography.com/people/rosa-parks-9433715 

Grant, J. (2013). Fundamental feminism: Contesting the core concepts of feminist theory. Routledge 

Hartmann, H. (2010). The unhappy marriage of Marxism and feminism: Towards a more progressive union. In Marx Today (pp. 201-228). Palgrave Macmillan, New York. 

Lewis, J. (2018) Liberal Feminism – Thoughco.com Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/liberal-feminism-3529177 

Parks, V. (2016). Rosa Parks redux: Racial mobility projects on the journey to work. Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 106(2), 292-299. 

Preen, K. (2018) Radical Feminism — a good idea in theory Medium Corporation Retrieved https://medium.com/@KatyPreen/radical-feminism-a-good-idea-in-theory-e3ba0e56ecc3 

Rosa Parks | Feminist Activism. (2013). Retrieved from https://feministactivism.com/tag/rosa-parks/ 

Stefano, C. (2014) Marxist Feminism Wiley Online Library Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/9781118474396.wbept0653