Feminism has continued to be witnessed in various parts of the world. The most country that has continued to be affected by gender inequality, particularly in regards to women, is the United States of America. Generally, gender, race, and ethnicity are the principles that provide the opportunity of shaping society and creating favorable working places that are suitable for everyone. The works of both Simone de Beauvoir's account of how women have been perceived as other, as well as Bell Hooks' account of the effects of slavery on the perception of Black women in the United States can help to highlight the issue of feminism.
Starting with Simone de Beauvoir on her book by the title The Second Sex, she has been seen to discuss how women have continued to be treated throughout history which has not only happened in the past but also today. The book was published in 1949 by the French author who produced the book in two volumes. She has thoroughly defined the role of a woman in the society as well as the female identity as well as what they represent in society. On a bright side of view, the book has been well discussed the position of the women and how different communities view them (De Beauvoir, 2012 p15). Without ignoring any facts, with the pay differences and employees ratio between men and women, it is clear and correct that the woman is viewed as the "Other" just like what Simone de Beauvoir concluded. The "Other" in her book means that they are underrepresented in the society with their roles as well as efforts barely not been recognized at all.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
“ Hence woman makes no claim for herself as subject because she lacks the concrete means, because she senses the necessary link connecting her to man without positing its reciprocity, and because she often derives satisfaction from her role as the Other” (De Beauvoir, 2012 p. 10)
They are just viewed as people who are there to take care of the family with no say or right to do anything; all they should do is to follow orders. She has been seen to object these facts and wanted to end the slogan of the other in the women culture.
Feminism and gender inequality, particularly in women of color, was the most frequent one and the one that got out of control. Having a keen look at the work of Bell Hooks in her book entitled "Ain't I a Woman? Black women and feminism,” she was critically examining the relationship between racism and sexism, particularly in regards to black women. The book talks about the struggles that women of color usually face daily with argues that women have always been lowered when it came to their status. Hooks added that black women were still underrepresented and lived in the worst conditions in the society with no one fighting for their rights ( Hooks, 2014). The point that brings out the attention in her work is the fact that the black women were immorally treated while the whites were enjoying the situation on behalf of the black women. In her book, she outlined how the whites were unfairly treating the blacks and in particular the black women.
“ The process begins with the individual woman’s acceptance that American women, without exception, are socialized to be racist, classist and sexist, in varying degrees, and that labeling ourselves feminists does not change the fact that we must consciously work to rid ourselves of the legacy of negative socialization” ( Hooks, 2014, p.157).
The point that she left out is that this gender inequality, especially to the black women, extended even in workplaces where they were not employed or also allowed to work in certain places that were only considered to be for the whites.
In conclusion, feminism is found in a wide range of field like in political movements, social settings, and in ideologies that specifically share a common goal. The act of feminism mostly tends to favor the male point of view, where the females are underrepresented in most aspects. In regards to gender inequality, women of color are the ones who are most affected by gender inequality and racism.
References
De Beauvoir, S. (2012). The second sex . Vintage.
Hooks, B. (2014). Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism (2 nd ed). Routledge.
