What is the Difference Between Feminism and Women's Studies?

Question 1. What are some of the issues or pressures faced by women regarding their sexuality that does not exist in the same way for men? Does race, class, or sexual orientation add to (or, perhaps, subtract from) any of those pressures? 

While gender equity is a significant step towards the attainment of human rights for all, discrimination against women has continued to persist in all corners of the globe with women being viewed as the second class human race not entitled to similar rights as men. Most of the legal traditions have continued to pass policies which have institutionalized female gender as a second-class status in the society (Angelina, 1838). The discrimination against women and girls is evident in almost all spheres of life including education, marriage, employment rights, citizenship, health, inherence and property rights (Angelina, 1838). These forms of discrimination only apply to women alone and are meant to suppress them into accepting their second-class status. For example, in most countries in the world, unlike men, women are not allowed to dress the way they want. The society judges women by their mode of dressing but finds it okay for men to dress the way they dim fit. In many cultures, women who dress in short outfits are considered immoral and objects for sexual attraction. 

Most cultures also dictate that women cannot inherit property from their parents. The right to property inheritance is only given to men even in a sibling construction. Women cannot walk alone at night for fear of rape or sexual harassment, yet men feel comfortable driving or working at night because they are protected by society. Several societies still have discriminatory laws which relate to family life. For example, in many cultures, there are laws which limit women's rights to marriage by subjecting them into forced marriages. Women are not allowed to divorce and remarry in most cultures and for that reason, there are subjected to sex discriminatory marital practices like polygamy and wife obedience (Peters & Wolper, 2018) . The policies which openly dictate wife obedience still oversee marital relations in several states. 

Whereas women work two-thirds of the working hours in the world and contribute to half of the world's food, they own less than 1% of the world's property and only earn less than 10 % of the world’s income (Peters & Wolper, 2018) . Women still form the majority of the poorest people in the world. Violence against women continues to prevail on a large scale in most societies in the world and the access to justice for most women is usually hindered by discriminatory obstacles. Besides sexism, other factors such as race, disability, and sexual identities add to the discrimination and further pull women down the society (Peters & Wolper, 2018) . For example, whereas women of all races are subjected to gender discrimination, black women are subjected to more discrimination compared with white women. 

Question 2. What is the difference between feminism and Women's Studies? How would you describe the relationship between them? 

Women's studies can be defined as an academic enterprise founded on the second wave of feminism and which seeks to challenge the male-centered knowledge. Students who study sociology today take it for granted that gender is key to the analysis of sociology. This was not the case in the past since knowledge was only directed to male issues and women issues were not factored anywhere in learning. Women's studies are grounded on a crucial terrain providing critiques of traditional disciplines as well as offering corrective measures in the representation and exclusions of women (Peters & Wolper, 2018) . As a result, women studies offer courses in all spectrum of knowledge including psychology, philosophy, medicine, law, education, literature, and many other fields while putting central the theoretical framework of feminism and women issues within these courses. 

The misinterpretation of the experiences of women in academics is believed by many to be reflective of the general devaluation of women by society. For this reason, the aim of women's studies is constructed by its relationship with the movements of women within and outside the academy. Feminism, on the other hand, is the advocacy of the rights of women with the basis of the equality of sexes. Feminism has also founded the theory of economic, social and political equality of the sexes. Feminism strongly holds that women and men should be entitled to equal opportunities (Peters & Wolper, 2018) . It is important to note that feminism advocates for equality and not sameness of the sexes. 

Many people have argued that men and women cannot be equal since they are not the same. In other terms, they argue that men and women have different body structures and different physical capabilities and thus it is not possible for them to be equal. It is, however, important to understand that equality does not in any way mean same. Feminism is all about equal opportunities and equal rights. Men and women do not have to be the same to have access to equal opportunities or rights. 

Question 3. How do laws protecting women in the workplace benefit society as a whole? 

Laws protecting women from discrimination at workplaces benefit the whole society because they ensure that women are fully productive in their workplaces and thus contributing to the general economic growth of the society. Two-thirds of the working hours are contributed by women in the world and contribute half of the world's productivity. 

Discrimination at their workplaces hinders their performances and does not allow them to fully exercise their potentials and skills. In this case, they do not contribute to the economic growth of the society. It is important to note that the economic growth of a society requires the full participation of women. 

Question 4. Why do you think Secretary of State has become an officer in the United States that has been frequently held by women in recent years? Why do you think we have not yet seen a female Secretary of Defense? 

The United States just like other societies do not believe that women can handle certain positions. Most of the societies do not trust women with security dockets. They often set aside positions which they believe are soft and can be handled by women. One of these positions which are frequently held by women especially in the United States includes the office of the secretary of states. This is because they do not believe in a woman's strength to handle robust dockets which require high intelligence. The society still does not believe that women are as intelligent and robust as men. For that reason, they do not risk giving them positions which require high intelligence. 

Question 5. Summarize the article (link below) and explain with reference to the course materials how the article ties into the class. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/06/opinion/lisa-murkowski-susan-collins-kavanaugh.html 

The article is about white women who place their racial privilege above their gender and defend patriarchy at all times hence making it hard for the women issues to go through. The article talks about the recent case of Judge Brett Kavanaugh and his approval to make it to the Supreme Court. Despite the several allegations on sexual harassment made on Judge Kavanaugh, all the women in the Senate with an exception of Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted for Judge Kavanaugh (Grenell, 2018) . These women are often used by the patriarchy to suppress the voices of women. These women have been termed as gender traitors who have made defending patriarchy their full-time job. In the case of Judge Kavanaugh, these women came out in large numbers wearing T-shirts ‘women for Kavanaugh.’ The same women do not believe in other women who come out to speak about sexual harassment inflicted on them. According to them, lying about rape is a more serious crime than rape itself (Grenell, 2018) . 

Most of these women would trade their whiteness to monopolize resources for mutual gain and for them to be cherished and praised by the patriarchal kings (Grenell, 2018) . The writer points out that the White women have always supported their male counterparts in elections even in cases where fellow women are contestants. For example, during the last general election in which Hillary Clinton was a candidate, white women preferred to partner with their Republican men and voted for Donald Trump instead of voting for Hillary Clinton. The article reflects the class lessons as it talks about the role played by other women in elevating patriarchy. Many women have failed to acknowledge the role that feminism has played in elevating their social status. This may be out of ignorance or because they feel need to be revered and cherished by men instead of standing by themselves. They are comfortable living under the shadows of men and would do anything to protect the status quo. 

References 

Angelina E. G, 1838, Letters to Catherine Beecher, Boston: Isaac Knapp 

Grenell A. (2018, October 6). White Women, Come Get Your People: They will defend their privilege to the death. New York Times . Retrieved November 22, 2018, from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/06/opinion/lisa-murkowski-susan-collins-kavanaugh.html 

Peters, J. S., & Wolper, A. (Eds.). (2018).  Women's rights, human rights: International feminist perspectives . Routledge.