research proposal

Women Diversity and Women Liberation: Literature Review

Leslie Williams

Liberty University

James Blunk

INDS 400

October 4, 2020

Women have for long been fighting for equality within the society for centuries. In the 17th and 18th Centuries, were being considered as an inferior gender when compared to men. There were stereotypes that demeaned women, which led to discrimination in the society. In the wake of Industrial revolution and civilization, these stereotypes started being questioned, which led to the rise of feminism in the 19th century. Feminism was a movement in the 19th century whose main agenda was to push for equality of men and women in the society in education, workplace, and in other spheres within the society. Flash forward to the 21st century, the fight for equality between men and women has continued. However, there have been major changes in how women are fighting for their rights in the 21st century as compared to the previous years. The existing literature provides insightful information on the differences in the approach of fighting for women rights in the 21st century when compared to the previous centuries. However, the research does not highlight on the future of feminism and whether the social norms on beliefs about women will ever change.

Taylor, & Rupp, (1987) highlight on the evolution of feminism and how it brought to light the plight of women in the 19th century. Before the wave of feminism, women were disregarded in all aspects of the society and their only place was to stay at home and take care of the family. On the other hand, the men were considered to be more superior and engaged in important matters of the society such as governance, business, farming, and education. These beliefs had been passed on from the previous generations and only few people questioned the rationality behind demeaning women (Taylor, & Rupp, 1987). The wave of feminism started officially in 1848 during the Seneca Falls Convention (Taylor, & Rupp, 1987). In this meeting, a women`s suffrage movement was formed with an aim of pushing for women rights to education, employment, voting, and other rights that were only accorded to men. The women suffrage movement was a new dawn for the light of women and provided an opportunity for women to air their grievances (Clatterbaugh, 2018).

The Women`s suffrage movement started a strong wave that attracted support from different stakeholders including men, a wave whose magnitude was unwaivered and its proponents determined in bringing down the long held beliefs about women. With leaders such as Jane Austen and Mary Wollstonecraft, a new wave had been created and was set to change the social aspects within the society that demeaned women. In early days, feminism was related to the abolitionist movements and temperance, all of which were aimed at proving the beliefs about women to be wrong (Vargas & Wieringa, 2019). This period saw women behave in un-lady like behaviors such as stints in jail, public speaking, and demonstrating, all of which were aimed at challenging the “cult of domesticity.” In light of these actions and the push by the different feminists on the need for equality between men and women, the society started to have different views about men and women in the society. This was the first wave of feminism worked in introducing a new phase in the women suffrage movement and commencement of the need for evaluating the society beliefs and practices against the women (Vargas & Wieringa, 2019). The first wave of feminism is considered to have been largely based on fighting for the legal rights of women such as voting (Peters & Wolper, 2018). 

The second wave of feminism occurred in the 20th century with major milestones being achieved. The second wave started during the 1960s and continued to 1990s. With the civil rights movements, the voice of women became more radical as they pushed for political reforms that would see gender equality in public institutions. In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson enacted the Civil Rights Act, which barred employment discrimination based on gender religion, or race (Taylor, & Rupp, 1987).  In the second wave of feminism, there was a growth in self-consciousness of women, which changed the tactics in which they were fighting for their rights. Unlike the first wave in which they pushed for legal rights, the women in this era touched on every aspect of experience of women including sexuality, work, education, and family. In addition, there was more organized activism through networking, pushing for improved legislations safeguarding the interests of women. Notably, women were more concerned with being included in all institutions within the society. One of the tools that the women applied in pushing for the agenda during the 20th century is education. Given that educational opportunities were meant available for all genders, a considerable percentage of women were committed to going to colleges and universities and proving their abilities. With education, women were able to get employment opportunities, hold management positions, and vie for political seats (Clatterbaugh, 2018). The tactics that the women applied in the 20th century in furthering their agenda on gender equality and women empowerment bore fruits that continue to be enjoyed by women across the world in the modern century.

The milestones that the women suffrage movement has made are commendable and have continued to bring positive impact into the society on discussions on gender equality and women empowerment. Milestones have been attained but gender stereotyping still holds on to some members of the society. With some social beliefs bound by religious teachings, women are yet to attain gender equality and the lifelong goals of women empowerment (Fotaki & Harding, 2017). According to Fotaki & Harding, (2017), there are new tactics that women leaders have adopted in the 21st century in fighting for equality. One of these tactics is the use of social media. With the advancements in technology, social media has become a powerful tool in sharing information across the world. With the help of social media, women can now mobilize each other in pushing for their agenda in their respective countries. In addition, Clatterbaugh, (2018) notes that other modern tactics that women are using in furthering their agenda include the use of mainstream media in speaking out any violations either at home, school, or at work. In the 21st century, non-governmental institutions have been set up with an aim of improving awareness on gender equality and women empowerment.

These studies provide insightful information on the progress of women rights from the 19th century up to the 21st century. The information from all the articles proves that women have improved in their tactics in the 21st century in fighting for their rights. From demonstrations to organized activism and online campaigns, women have been winning in attaining milestones in their fight for their rights. However, these studies seem not to vividly catch on the future of women`s movement and on whether the social norms against women will come to an end. Despite the progress that has been made over the centuries, there is more to be achieved, especially with debunking of the social beliefs about women that are passed on to generations. The women`s suffrage movement has been successful in creating opportunities for women in social institutions but there is more that needs to be done. The current studies do not provide a framework that feminist movements are adopting in debunking these social beliefs. Future studies will need to concentrate on the future of women rights movement at the society level.

References

Clatterbaugh, K. (2018). Contemporary perspectives on masculinity: Men, women, and politics in modern society. Routledge.

Fotaki, M., & Harding, N. (2017). Gender and the Organization: Women at Work in the 21st Century. Routledge.

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

Taylor, V., & Rupp, L. (1987). Survival in the doldrums: The American women's rights movement, 1945 to the 1960s. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Vargas, V., & Wieringa, S. (2019). The Triangle of Empowerment:: Processes and Actors in the Making of Public Policy for Women. In Women's movements and public policy in Europe, Latin America, and The Caribbean (pp. 3-24). Routledge.