The Rise of Feminism

The history of feminism can be described as a story of different feminists’ movements that were conducted by different feminist thinkers. Feminists all over the world have always had different reasons or causes and goals. This was influenced by a number of factors that included: time, culture and country. Feminists movements can be termed as all the movements that work with the aim of obtaining women rights, this is according to most western feminist historians. However, there are others who argued that these feminist movements should be limited to the modern feminist movements and its descendants.

Earlier feminist movements are referred to as protofeminists. There are three ways that are used to describe the history of the modern western feminist movements. Each of the wave deals with the same feminist issues but using different aspects.There is a wave that is used to describe the movement that occurred in the 19^th through early 20^th century. It was a movement that was dealing with the women suffrage, their working conditions and the education rights of both women and girls. Another wave was used to describe the movement that occurred between 1960’s up to 1980’s. This movement worked with the aim of dealing with the inequality of laws and also cultural inequalities and the role that woman play or should play in the society. The last wave was one that occurred during the late 1980’s up to the early first decade of the 21^st century. It was a continuation of the wave that occurred between 1960’s up to 1980’s and was also a response to the perceived failures. (

 Impacts of the rise of feminism to my personal life, career choice and global community

The backbone of the feminist thoughts was the interrelated themes of barriers to education for women and employment. As a result of the rise of feminism my personal life has changed for the better as I got the chance of going to school to acquire education. It has also enabled me to search for any job without being sexually discriminated and also work at any place that I have ever dreamed of. It has also brought equality to women and men; women have been given equal opportunities of doing whatever they want as women are no longer held in their cocoons. This has made me go on to achieving my dream as nothing hinders me from going for it. I have always believed in the existence of gender equality, education for women and working with the aim of bettering the society. On the other hand, feminism has also worked with the aim of bringing this to an end thus it influenced me in choosing my career path so as to fulfill some of the things that I have always wanted to see in the society. (Evans, 1977)

To the global community, the rise of feminism made the economy change also affect a change in the women lot. The status of women improved which meant that women suffrage has since decreased, their living and working conditions have also improved. Feminism has enabled women work wherever they want which has helped in a great way because women are the backbone to any rising and successful community. This has enabled the global community succeed in many different ways. The rise of feminism also meant that women in the society could get medical education which has led to the production and rise of a healthy community. Good health among people in the community has seen the society focus on discoveries and inventions thus improving the living standards of the community at large.

Feminism has also provided women with the opportunity of testing the political skills thus enabled them take part in the decision making about the good in improving and developing the community. The women have been freed against appalling working conditions thus raising the public concern over the social issues. It has also helped curb women suffrage which was very common in the past thus improving their social status. Women are no longer considered inferior therefore their decisions are now respected in the community. This is a good thing as some decisions made by women can have and have had a positive impact in the lives and living standards of the people in the society. (Walters, 2005)

The rise of feminism has made the women have a right to vote meaning that they can take part in voting diligent leaders, who can help solve problems in the community at large. It has also had an impact in the demographic changes in the community that include: decline in the birth rates and also increase in the life expectancy. It has brought new public policies that are well fitted to the changing family forms and the changing individual life cycles. Feminism has changed how marriage is understood and the meanings of life in that woman have come to demand more out of their marriages and from men. Women can now decide about divorce and pregnancy thus have been given more control over their lives.

If feminism would not have taken place, I would not have gotten the chance of acquiring education. This would mean that I would not achieve my goals and that I would never be given the right of making decisions all by myself.  In the society, no feminism would mean that many women would still be suffering and would be mistreated by their male counterparts. There would be so many unwanted pregnancies as women could not make decisions regarding the pregnancy status. This also means that women would be discriminated in the community as their male counterparts would still be considered superior.

Without feminism women would never search for their identity and the meaning of life, this means that gender bias would still be affecting the community. If feminism would not have taken place women would not hold powerful positions along with reshaping the attitudes towards the private lives. Women would still be doing subordinate jobs as according to some biological notions of masculinity and feminity, people would still believe that men are better suited where power is essential where as women are suited to positions of subordination. Lack of feminism would also mean that women would not have secured their economic and political agency. It would also mean that women would still be sexually harassed thus making them suffer mentally from stress and humiliation. (Hollows, 2000)

If feminism did not take place women would never get permanent employment or would not be employed at all. In turn, this would mean that single women would suffer to survive as they would not have any money for their survival and could even end up dying of hunger due to the lack of money. It would also means that the ideology of domination will still be there and that self development would not take precedence over imperialism, economic expansion and any material desires. Women would also be battered by their husbands and could even die if the battering became so severe. They would not be included in affirmative action, an act that would be so unfair to them. Women would be unable to achieve their goals as they would never be given the opportunity. Lastly, life expectancy would also be on the high.