Viva logo

The Degradation of the Feminist Movement

What it Was, What it's Become: Through the Eyes of a Woman

By Caroline BrownPublished 6 years ago 5 min read
Like

The feminist movement used to be a force for good. It was a way for women to fight oppression and have their voice heard. Recently, within the past decade or two, the movement has changed into something unrecognizable. Why the change? What happened?

The movement used to stand for equality, but what does equality mean? Do women want to have the same jobs as men in male-dominated fields? Is that equality? I don't think that's what the movement wants. My reason for believing this is because there are many male-dominated careers that women (in general) just don't want such as plumbers, waste management, and manual labor. No, there would be chaos if someone suggested that to a feminist.

Do women only want the same opportunities? An article written a year ago by the Washington Post states that women are twice as likely to get a job in STEM fields. They earn more college degrees as stated by the National Center for Education Statistics and this holds true no matter what race is being discussed. Overall, they are given better opportunities than men.

Race, Sex, and Education From the National Center for Education Statistics

So what's the problem? Women are getting jobs that feminists claim men are holding captive, and they have every opportunity to qualify for those positions. Why do feminists continue to claim problems that are no longer an issue? At first, it was that women couldn't get these jobs because they were ruled by men. Now they can get these jobs but women are still not filling these roles. Why?

The simple answer is that these positions do not make most women happy. At some point, a shift occurred in the movement which caused feminists to stop focusing on the happiness of the women they were fighting for and to instead focus on putting women into power. For some women, that's wonderful and they are very happy living that life, but many women are fine with a simple career, family, and friends.

On top of that, why would feminists push for these career paths so much and neglect the one job that only a woman can fill? I admit that society may not think motherhood is as exciting as a career but if you want to discuss how women are an asset to society and then neglect to talk about the truly unique thing about women have to offer, there's something wrong. In a movement that's always looking for a "leg up" on men, it's surprising that they don't advocate for the one thing men are dependent on women for, the one thing they couldn't do by themselves. The feminist movement is pushing women into positions they don't want and it causes them to be unhappy.

Feminism has become less about creating equal opportunity and more about pressuring women to make choices based on their biology which is not a good basis for decisions. Consider this: when have you ever heard a feminist say that it's okay if you want to be a stay at home mom and take care of children? Never, because to a feminist that's unacceptable even if it makes you happy.

Another thing that has changed in regards to the movement is that it is exclusive. For a movement that claims to be for the good of woman-kind why would they exclude women who do not agree with them?

Recently, feminism has become a synonym for democratic liberal which excludes roughly half of the female population! For a movement that's supposed to represent women, that's embarrassing. The women who don't agree with this movement are often torn to shreds by other women about it. Women bully other women over this issue and the feminist movement has supported this kind of behavior in the past.

This is evident in the recent protest that took place in a Mexican restaurant where Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was having a private dinner. She was eventually driven out by the protesters yelling and cussing. In response to the incident, Valenti, one of the protesters and a feminist writer, tweeted:

"To the folks replying ‘it’s not feminist to harass women.’ That’s true! But it is absolutely feminist to hold powerful people accountable – no matter what their gender, no matter where they are – for the crimes they commit against vulnerable children."

Let's hold Valenti accountable then shall we? At the beginning of this year Gina Haspel was appointed as director of the CIA, a position that has never been held by a woman. Instead of being happy of the great progress women have made, Valenti wrote "...taking advantage of feminist wins does not make someone a feminist. This is doubly true if you’re working toward limiting women’s rights, as the Trump administration does." This is great except Haspel is highly qualified and supports ending advanced interrogation methods.

Why would Valenti claim that Haspel's not a feminist if she believes that feminism is simply about equality between men and women? Haspel has achieved what no other woman has before and not only does Valenti undermine her accomplishment by saying that it's all because of feminists but she says that nobody who supports Trump can be a part of the "all-inclusive" movement. Even men can claim to be feminists and it's okay as long as they're politically agreeable.

What does this movement believe if it's not that all women should be united to work towards equality? What kind of equality do they want?

Another thing feminists like to discuss is the wage gap. When talking about the wage gap, it is important to consider personal choice. The gap hasn't gone down because, on average, women are happier with lesser paying jobs, while more men occupy the higher paying positions in STEM fields that women don't want.

Why should women force themselves into higher paying jobs if it makes them unhappy? Doesn't that defeat the purpose? Women gained rights so they could live happier lives. Are principles more important than long standing happiness? Are we going to allow ourselves to become slaves to ambitions based solely on our biology?

Ultimately, it is up to you, the reader, to decide. I hope that this has persuaded you to look at the feminist movement with new eyes. Watch them without bias and do research. By all means, if you disagree, tell me why by sending me an email [email protected]. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed.

feminism
Like

About the Creator

Caroline Brown

Just an average girl trying to make a difference.

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.