Women’s issues have been, to an extent, independent from the broader socio-history changes witnessed in twentieth century America. The foremost issue that had not found suitable resolution since the 1920s is the wage disparity between men and women in America. While at the beginning of the century the percentage of women who participated in mainstream…
Category: Gender Studies
Is Educating Rita a comedy of gender or social class?
Educating Rita, both in its version of a motion picture as well as a play, is a comedy contrived from class based differences of the lead protagonists. Rita, played by Julie Walters is a twenty six year old hairdresser, ailing from working classLiverpool. To the role of her tutor, played by Michael Caine, are associated…
Gloria Steinem: A Brief Biography
Gloria Steinem is one of the most well known and respected leader of the feminist movement in America. Her writings and speeches have impacted the way women’s issues are perceived and understood in the last half a century or so. Alongside Betty Friedan, Bella Abzug and Shirley Chisholm, Steinem has carved a unique place for…
Overturn of “Gag Rule”
President Barack Obama recently struck down the Bush Administration’s ban on giving federal money to international groups that perform abortions or provide abortion information-the so-called “gag rule”. President Obama’s ruling has elicited both joy and consternation within US. Do those very different reactions indicate something about where people stand on issues of moral relativism? If…
Why is gay marriage treated as taboo and how this understanding is being challenged today?
Homosexuality, for major part of human history has been considered a taboo; the origins of its condemnation can be traced back to primitive religious beliefs and ancient superstitions. As societies become more advanced and modern, with attendant increase in awareness of the subject, a greater degree of tolerance and understanding of homosexuality is seen these…
The history and evolution of the lesbian rights movement
The issue of lesbian rights is the focus of this essay. By looking at the evolution of the lesbian rights movement from a historical perspective and by concentrating on the activists and their tactics, it is hoped that a thorough understanding of the subject would be attained. The essay attempts to deal with the history…
The impact of Abolitionism on First Wave Feminism
One way of looking at the significant historical events in North America and Europe over the last few centuries is by studying and understanding the first wave feminist movement and the abolitionist movement. Such a study will lead to the inference that the two social movements had much in common and each took strength from…
The impact of Utopian Socialism on First Wave Feminism
Any discussion of the first wave feminist movement is incomplete without reference to the impact of Utopian Socialism on the former. Considering that the feminist movements in general have sprung from the need for “equality” in the interpersonal and social affairs of men and women, it is no surprise that an economic system such as…
The impact of the idea of ‘social purity’ on first wave feminism
The first wave movement in America and Britain was a direct result of the existing interconnections between the physiological rights and political rights of women in the nineteenth century. This meant that the feminists strove to bring about just laws for protecting women’s rights. They attempted to purify the society of immoral practices such as…
The impact of abolitionism on first wave feminism
An interesting perspective on the history of North America and Europe over the last few centuries is attained by relating the women’s movement and the anti-slavery movement. The former, of course, would be denoted by historians as first wave and second wave feminist movements and the latter is termed the abolitionist movement. This connection makes…