Cultural Feminism Essay

Feminism is a movement that is constituted of social, political and cultural perspective. Feminism per se has several forms in various disciplines that changed the facade of women in the western hemisphere, and the entire planet. Feminism roots to the oppression of women in different aspects of humanity. Basically the Feminist cause fights for equality of genders. Feminism Activists began to concern themselves in resolving social and domestic issues and throughout history, as society provided women with opportunities, it it broadened its scope and now tackles a variety of issues which includes gender matters , thus, Cultural Feminism was coined . Rationale Cultural Feminism, sometimes noted as Differential Feminism, is an orientation in Feminist Discipline whose aim is to address on women’s issues that were swept under the rug. This form of Feminism praises the positive qualities which a woman possess. The term Cultural Feminism tackles on the general and specific distinctions between man and woman, the theory also covers differences in the biological view (Balbert, 1989). Cultural Feminism’s intentions is to associate the application of women’s point of view in a world of male supremacy, which would likely lessen brutality in every sense. The core theoretics of Cultural Feminism is attributed to gendered Essentialism. Cultural Feminists tend to apply a non-progressive and Victorian approach, this disturbing take on issues urge the development between genders through the implications of a woman’s nature, tying up to the belief that the women’s methods are more efficient (Moore, 1952). In addition, Cultural Feminism claims that the world is obese of brute male power and needs diet via injection female perspectives. Cultural Feminism 2 Origin Cultural Feminism Jane Addams and Charlotte Perkins Gilman were credited as two of the earliest theorists in the dimensions of cultural Feminism. The two women are prominent to have Cultural Feminism in their literary works. These women suggested that state governance, cooperation, compassion and non-violence as a means to settle social disputes. They also insisted that women’s virtues were the beacon of hope in a divided society. Jane Addams, in her article â€Å"Cultural Feminism†, often utilized women as a source of her ideas and subject of her analysis. She altered the foundations of values and other moral principles of society in attempt to increase the diversity of womanly activities. Driven by the goal to generalize her approach, Addams examined prostitutes, market vendors, corporate women and the principles of non-violence. On the other hand, Charlotte Perkins Gilman voiced out her Cultural Feminist intentions in her book Herland. Gilman’s book contains fictitious approach to Cultural Feminism. The book expresses her ambition of a society of strong women under the guidance of pacifism and cooperation(Ritzer, 2006). Journalist, Critic and activist Margaret Fuller is also a major contributor of Cultural Feminism. Her article Woman in the 19th Century pioneered the Cultural Feminist Movement. Fuller contended that women should be independent and that inequalities in gender are uncalled for in societies of her time. Woman stressed the emotional, spontaneous side of knowledge and insinuated a person to person perspective on the aspects of life and the world which is in contrast with the progressive sense of men during that time. Cultural Feminism 3 Modern Cultural Feminism Modern Cultural Feminists believe that the conventional nature of a woman is concrete among humans and their views of the world in general. A nature that is capable of making changes if not amendments to demoralizing male orientation that consume the whole world. These women explain that the sexist matters of modern society lies in the manner of how men view women. On that statement, the term men is defined as a group of males, and the whole statement claims that how women are perceived by men who have varying opinion on women, which also incorporates fear and anguish towards women. The innovation of passive methods for conflict resolutions is still an on-going trend. Contemporary Cultural Feminists raise the argument on caring and attention become catalysts of woman’s consciousness and how it is based as a standard of ethical judgment. Modern conformists of Cultural Feminism also indict the idea of a woman’s grounds for various achievement motivation patterns, communication forms, the reception capacity to emotional concerns, sexuality and intimacy, less aggressive approaches and their principles of peaceful co-existence. All aspects are given convulsive approaches by their male counterparts. Modern Cultural Feminism is also concerned on the undying result of male dominance. Because of the masculine rule, the characteristics of woman and their femininity have been tinged and depreciated. According to them, the only effective way to correct this problem is the conveying a definition of the essence of a woman in a more legitimate, feminist way (Alcoff, 1988). This new definition that modern Cultural Feminism Conformists imply is a re-incarnation of a woman’s peacefulness through non-violence, their emotional nature as their means to foster, ability to assert herself well through subjectiveness. Furthermore, they contend that they did not re-invent the meaning of a woman and her essence, they are just teaching men the non-biased definition. Cultural Feminism 4 Cultural Criticism Modern Cultural Feminists are patiently making advancements in a gradual manner because of their knowledge that a huge metamorphosis on cultural inclination does not happen overnight. These modern conformist of the female advocation deny the claims that the difference between man and woman are merely biological. However, groups that adhere to men’s rights address Cultural Feminism as a propaganda and a political advocacy. These men’s rights’ sects claim that the woman’s way is as competent as a man’s. The male detractors state that the basis of Cultural Feminism is placed on an essentialist view of differences between genders and promotes independence and institutionalizing The masculine group adds that these Cultural Feminists’ fighting spirit have deteriorated since their political agenda is now a lifestyle. Other critics even integrate that Cultural Feminism is nothing than a twisted form of Radical Feminism(Autumn, 1993). There are certain social, cultural or historical events that surrounds Cultural Feminism, these essential differences between men and women are generated through the years. One great example is when dealing culturally about the views on women in the society. At some pint, gender issues are touched because at certain circumstances,Ridicule from older boys causes boys around the age of five to stop using woman talk and adopt a masculine language. While girls stick to the old language and are discourage from using masculine language. Because if we refuse to do such thing and does not want to speak and ladylike, we are ridiculed to the extent. Therefore the over all effect of woman’s talk is to submerge a woman’s personal identity and her ideas and to deny her access to positions of power. In some culture, understanding the communication between men and women is complicated. Crossing cultures in addition to communicating gender lines makes understanding each other correctly even more difficult, Hence making socialization more difficult. Some historical Cultural Feminism 5 events makes cultural feminism a hot topic because at some point women is set really different from men when it comes to leadership. Female species are always doubted in terms of leadership and hard work. Sexism and gender issues is really rampant throughout the history of the acculturation process of feminism. Talking about businesses and personal relationships, problem occurs when a woman grows old and still inclined socially with other people. Because here there’s a different phase talking about the manner of speaking. If they refuse to talk like ladies, they are ridiculed for being masculine, but they are also ridiculed when they use feminine language because they are seen as unable to speak forcefully. Male dominance in the society is there since childhood by using strong expressions while women have had to adapt depending on the environment whether it’s for business or personal. Women have little or no power in our society and that their language reflects their status in the society. The counterargument claims that women are group oriented and supportive of others. Their language reflects the values and attitudes of their culture and therefore is powerful and cooperative. The issue is not whether the language forms themselves are good or bad but whether we attach good or bad social values to them Historically speaking, unmasked assumptions that a history is determined by great wars and great men whereas feminists have demonstrated the extent to which male bias has determined the normative assumptions of the social, natural and behavioral sciences. In the arts, literary and artistic canons are no loner restricted to the work of men which allows females to excel and develop culturally. Cultural Feminism 6 Cultural Feminism Feminism’s relation to political liberation has always been an element of its self understanding, feminism through the years has been increasingly exposed as beholden to a pernicious set of assumptions about class,race, sexuality, ethnicity and nationality. Whatever its fragmentation, within those arenas where it has a relatively secure footing, feminism can be credited with effecting profound changes in the ideological construction of womanhood, not only in the US and Europe, but more globally. The issue of women’s autonomy in relation to reproduction and to work, and the issue of women’s health more generally, have found themselves on the global political and cultural stage. Feminism continues in its struggle to establish itself as the ground for women’s political, economic, and cultural ascendancy in the face of its own internal debates about the significance of differences among women. References Balbert, P. (1989). Lawrence and the Phallic Imagination. Hong Kong: The Macmillan P. Humm, M. (1990). The Dictionary of Feminist Theory. Great Britain: Ohio State UP. Ritzer, G. (2007). Contemporary Sociological Theory and Its Classical Roots. McGraw-Hill: New York Wilson, E. (1977)Margaret Fuller: Bluestocking, romantic, revolutionary. Farrah, Strauss and Giroux: New York