Presentation Notes for Monday

The following is my (almost finished) presentation for a class to be delivered Monday (tomorrow!), I am working on uploading either a video of the presentation or working an audio file into my presentation to share that (which will - hopefully - look a bit more polished). Open to thoughts and comments!

What is feminism?

Slide:

1. Analyze Traditions
2. Probe Contradictions & Injustices
3. Multiplicity of Perspectives

For my presentation I chose these three adaptations; analyze traditions, probe contradictions & injustices, and multiplicity of perspectives. I plan to analyze these three adaptations cohesively within my presentation.

First I will determine what feminism is

Slide:

Webster:

1: the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes

2: organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests (Merriam-Webster)

Sam Killermann from Everyday Feminism defines feminism this way:

Feminist means “person who believes people should have equitable places in society regardless of their gender.” (Killermann)

Everyday Feminism (from the article Why Everyday Feminism is for Everyone)

Feminism strives to end the discrimination, exploitation, and oppression of people due to their gender, sexual orientation, race, class, and other differences and supports people in being free to determine their own lives for themselves. It supports us in questioning what we’ve been taught about forcing people into traditional roles and valuing some groups less than others. It helps us to understand why some people hate, abuse, exploit, discriminate, and silence certain individuals and communities. It helps us stand up against oppression and demand justice. By engaging in feminist thinking and action, we can free ourselves to make meaningful choices in how we live our lives and pursue what makes us happy and fulfilled as human beings. (Kim)

Slide

This is what a feminist looks like:

The Goal of Feminism:

Feminism has had different goals throughout the generations and seems to grow and change with the changing society, feminism is a very adaptive concept with one general goal that is equal respect and rights. This takes many different shapes and directions but all of feminism boils down to the same goal of equality.

Slide

“The goal of feminism is to create a society in which individuals’ genders don’t restrict them from an equitable shot at success and happiness.” (Killermann)

Do we need feminism?

Many people think that feminism is an outdated idea; that similar to anti-racism movements feminism accomplished its goal when women received the right to vote and now women share many of the same legal rights as men and thus aren’t discriminated against. We certainly have accomplished a lot; let’s enjoy that for a moment, but there is still discrimination although it isn’t as clearly noticeable and that is why we still need feminism. Let’s discuss some of the sexism inherent in the current system that needs to be addressed to determine why we need feminism. I’ve been told before that not all of these things can be fixed by new policies and so feminism shouldn’t be a political movement, to correct that notion feminism is not a political movement but a social movement aiming to change not only politics but society. 

Status Quo: 

Women hate women:

The stereotypes about women are so entwined in our society that most women aren’t even aware of them; more over these women are actually furthering the stereotypes by pressing them onto themselves and other women. There are countless stories of female grad students being placed in lower classes than their male counterparts, being given less difficult research, and overall being seen as less intelligent than the other students regardless of actual ability or class standing. Unfortunately in these cases the professors are not all male, male and female professors both rank female students lower than male students. 

In one study, first done in 1968 and then replicated in 1983, college students were asked to rate identical articles according to specific criteria. The authors' names attached to the articles were clearly male or female, but were reversed for each group of raters: what one group thought had been written by a male, the second group thought had been written by a female, and vice versa. Articles supposedly written by women were consistently ranked lower than when the very same articles were thought to have been written by a male [Goldberg 1968,Paludi et al 1985,Paludi et al 1983]. In a similar study, department chairs were asked to make hypothetical hiring decisions and to assign faculty rank on the basis of vita. For vitae with male names, chairs recommended the rank of associate professor; however, the identical vita with a female name merited only the rank of assistant professor [Fidell 1975]. (Mills.edu)

Women have been taught to pin themselves against each other; culturally a man’s significance is seen as coming from his accomplishments as well as from how many and what type of women he can attract, women’s significance is seen to come from how accomplished of a man they can attract. This concept creates competitiveness between women as their own significance is on the line while fighting for “the perfect man”. We see this in reality television shows such as “The bachelor” and in popular culture all over.

 Slide:

Cont.:

Slide:

Femininity is seen by many as negative, boys are told not to “throw like a girl” or that “boys don’t cry”. For a man or woman to be compared to a woman is seen as derogatory. People, of all genders, are told to “man up”. Feminist women are seen as those who desire a career and no children, while feminism really only means that they want to be treated equally. While many women grow up with the negative female stereotype so deeply seeded in their lives that they themselves see any “feminine” choice as being negative and thus develop an aversion to these choices. I know that I grew up thinking this very same thing, that choosing to be like my mother would be an anti-feminist choice and being a stay-at-home mom would be the ultimate loss of my feminism. Throughout my research I have realized that this idea that a choice a woman makes with her life could be more or less feminist is ridiculous and ignores the true meaning of feminism.

Slide:

Women make less:

Women have traditionally been underrepresented and under-paid in the economy, however this is changing. Women are getting college degrees at a faster rate than men, women are participating more than men in up and coming sectors, women are expected to account for 51% of the increase in total labor force growth, and women are often better at the new jobs our changing economy is creating. So why are women still paid less than men in similar jobs with similar skills?

“Women who usually worked full time had median weekly earnings of $692, or 79.1 percent of the $875 median for men.” (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

“Women with a Bachelor’s degree earn less over 15 years than men with a high school diploma or less.” (Fitzpatrick)

Slide

Women can change the workplace for the better:

We have an exciting opportunity with this recession; the ability to restructure. Many companies are realizing that their old ways of doing business may not be the most profitable going forward and that new ideas and styles of management may be better going forward. I understand the importance of what we economists call non-pecuniary benefits to employees. Some examples of non-pecuniary benefits of employment are insurance, a flexible work schedule, maternity leave, vacation days, an office by the window, and more. Basically anything that isn’t money that makes working there better. Some employers are beginning to take note to what researchers have been saying for years; happy employees are more productive (Cooper). This means that by making changes in the atmosphere and management style that employers have long believed would cost them money would actually make them more profitable. It turns out that we have a secret weapon in accomplishing this, women.

Definition:

Non-pecuniary: not consisting of money (Merriam-Webster)

Google’s Zurich Office

(Hoax Slayer)

Cont.:

 While feminism is often seen as trying to change the workplace to better accommodate women and allow them to enter it now appears that women changing the workplace would make companies more profitable. The style of management that women bring to the table is where the future is and the benefits that women request or require will help not only women but the entire workforce to be better and more fulfilled. The work/life balance that women want is good for all employees; men just don’t seem to ask for it – either because they are so used to the status quo or because they don’t consider it as important.

Slide

 “…Companies that have achieved rough gender parity in their leadership teams perform dramatically better—as much as 84 percent better—than those companies with no gender parity.” (Theus)

“…Leaders need to tell the majority of men in corporate life that they also need to change, and allow new and different styles of leadership to move in — and up.” (Wittenberg-Cox)

Paid Maternity Leave:

The U.S. is one of the few countries that does not legally mandate paid maternity leave and has one of the shortest leave times. This isn’t just an issue for women, in many of these countries paid maternity leave is legally protected for the mothers AND the fathers; yes, that means that men can take off 14 weeks of paid leave to help take care of their little one. (Beadle) The lack of paid leave in the U.S. is detrimental not only to women’s position in the workforce but to women’s and families wellbeing as 55% of women provide half or more of their families’ income. (International Labour Organization)

Slide

“According to a report by non-governmental organization Save The Children, in countries with longer periods of parental leave, children were found to be breastfed for longer and their life expectancy was higher.” (The Huffington Post Canada)

 

Sexualization of the female form:

Breastfeeding discrimination:

Sexist behavior is everywhere in our culture from the business world where women are seen as less capable than men in many industries to the personal and public sphere where the sexualization of the female form is dominant. Consider breast feeding; formula feeding is the predominant feeding style shown on television and in movies although 70% of women breastfeed their children at least some of the time (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). What is interesting is that breastfeeding is actually recommended versus formula feeding for the health of the child “The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding for at least the first year of life, and the World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding for at least the first two years of life.” (Oregon Health Authority) So this popular and beneficial feeding system that is evolutionarily designed is not shown on almost any TV shows or movies and yet formula feeding is shown quite often, the question that remains is why.

(Breastfeeding in Public)

Cont.:

Since becoming pregnant and deciding to breast feed I have joined several online communities on facebook some of which being “Breast is Best”, “United States Breastfeeding Committee”, “The Badass Breastfeeder”, and more. On these pages I have seen far too many conversations about moms breastfeeding in public (sometimes with a cover and sometimes without, although always decent) and being scorned or mocked and made to feel uncomfortable for doing so. You probably feel uncomfortable with this image – the fact that you feel uncomfortable with this image and this conversation is evidence that sexism exists here so inherent in society that you probably didn’t realize it. Certainly I wouldn’t dare insult a woman who chooses to formula feed, but I will stand up strongly against anyone who criticizes a woman’s personal choices and that includes those who find breastfeeding in public “disgusting”. What is disgusting about feeding your child? We have boobs for a reason and that reason is to feed our offspring, if we choose not to use them for that it’s our prerogative as women but considering it disgusting because breasts are somehow “inherently sexual” is simply ridiculous.

(Moms N Babies)

Cont.:

The problem is that women are scorned for being women, that the natural process of womanhood is seen as disgusting. Giving birth is seen as disgusting. Breastfeeding is seen as disgusting. Emotions are seen as weakness. Everything that makes a woman a woman is seen as something to be kept private and something weak and disgusting. The results of this are many; eating disorders and image problems, women are taught to be sexy and dress to please men, and so on. Men don’t go through nearly as much pain as women and likely couldn’t handle it if they did. The closest pain men experience compared to childbirth is passing a kidney stone which still doesn’t actually come close to the experience of childbirth. How many of you have witnessed a birth? How many of you are cringing right now at that very thought? I won’t show you one here, I promise, but you shouldn’t be afraid of what makes a woman a woman. Women are beautiful and strong and special and should be recognized as such rather than seen as sexual objects for men.

I looked up the ideal woman on Google Images and this was the first image:

(Tbrown)

“What is sexual in one context may not be so in another: an experience becomes sexual by application of socially learned meanings.” (Caplan 2)

(Huffington Post)

Social training:

The reality is that most men and women participate in sexism because they were trained to believe that this behavior is normal. Most women internalize and even perpetuate sexist thoughts and behavior because they have lived their whole lives believing that this behavior is normal and many men participate and ignore sexist behavior for the same reasons. They simply do not realize that what they’re doing is wrong. Does that make it ok? Of course not. Men and women have been trained to believe that sexual entitlement is completely normal and that women’s sexuality is a commodity with which to trade with men. An idea behind this is an anthropological perspective that explains that once land ownership and modern “civilization” began as we know our society transitioned from one of hunter/gatherers to one of production which limited women’s ability to support themselves without the help of men. To add to this a culture of fear was created, women were offered protection by men, but the protection was from other men where violence hadn’t existed previously. This new dimension meant that women now needed men to help provide basic sustenance and protection for them and women could provide sex and children in trade. In order to further this culture a concept of virginism was designed, a good woman was one who kept her sexuality for one man and a woman who didn’t do this was seen as bad. “Getting” a man was seen as the ultimate goal of a woman and keeping him happy was then her womanly job.  This concept helped men to maintain their property; including their woman and their offspring (Workers' Liberty).

Slide

Sexual entitlement:

This view of women’s sexuality continues today in the normalized concept of male sexual entitlement; phrases such as being “friend zoned” or being a “nice guy” show a very socially accepted view of sexual entitlement. The “nice guy” is upset that a certain girl won’t have sex with him despite his continued niceness and being there for her, the guy who is “friend zoned” is upset about a girl not having sex with him also. Very few people hear these terms and think “sexual entitlement” however what right do these men have to expect sex? Why would they be so disappointed if they didn’t think that they somehow deserved sex for their nice behavior? Rape culture is described as the idea that sex without consent is OK in certain circumstances. Rape culture stems from sexual entitlement; the idea that someone is owed sex for whatever reason (Uwujaren). No one is ever owed sex for any reason; sex should be between two consenting adults who both want to have sex. However the idea that men deserve sex in some situations is so inherent in today’s society that most women don’t even think twice about it.

Slide

Cont.:

We can trace this behavior back to its anthropological roots in land ownership and property rights, women being part of this property, however, I have often heard the excuse that “men are slaves to their sex drive”, essentially saying that they have no control and need sex and thus shouldn’t be blamed for their behavior. The idea that men’s sexual entitlement is natural and that women should feed this is not backed by nature or anthropology but rather is an idea created to further the idea of the woman’s place in society. This idea is actually demeaning to men and gives them little identity outside of their sexual desires (Utt). The gender differences are instilled from the time we are children; little boys are taught to be tough and showing emotion is seen negatively while little girls are taught to be submissive and sweet (Fabello).

Slide

What do people think of feminism?

The anti-woman view is so deeply rooted in society that even feminism seems to be trying to escape womanhood, or at least it certainly is in the eyes of anti-feminists. We live in a culture where “womanly traits” have a negative connotation and many non-feminists believe that feminists only want to become men. It is interesting that these anti-feminists fight against feminism but then belittle women; it is as if they are saying “you are less than us and you will stay there”.

Slide

 “The feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians.” Pat Robertson famously said this in the 90s

“They’re out there protesting what they actually wish would happen to them sometimes.”
~Rush Limbaugh, on women who protest against sexual harassment, The Rush Limbaugh Show, April 26, 2004

“Feminism has wreaked havoc on marriage, women, children and men. It is time to redress the disorder it has wrought and that must start with getting the principles and ideals for a new "masculinism" right.” Seminar description, "the New Masculinity," on the Family Research Council website

“Feminists” that are anti-woman:

When my mom was raising her young children she often got rude remarks from in-laws and from people she didn’t even know. She was looked down on for being a stay-at-home-mom, her sister-in-laws would make rude comments about how raising her children was “all” she was doing and how they had good jobs that were “important”. What about raising children isn’t important? While these women were at work someone else was being paid to do all of the things my mother was doing all day long and for free; saving her family money and giving her children better, one on one attention. However these women felt that they were feminists and that they were therefore superior to my mother. Looking down on someone for their choices is the sort of thinking that permeates the idea that feminism is about becoming like men rather than becoming equal to men. The goal of feminism is to rid society of the negative connotations associated with being a woman, this freedom will allow women to participate more freely in society and in business – whatever they choose.

Slide

 “This year, results indicate that stay-at-home moms would earn a base salary of $36,968 plus $78,464 in overtime, totaling $115,432. According to the survey, the typical stay-at-home mom works almost 97 hours a week, spending 13.2 hours as a day-care teacher; 3.9 hours as household CEO; 7.6 hours as a psychologist; 14.1 hours as a chef; 15.4 as a housekeeper; 6.6 hours doing laundry; 9.5 hours as a PC-or-Mac operator; 10.7 hours as a facilities manager; 7.8 hours as a janitor and 7.8 hours driving the family Chevy.” (Goudreau)