Friedan brings emotion and anger to the plight of women in her era of feminism, highlighting a political issue that remained out of the spotlight for far too long. Modern feminists can learn a lot from Friedan as a pioneer for women speaking out for what they believe despite it being unpopular. Though her work mainly discussed the feelings of white middle class women, her work led to a more comprehensive study of oppression on multiple levels, called intersectionality. Though not a politician herself, Friedan was able to take steps towards bringing on meaningful political change, a problem many women are still facing today especially in the abortion debate. Friedan and Gilman’s work have formed the touchstones for the current feminist movements and will continue to play a huge role as women work to advance their rights further in the coming years.
Churchill’s lead character in the play is paradoxically a female misogynist who takes on a stereotypically male business persona who climbs to the top of the corporate ladder. Churchill also offers an interesting take on female pageantry, Post-Feminism of the 1980s, the “New Wave” of Feminism, and English feminism and capitalism under Margaret Thatcher’s rule, as well as family values and the ease and ability to climb the corporate ladder with a child. Churchill has openly acknowledged that Margaret Thatcher’s rise to the position of British primeminster was an important inspiration for writing Top Girls. Churchill is deeply interested in feminism and the constant consequences of the women’s liberation movement. There was a certain irony in Margaret Thatcher’s ascent to power in the wake of feminism, since Thatcher’s policies were deeply conservative and anti-feminist.
According to Marszalek, the Petticoat Affair was “the most famous debate over the meaning of womanhood in American history” (p. 21). Throughout this book, John F. Marszalek tries to prove that the Petticoat Affair was a social struggle based on the traditional roles of women and the beliefs of society, and not as much of a political crisis. Margaret “Peggy” Eaton was the child of an Innkeeper. She was raised as being part of conversation and socializing with her father’s guests, and had an outspoken personality.
In comparison Fay Weldon’s Letters to Alice, written a few centuries after, shows a clear link of how particular concerns, held by society, have altered. A women living in the late 1800’s had very few rights and freedoms. Education was a thing men and if a women engaged in such activities she was at risk of being shunned by society or “left on the shelf.” Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice follows a young girl, Elizabeth Bennet, who struggles against society’s expectations. Being a smart and well educated women, she is somewhat frowned upon, however this has been disguised by Austen through her dialogue. An example is seen near the beginning of the book in which Mr Darcey and Mr Binley’s brother are engaged in polite conversation.
She wrote in “Thinking About Shakespeare’s Sister”, about the acceptable actions that were performed on women specifically to oppress them. Actions life domestic abuse, arranged marriages, and being the property of the males in their lives. This was hundreds of years ago, but somewhere along the way we gradually gained independence and respect. I see this not as a need for an end to feminism. Society claims that we have reached a point where sexism is not existence and feminist are just grasping onto thin air to keep their agenda alive.
This blatant sexism at the start of a woman’s life leads to nothing but a life under a man’s thumb, from her father to later on, her husband. Being from a culture where traditionally there are subtle influences of male dominance, I immediately found this issue to be quite relatable. The way Euripides handles gender inequality in 431 BC, with sarcastic humour and cunningness is something that provided, for me, the spark in Medea, both as a play and as a character. Also, I believe that ancient Greek culture was only by that time beginning to fathom the inner workings of a woman’s mind. I feel inspired to see how open-minded Euripides was about a controversial topic that still causes problems in the 21st century.
It successfully speaks to the audience because she does not harp or preach but rather speaks the thoughts of those in the audience in an open manner that clearly and rationally lets people confront their own beliefs on the issue and understand the laughable stereotypes of the delicacy, dependency, irrationality and inability of women. Howe’s speech points out that contrary to the disillusioned beliefs of anti-suffragist dishes will still be washed and the housework and the woman's role in society will still be preformed if they are allowed to vote. Suffrage will give an audible voice to “the working women in the sweated industries, the underpaid, the underfed women reaching out their arms”(287) crying for help, “it might even alter the conditions under which they live”(287). Howe’s satire demonstrates to the audience that if the ballots were opened to women there would not be pandemonium and women will not “come out of the voting booths and be led away by policemen, and put into ambulances while they are fainting and weeping, half laughing, half crying and having fits”(289).The Voting booths would provide opportunity for women to voice there concerns and women’s issues. The ability to vote would not be a departure from there societal role as the head of the household but be part of their duty so they could voice the concerns of family life and domestic issues strengthening the
Pizan so obviously from the start of her writing, introduces how women should behave (from the perspective of a princess), so that her actions shall be beneficial to her and her husband. By talking about the finances, which is radical, Pizan degrades women in all other aspects. Degrading is used in the sense that she does not promote equality in any other way other than the financial aspect. These women could be considered early feminists if they looked for equality in other things as well not just a specific
The new and improved Cosmopolitan magazine had headlines such as, “So you’re Bored to Death with the Same Old You.” And “Yes, you can change your image.” These headlines are used to influence women to not settle for what they think that they deserve but to go after what they want. Brown and Cosmopolitan helped move society into being more accepting of a woman being comfortable with her sexuality and that she didn’t have to be married to do it. At the time, women were expected to be conservative. Their goal was to find a husband and take care of the housework and stay at home with the children. Brown’s book Sex and the Single Girl took that idea and completely turned it upside down.
SEEING THROUGH THE WALLS During the mid nineteenth century, “domestic ideology” was taking its place in America, spreading the belief that women’s role was to serve as the spiritual and moral leader within the home. With the women being called to rule the domestic domain, this left the men to rule all the areas outside the home. However, toward the end of the nineteenth century, women began to gain momentum toward wanting these two domains to coincide. In her essay “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Charlotte Perkins Gilman speaks out against the social confines in which women are bound, which leaves them feeling powerless with a desire to break free of the monotony of life within the home. The authority John possesses over the narrator by being both