The Evolution of Feminism

This past year was the year of feminism. With Beyonce performing at the MTV Music Awards in front of the word "Feminist" and famous actresses proclaiming themselves proud feminists, feminism has engrained itself in pop culture and resulted in the talk of women's equality being at an all time high (at least within my lifetime). What used to seem like a dirty word is now a label that people aren't shying away from.

Women's rights have been argued for before, but it is interesting to see how time has changed perspectives on feminists. White Privilege and Male Privilege by Peggy McIntosh was written in 1988, and even though the conversation on feminism has evolved since then her views on female inequality are still pertinent to today's society. McIntosh's claim that "men's unwillingness to grant that they are overprivileged" (McIntosh 95) is bold, but accurate. In the time that has passed since the writing of McIntosh's article men are still saying that "they will work to improve women's status" but they still "can't or won't support the idea of lessening men's [status]" (McIntosh 96).

More men are defining themselves as feminists, however there is still a huge disparity between men and women, especially in the work place. Not only are men and women viewed differently due to preconceived gender norms, but the failure to obtain equal pay is a huge source of controversy. According to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2013 women who worked full time earned, on average, only 78 cents for every dollar men earned. With women of color the figures are even worse with African Americans earning only 64 cents and Latinas earning only 56 cents per dollar in comparison to white males ("Equal Pay for Equal Work").

I believe the reasoning for this persisting discrepancy in pay can be summed up in the arguments made by Linda Alcoff in Epistemologies of Ignorance.  Alcoff discusses both an unintentional and a willful ignorance of the dominant class. While Alcoff makes the arguments that gender differences are culturally specific and people are both limited and enabled by the specifies of their locations, her third argument about the dominant social class is most applicable to the discussion of workplace inequality. According to Alcoff not only do men "have less interest in raising critical questions about male dominance" but they have "'a positive interest in seeing the world wrongly'"(Alcoff 47).

As women become more career minded with the change in era, men have strong motivators to keep with the status quo. They have a definite positive interest in remaining on top of the career ladder. However we are no longer living in the days of "Mad Men". The stay at home mom ideal is dwindling, and men's willful ignorance is being tested. Campaigns, like the "HeForShe" campaign by Emma Watson, are drawing global attention to the taboo subject of women's equality. Women are striving to break down stereotypes, and while the inequality of women in comparison to men remains a hot topic it has most certainly evolved since the writing of McIntosh's article. It is being widely talked about and endorsed, and that is the first step to addressing these issues head on. I believe that celebrity endorsement is also furthering the movement and encouraging young women and men to pave a new path to equality that has evaded previous generations.

I am attaching the video of Emma Watson's UN Speech advocating "HeForShe". I think it is a powerful example of the positive impact that pop culture and celebrity can have, because I think that this speech spurred hard discussions about equality last year. I think it brings up the hardest part of the debate for equality, which is that "fighting for women's rights has too often become synonymous with man-hating" (Watson). I think Watson's claim that feminism has become synonymous with "man-hating" is true, and I think that this claim ties to Alcoff's argument of willful ignorance. The ignorance of the dominant group (men) results in the immediate frustration of women and often closes doors of discussion due to the tense hostility that results from accusation. However, in order for equality to become a reality, this frustration needs to be overcome. It is not a man's fault that he was born into a dominant position in society and insinuating this does not help contribute to the cause. It is important to acknowledge that women are not the only ones being held back by their gender. Watson states: "we don't often talk about men being imprisoned by gender stereotypes but I can see that they are and that when they are free, things will change for women as a natural consequence" (Watson).

I think the discussion on equality has been started, in fact it has actually been ongoing for a while. But I think that as a society we are finally at the point where changes might start being made. The unintentional ignorance of men has been disturbed and now it is time to see if men are willing to give up some of their status in order to obtain true equality, or if they will persist in willful ignorance due to their positive interest in male privilege.

Equal Pay for Equal Work article
Emma Watson Speech Transcript