Feminism, Abortion and Disability: irreconcilable differences?

There has been considerable discussion of the political allegiance between the feminist and disability movements, but the question of abortion remains a thorny one. Disability rights advocates have been keen to demonstrate that it is possible to believe in a woman's right to sovereignty over the body and, yet, be opposed to the selective abortion of an impaired foetus – describing the latter as a form of 'weak' eugenics. The aim of this paper is to show that whilst there may be some points of agreement between the feminist and disability movements on the question of abortion, there exist fundamental and irreconcilable differences

Neoliberal Feminism: The Only Approach

Throughout its history, feminism has manifested in myriad ways; indeed, there are more than ten different categories of feminist thought, all of which seek to define the tenets and objectives of feminism as a movement. These groups include, but are not limited to: radical feminism, eco feminism, third wave feminism, postmodern feminism, liberal feminism, and psychoanalytic feminism. It is important to note that these divisions are not mutually exclusive - one can identify with multiple types of feminist thought at the same time. Given the variety of beliefs attached to the notion of feminism, academic scholarship on the subject is naturally diverse and sometimes contradictory. In fact, both ideological and strategic debates have always existed within the movement, though their content has changed as feminism has evolved and adapted to modern circumstances. Today, a vibrant discourse exists concerning the differences between liberal feminism and neo-liberal feminism. This modern perspective on feminism questions neo-liberal feminism’s necessity as well as its potentially damaging implications. In addition, this conversation also inquires into the relationship between conservatism and feminism, and whether or not it is possible to be a conservative feminist. A case study in which 8 subjects of varying political affiliations were interviewed about these topics suggests support for neo-liberal feminism’s market-based approach as well as an acceptance of a new category of feminist thought: conservative feminis

The “F” Word?: An Analysis of the State of Feminism in the United States Today

Feminism is the attempt to reduce or eliminate patriarchy, or male rule by birthright. While this struggle for gender equality may seem straightforward, there are different “strains” of feminism that advocate different approaches to achieving feminist goals. The prevailing literature surrounding the state of modern feminism is vast —- often varying by the author’s political values, age relative to the early women’s rights movements, and beliefs about whether or not sex-based equality has been achieved. This paper, developed primarily from scholarly literature about modern feminism, will integrate findings from interviews with six women (three who are current students at Gettysburg College and three who are recent college graduates in the workforce) about their perceptions of feminism in order to introduce a theory of Postfeminist Dualism that aims to describe the state of feminism today. Postfeminist Dualism posits that there exists a divide between women who work intersectionally to reclaim the liberatory nature of traditional feminism and those who use the principles of feminism to justify personal advancement

Between the waves: currents in contemporary feminist thought

With a continuing focus on liberal feminism, Marxist feminism and essentialism, one would be forgiven for thinking that feminist theory is unable to break free from the ‘second wave’. This is not the case. This article reviews three books which take on these feminist issues and offer new readings on the questions at the heart of feminism. Each provides clear links to feminism of the past but also connects to present debate and makes suggestions for future directions for feminism. There is plenty of literature which bemoans the end of feminism and some which triumphantly hails our era as post-feminist: no longer in need of feminist theory. Contrary to such claims, each book tackles the problem of women’s oppression from a different perspective, each presents different solutions and in so doing they demonstrate that feminism is alive and well

Sex and the city: a postfeminist point of view? Or how popular culture functions as a channel for feminist discourses

The existing literature concerning post feminism shows a diversity of ideas among scholars; a polarization between opponents and supporters becomes salient. By rearticulating post feminism as a fundament of third-wave feminism and situating it within the context of the 21st century (Genz, 333-353), we endeavor a more revisited vision on the representation of post feminism in popular culture. Post feminism is a new form of empowerment, adjusted to the contemporary societal context. It focuses on agency, freedom, sexual pleasure, consumer culture, fashion, hybridism, humor, and a renewed focus on the female body. In popular media texts, the fiction series Sex and the City is often considered a signboard of post feminist discourse. In this article, we analyze the representation of post feminism in Sex and the City. Using an in-depth thematic film analysis, we analyzed whether and how post feminist themes are presented in the series

Feminism and Feminisms: The Prospect of Censorship

Given the diversity and division of women according to class, face, ethnicity, religion, age and other social factors, we must expect and accept conflict and contradiction within feminism. I refer here broadly to feminism as a school of thought and as a political movement aiming to improve the lot of women (Black, 1989). Current theorizing about the social construct, gender, is inspired by the contradictions inherent in feminism (Scott, 1983). They fuel a constructive dialogue but they aIso contain the threat of censorship. There is the tendency to disregard the right to dissenting voices within feminism, to suppress internal questioning and contestation in favour of an appearance of consensus on a particular version of feminism. In bell hooks\u27 words: Feminism has its party line and women who feel a need for a different strategy, a different foundation, often find themselves ostracized and silenced- (hooks, 1984, p.9)

The Third Wave\u27s Break from Feminism

Janet Halley proves that third-wave feminism is wrong - wrongly described, that is. Young feminists in the United States tout a third wave of feminism that is hip, ironic and playful - the supposed opposite of the dour and strident second wave of 1970\u27s feminism. Goodbye frumpy sandals; hello sexy fishnets, according to third-wave feminism. Initially young women themselves (and now writers and scholars) embraced a pervasive wave metaphor to convey the belief that differences within feminism are generational. Youth crashes against (and ultimately overtakes) its elders. But rifts within feminism cannot be so neatly explained. The story is more complicated than third-wave vs. second-wave, young vs. old, fertile vs. menopausal. The wave metaphor obscures a more complicated story of the power of labels. Feminism is such mighty label that third-wave feminists want to remake it and Janet Halley wants to take a break from it. In spite of their different vocabulary, though, third-wave feminists and Janet Halley share similar goals and methods. Feminism has no use as a label - a theory, even - unless it yields to the complex realities of human experience. This essay explores the goals that third-wave feminists and Janet Halley share. They have similar purposes and methodologies, but they differ in the vocabulary they use to describe their goals. Third-wave feminists embrace the feminist label when Halley wants to leave it aside, at least temporarily. The core idea of both third-wave feminism and Janet Halley\u27s Split Decisions is a departure from a certain kind of feminism - a feminism does not account in a meaningful way for some women\u27s desires for sex, subordination and (sometimes) sex that is subordinating. Third-wave feminists and Janet Halley and third-wave feminists share an affection for the interstitial, the spaces between theory and experience. That space remains unexplored and messy - with no neat division between waves or breaks to be made

Finding Common Feminist Ground: The Role of the Next Generation in Shaping Feminist Legal Theory

This article explores the ways in which current feminist frameworks are dividing the women’s movement along generational lines, thereby inhibiting progress in the struggle for gender equality. Third-wave feminists, or the generation of feminists that came of age in the 1990s and continues today, have been criticized for focusing on personal stories of oppression and failing to influence feminist legal theory. Yet this critique presupposes that third-wave feminism is fundamentally different from the feminism of past generations. In contrast, this article argues that third-wave feminism is rooted in the feminist legal theory developed in the prior generation. This article demonstrates that the third-wave appears to be failing to influence feminist legal theory not because it is theoretically different, but because third-wave feminists approach activism in such a different way. For example, third-wavers envision “women’s issues” broadly, and rely on new tactics such as online organizing. Using the case study of Spark, a nonprofit organization employing third-wave activism to support global grassroots women’s organizations, this article provides a model of this new brand of feminism in practice. This article proposes the adoption of social justice feminism, which advocates casting a broader feminist net to capture those who have been traditionally neglected by the women’s movement, such as low-income women and women of color. Social justice feminism is a way to broaden the focus from a rights-based approach to an examination of the dynamics of power and privilege that continue to shape women’s lives even when legal rights to equality have been won. Adopting social justice feminism can be a way to bridge second- and third-wave feminism and create a more robust and unified feminist movement, thereby mending the divisions that currently prevent unification in the women’s movement

Ecodevelopment, Gender, and Empowerment: Perspectives from India’s Protected Area Communities

Book abstract: Feminism has re-shaped the way we think about equality, power relations and social change. Recent feminist scholarship has provided new theoretical frameworks, methodologies and empirical analyses of how gender and feminism are situated within the development process.Global Perspectives on Gender and Space: Engaging Feminism and Development draws upon this framework to explore the effects of globalization on development in diverse geographical contexts. It explores how women’s and men’s lives are gendered in specific spaces as well as across multiple landscapes