Do we still need Feminism in America today? The role of women has shifted over the course of American history. Examining this history defines today’s feminism, and its application. The definition of “what it means to be a woman” is not linear or stagnant, but always in motion, always shifting in its rules and expectations.
The traditional homemaker archetype is engrained in Western culture. Women were taught that they were weaker than their male counterparts and the best method of survival came from marriage and submission. “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:22-33 King James Bible) Colonial ministers frequently lectured their congregation on the importance of the patriarchy using such passages. But, the colonial woman, in some ways, was more powerful and less expendable than today’s woman. Life in America was harsh for the Colonists. It took both a husband and wife to survive. “The colonial farmwife actually enjoyed considerable status within her family because she manufactured many of the things her husband and children needed to survive and contributed greatly to the family fortunes.” (Collins, 4) But, as our country shifted into the industrial revolution many families moved away from the wilderness and into cities. Within the cities the duties of the wife changed from self sustainment and the manufacturing of goods to housework, child rearing, and cooking. To regain their lost stature, “women were given the morality franchise.” (Collins, 5) Still seen as intellectually inferior, women were considered incapable of assisting in the competitive marketplace of the Victorian era. Men were making self serving, cut throat decisions in order to survive and women were seen as the guardians of morality in the household- not to be exposed to the corrupted world. Victorian women and children were sequestered away from the society of men. It was both flattering and dangerous for women to be viewed as so pure, yet so dependent. But despite the obvious dangers (abuse, abandonment, failure) of a woman completely dependent on a husband to protect and provide for her, this was the Western model for family structure that continued into the 19th century.
The post civil war era brought change to the family structure. Many women were left widowed. Widows, former slaves, and rural farmwives were forced to work to provide for their families. But, middle and upperclass women were still, as a rule, expected to stay in the home whenever possible. This rule was not only a norm, but law, as the American legal system had regulations in place that made it impossible for women to act independently from men.
No matter how flattering and bolstered the image of the protected, provided for, mother-wife who lived her life on the pedestal of purity and beauty could be, the reality of the thousands of abused and oppressed women could not be ignored. A call for change became organized in the United States for the first time in 1848 when a gathering focused on Women’s Rights was held in Seneca Falls. The core organizers of the Seneca Falls convention were a stay at home mother named Elizabeth Cady Stanton and an abolitionist named Lucretia Mott. About 100 people, both men and women, were in attendance and their petition was for equality between the genders. Their efforts would eventually lead to women’s suffrage and legislative changes that allowed women to begin to get their footing in the uphill climb for equality. (http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/WIC/Historical-Essays/No-Lady/Womens-Rights/, July 2015)
Despite the progress made by the Women’s suffrage movement, women continued to be treated as less qualified, less successful, and less desirable in the workplace. With the advent of television came another shift for women’s role in the household. Television and the advertisements it delivered to the population effectively modeled the “right way” to be a woman in America. By the 1950’s the middle class was moving to the suburbs. Women were encouraged to attend a college, but only to meet a well educated husband. Women were also advised to work, but only until they were married and in positions that were deemed acceptable for a woman. (Collins, 17) Commercials glorifying the triumphs of a clean house, a home cooked meal, and a cared for husband flooded American homes. Women were assured, marry right and lead a happy life.
“A problem that has no name”- that is the signature phrase that author Betty Friedan used to describe the pervasive unhappiness that plagued American housewives in the 1960s. She investigated this national dilemma in her influential book, The Feminine Mystique. In 1957, Friedan surveyed her female former Smith College classmates at their 15th anniversary reunion. The survey was commissioned by McCall’s magazine and Friedan, a free lance writer in New York, had been asked to write an article defending the benefit of a college education for a happy, well rounded, housewife. (Collins, 58) Unfortunately for McCall, the results of her survey did not support their agenda. The majority of the women reported feeling depressed and trapped. Friedan, herself a stay at home mother of three, felt no different than her peers. So, rather than writing the article, she researched psychology and media influence to uncover what was causing all the unhappiness. Her findings were published in 1963 on the pages of The Feminine Mystique, which has been recognized as a catalyst for the second wave of feminism in the United States. (Temple, 2013)
Friedan’s work resonated with the women of the 60s because she was brave enough to write a confession that lay behind thousand’s of women’s lips- they wanted more. These women were living lives that were lavish in comparison to many cultures, but their mental health was suffering. Sylvia Plath opened a door into her troubled mind when she wrote “The Bell Jar.” Plath described a wildly successful woman for her time, a writer, living in New York after winning a writing contest, who was slowly driven into madness as she faced the dilemma of navigating through a world of contradictions. She was to remain pure, yet sexually assaulted. Her writing talent, her education, her travel would all be secondary to the importance of finding a husband. The prospect of marriage, and the meaninglessness of her accomplishments hung around her neck like an anchor. Her sadness became depression and she was institutionalized. Even in the asylum, Plath highlighted the pressure to be married would not be negated when she included a conversation between the protagonist and Buddy Willard (her former fiancé) to ask, “ ‘I wonder who you’ll marry now, Esther. Now you’ve been… here” And of course I didn’t know who would marry me now that I’d been where I had been. I did not know at all.” (Plath, 241) Is it fiction or fact to assume having your value only measured by your marital status could have driven women of previous eras to madness?
Fast forward to today, and we see a clear divide between those who support and those who reproach modern day feminism. Author, Caitlin Moran quips, “We need to reclaim the word 'feminism'. We need the word 'feminism' back real bad. When statistics come in saying that only 29% of American women would describe themselves as feminist - and only 42% of British women - I used to think, What do you think feminism IS, ladies? What part of 'liberation for women' is not for you? Is it freedom to vote? The right not to be owned by the man you marry? The campaign for equal pay? 'Vogue' by Madonna? Jeans? Did all that good shit GET ON YOUR NERVES? Or were you just DRUNK AT THE TIME OF THE SURVEY?” (How to be a Woman, Moran) So, if the percentage Moran states is accurate, why do the majority of today’s women shy away from labeling themselves as feminist?
In my opinion, the fear of becoming undesirable as a mother or wife is still associated with feminism. When feminism was in its early development women had to act radically to change their position in the world. Many times that meant denouncing the traditional life of motherhood and marriage. In the past, women could not have both marriage, children, and ambition. Virginia Woolf suggested that in order to be successful a woman can not spend her time caring for children and the household; but must go alone in the world with her own money and room. The full excerpt is included below.
“Now my belief is that [Shakespeare’s sister] who never wrote a word and was buried at the cross–roads still lives. She lives in you and in me, and in many other women who are not here to–night, for they are washing up the dishes and putting the children to bed. But she lives; for great poets do not die; they are continuing presences; they need only the opportunity to walk among us in the flesh. This opportunity, as I think, it is now coming within your power to give her. For my belief is that if we live another century or so—I am talking of the common life which is the real life and not of the little separate lives which we live as individuals—and have five hundred a year each of us and rooms of our own; if we have the habit of freedom and the courage to write exactly what we think; if we escape a little from the common sitting–room and see human beings not always in their relation to each other but in relation to reality… if we face the fact, for it is a fact, that there is no arm to cling to, but that we go alone and that our relation is to the world of reality and not only to the world of men and women, then the opportunity will come and the dead poet who was Shakespeare’s sister will put on the body which she has so often laid down.” (A Room of One’s Own, Woolf)
Now, it is possible to be married, have children, and pursue a career without the prohibitive obstacles Woolf would have faced. But, even today, the image of an unmarried, childless, woman grinding against social norms and becoming outcasted still lingers in our society when the word feminism is discussed. Modern feminism does not denounce marriage completely- it just demands that it is a partnership of equals. It does not suggest that motherhood is out of the question- it reminds women that motherhood is not the only option. Many women still want to be married, they still want to be mothers, and they want the opportunity to pursue their academic and professional goals. These things are not mutually exclusive.
Another fear that is still associated with feminism is that it is against men.
True feminism is not a woman’s issue, as it focuses on gender equality. It’s a human issue. Feminism is sometimes viewed as threatening to our society’s structure. It has been called emasculating for men. But, feminism has always focused on equality of the genders. Yet, there is still risk in labeling yourself in a way that many view as unpopular.
“Feminism doesn’t really have a philosophy. It’s barely even an ideology. It’s mostly just a series of temper tantrums thrown by a small, privileged minority. And, unless it changes, it will soon be irrelevant.” (French, 2014)
If feminism did become irrelevant and we stopped progress, the U.S. would still be the only developed country with no paid maternity leave. Women’s healthcare will still depend on which political party has control. Women will continue making 77 cents on the dollar. Little boys will still be limited on their preferences for colors, toys, activities, in fear that they are too “girly”. Sexual violence against men and women will remain disturbingly high (1 in 6 American women will be raped in their lifetimes). Graphic violence, and sexualization of women will still be aired on television and the internet as if its normal. These are the reasons we need feminism.
Relationships can thrive as partnerships. Two people contributing, growing, and enjoying one another. Men need to support women, as women need to support men, as men need to support men, as women need to support women. When we stop battling each other, think of how we could work together.
“But as the years went on, I realized that what I really want to be, all told, is a human. Just a productive, honest, courteously treated human.” (How to be a Woman, Moran)
References
Collins, G. (2009). When Everything Changed. New York: Back Bay Books
Moran, C. (2012). How to be a Woman. New York: Harper Perennial.
Plath, S.(1971). The bell jar. New York: Harper & Row.
Woolf, V. (1989)A Room of One's Own. San Diego: Harcourt, Brace & Company.
A Reading List of One’s Own: 10 Essential Feminist Books theatlantic.com Emily Temple Feb 20, 2013
History, Art & Archives, U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Historian, Women in Congress, 1917–2006. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2007. “The Women’s Rights Movement, 1848–1920,” http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/WIC/Historical-Essays/No-Lady/Womens-Rights/ (July 27, 2015)
French, David Modern Feminism: Appalling stupidity backed by hysterical rage, National Review November 17 2014 nationalreview.com
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