Declaration Of Sentiments

If it is repercussions for all the years, women have had to uphold men’s arrogance and possessiveness, what difference are we to them? Have people not already endured enough misery? How are they promoting feminism with naïve controversy? Thus, we should not need modern feminism, as it is anti-feminist, anti-male, anti-family and anti-equality. Let us not be oppressed by our womanhood!

Katha Pollitt, in her essay, “Marooned on Gilligan’s Island: Are Women Morally Superior to Men?” addresses the topic of how difference feminists actually weaken women. Difference feminists believe that women are morally superior to men. Pollitt was invited to sign a peace petition, but realized it was actually demeaning to women. Throughout her essay, Pollitt discredits several difference feminists by stating the flaws in their claims. The claims difference feminist make are such as the idea that all women are nurturers.

Chisolm states “Discrimination against women, solely on the basis of their sex, is so widespread that is seems to many persons normal, natural and right.” The use of this hasty generalization is to bring attention to a social problem that is going unresolved due to the prevalent behavior in a patriarchal society. During the time this speech was given many employers refused to hire women, because of their core belief that women were physically and mentally inferior than men. This sexist ideolodgy disenfranchised women from many career opportunities and receiving equal or fair pay as their male counterparts. Shirley Chisolm used this fallacy to mock the observed notion that women were naturally incompetent due to their sexual

This demonstrates that multiple women have experienced mistreatment and disrespect by men. To elaborate, this example reveals that women relate to the situation to the extent of it resulting in a murder. The statement “I know how things can be for a women” proves that women have it difficult by their husbands, due to gender stereotypes. This gender stereotype is also discussed in “Philosophical and Political Issues Surrounding Gender.” The main argument of this source is that women are viewed as lesser than men, even though women have accomplished a lot in society. The effects of this gender discrimination is that women are powerless when it comes to many roles in society.

When gender equality was an issue, women often felt oppressed as this ideal was still reaching other minorities. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, one of the contributing authors of this declaration, critiqued the powerlessness of women in marriage: “In the covenant of marriage, she is compelled to promise obedience to her husband, he becoming, to all intents and purposes, her master--the law giving him power to deprive her of her liberty, and to administer chastisement.” (citation)The indicated exemplifies the American Ideal, liberty because, in the Declaration of Sentiments, women feel oppressed by men´s authority in the patriarchal society that they live in. This declaration has asked for the liberation of women that shaped America forever. Moreover, “Having deprived her of this first right of a citizen, the elective franchise, thereby leaving her without representation in the halls of legislation, he has oppressed her on all sides” (Stanton). Once again, women mention oppression which is completely against the liberties and inalienable rights they have been guaranteed as citizens.

In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, he uses the girls to show how human drives for supreme power have a negative influence because people look up to that person for everything, if there is a mistake everyone will know about it, and how power shouldn’t be what life is based around. Power isn't always a good thing and shouldn't be what his/her goal is in

I have also heard men from my own race say these type of things to women. It really upsets me that they would belittle our color and that they have set a standard for what should be considered pretty in their own group of people. Why can’t we just be considered and referred to as “beautiful women” not categorized by what is accepted in our own race. When I hear these kinds of remarks it makes me feel like our own people are setting us back. We shouldn’t depreciate our own people.

Gender Lens CSE: While looking at Persepolis through a gender lens, we can see how the women are objectified in their society, through the fundamentalist regime. The forcing of the veils causes the Iranian women to be seen as the lesser gender, with pleasing men as their sole purpose in society. It says that “To protect women from potential rapists they decreed that wearing the veil was obligatory. ‘Women’s hair emanate rays that excite men. That’s why women should cover their hair!’” (74, 7).

Lastly, the author induced voluntary thoughts from the readers regards to this matter. In the last paragraph, the author questions the readers that may sound obvious and even stupid to some degrees: “Are women persons?”. Obviously women are human, and it may seem as if there is no need to answer this questions. But, all the disfranchisement and inequality that prevailed at that time, limited the human rights of woman. Thus, this rhetorical question was intentionally manipulated by the author to emphasize the apparent ironic situation, thus stressing the need for the change.

The obstructions that fuel the resistance of the movement include heavily negative connotations created by the media that are dismissive or aggressive in nature. One of the major problems behind this is the belief that feminism no longer holds relevance in today's society because gender equality has already been obtained, even with the continuing battling of issues such as the wage gap and reproductive rights (de las Fuentes, 2006). Another common argument used to oppose feminism today is the belief/misconception that gender equality is not represented by feminism. It is, rather, the empowerment of women over men and the want to dismantle the patriarchy in favour for matriarchy. This belief is solidified by the emergence of the Men's Rights Movement in the 1970s, close to the time of the emergence of the third wave.