Today is March 8th (the day this blog is out). It is International Women’s day, a day where we celebrate women and the way they have impacted society. The idea of this day is to promote equality, regardless of gender and race. Society has seen tremendous progress in the role of women in the workforce. Gender identity has become more accepted in recent years, tough more work needs to be done. As gender roles has changed, let’s look at where feminism stands in 2022, and a personal opinion on this subject.
History
Historically, women did not have the rights they enjoy today. For instance, women were not allowed to vote in Canadian Federal elections until 1918 when the Electoral Franchise upon women act was passed. Women also did not have any high ranking positions in the job force. Most women were told to get married and become a homemaker while the husband goes to work. With the rise of female power in the 20th century, what has happened to change things?
Since the late 1800s, a series of waves has changed the face of feminism. The first wave began in the nineteenth century when voting rights against women was raised. It wasn’t until 1920 when the nineteenth amendment was passed in the United States was when women could vote. The second wave of feminism of the mid-to-late twentieth century was concentrated on discrimination based on gender as well as sexism and birth control. The late 1990s saw a third wave of feminism during the Anita Hill Senate hearings. Hill accused a supreme court nominee of sexually harassing her. The hearings bought in a new era of activism. For more on the history of the feminist movement, click here.
Today
Although progress has been made, a majority of U.S. adults do not believe that the country is giving women equal rights with men. Most people believe that women still are not being treated equally with men. In terms of where feminism stands today, the main priorities for feminists in 2022 are abortion rights, racial equity, voting rights, LGBT Rights, among others. For more on current feminist issues, click here.
Personal Opinion
As an individual, I personally feel that everyone should be equal. There is no need to discriminate anyone based on gender and race. Feminism has came along day from its original roots in the nineteenth century. It’s interesting that women were not allowed to vote just because of who they are. I personally find that appalling and sad.
I just hope that the feminist movement doesn’t make men any less powerful. The feminist movement may seem like it is to take over males, but the purpose of this movement is to make the voice of women heard. Movements like #metoo may portray men as sexual predators. As a white caucasian male, it’s pretty embarrassing to see men with power behaving like animals towards women who are just doing their jobs and do not want any trouble. It’s important to note that most men do not believe in that kind of behaviour. I just hope there will be a day where everyone feels comfortable around one another, and not to fear on getting in trouble or being harassed around.
Wishing all my female readers, and all my readers for that matter, a Happy International Women’s Day!
Until my next blog post, take care and thanks for reading.
Robert Toto
Blogger
Robert's blog 