History and Background Information
Feminism is essential in achieving women empowerment and not waging war between men and women. Most societies across the world focus on masculine dominance. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, in her book We Should All Be Feminists bespeaks of the challenges facing feminism. People have different perceptions about feminism that destroys its value and meaning in the society. However, the value and position of women in societal setup is relevant and requires evaluation. While the primary obstacles of feminism in the contemporary world include misunderstanding of the role of feminism, inequality in financial freedom affecting women, inadequate access to leadership positions, violence against women, and social inequality, the main hope is that the society should embrace feminism as a way of women empowerment and not competition.
History and Background Information
Women suffrage is primarily the major historical event that culminated into the concept of feminism. Women fought for their rights in different scales. In historic times, the role of females included working at home and supporting their husbands. The culture extended to political spheres of influence, where women had restrictions of contesting in public positions and exercising the democratic rights of voting (Porter and Munn 248-251). Besides, women could not advance their careers, depending on men for financial establishment. These concerns questioned the ability of men in achieving the success required in managing various aspects of life. For instance, the Great Recession and World War I prompted women to raise queries on men’s ability to make rational decisions. This period experienced the rise of women suffrage, extending beyond vrights to female independence.
As noted in Porter and Munn (248), the 19th Amendment was a significant step towards an open discussion about feminism. The researchers articulated the relevance of the 100th anniversary of this hallmark legal decision in discussing the involvement of women in civic affairs (Porter and Munn 248). Women suffrage may develop the sense of women marching across the streets of major cities. However, the movement promoted the understanding of a broad scope in feminism. Feminist movements were mainly involved in getting opportunities for empowerment in different spaces. When these groups achieved their economic and political objectives, they realized the significance of female independence. They extended their struggle beyond the recession, including their position in the corporate world. However, the rise in feminism during the woman suffrage significantly considered the White women.
The rise of feminism continued during the Civil Rights Movement era. The 20th century experienced a flux of groups fighting for human rights. The female groups were among these movements. According to Duran (65), Black feminism was influential during this period. The social aspect had a strong link to the fight against racial discrimination, as Black females rose against racial imperialism. Duran (66) provides an adequate evaluation of Anne Moody, a woman from Mississippi who fought against the unequal status quo during the Civil Rights Movement. Moody underscores the role of feminism in the struggle against racial segregation. The social discrimination prompted the Black women to consider using diverse tactics to help their male counterparts overcome injustice.
The development of sisterhood became a threat to the society. Sisterhood involved women working together with other women (Moses 760). This aspect has been powerful, though harder to attain or maintain (Moses 760). Women advocating for respect faced several challenges. For instance, Moses (760) assesses how anti-prostitution politics resulted in hate against women in the nineteenth century. Women undergo criticisms in most social issues involving sexuality. For instance, the issue of abortion is of significant concern in many countries. Groups against abortion concentrate on the rights of the fetus. However, feminist societies encourage abortion for women’s stability. They believe that a financially unstable woman should not keep a child. She has an opportunity of accepting or rejecting the pregnancy maintenance. These aspects raised concerns about the authority females have when making an extensive decision affecting multiple societal stakeholders.
Besides, the world has questioned the rise of feminism as it equals to enmity to masculine dominance. Since time memorial, men have controlled various positions in every societal makeup. They have control over the political influence. They make decisions that would affect women. However, the contemporary world has experienced advocacy for representation in legal institutions. Women still demand for increased female positions in legal-making bodies across the globe. Therefore, such incidences prompt concerns about gender disparities in these areas. For instance, during their struggle to get voting opportunities, questions arise on how the considerations women take when voting for a political leader. Most women still get influenced by their husbands in making political decisions.
Obstacles of Feminism
First, humanity fails to understand the primary objective of feminism. People view humanity as a threat to men. Therefore, people see women as having a strong sense of feminism as enemies of female submission. According to Adichie (1), being strict in her speech, earned her the title feminist. As she grew up, Okoloma’s reference to her feminism felt as an insult. As Adichie (1) puts it, his tone was not a compliment. Men view feminists as females that are possessed by fighting for space. They are independent, unmarried women that cannot submit to any man. However, society fails to understand that women need space to develop, and each individual ought to support this aim. Adichie’s work mentions how humans should embrace feminism by appreciating the role of women in society.
Besides, feminist misunderstanding stems from women striving to be activists. Mackay (97) describes the role of British revolutionary feminism. Women fighting for their rights raise awareness on their intentions for freedom. Advocacy among females mainly concentrates on her position within communal setups. However, they may extend their advocacy to limits affecting the males. For instance, creating a revolution would question the specific intentions of women in achieving freedom. Men rarely meet to discuss how they can continue dominating their wives. Yet, women meet to discuss how they can support their husbands while creating stability in different measures.
Second, feminism faces challenges from the inequality in financial freedom affecting women. Financial stability is a common goal for all. However, the rise in competition for resources increases the risk of women facing feminist attacks. The public appreciates the financial endowment of men but questions the performance of women. For instance, Adichie (4) explains how a security guard appreciated her friend Louis for her tip. The guard felt that the money Adichie gave her was Louis’s. Besides, financial freedom among females is a concern as they would develop pride while thrashing submission. Also, they get lower salaries as compared to their male counterparts in the same position. Adichie (5) explains the payment disparity between males and females in the US. The Lilly Ledbetter law is significant in curbing these challenges. However, bridging the gap may take a considerable period.
The third obstacle is inadequate access to higher positions of leadership. Women face struggles to head corporate institutions or get top roles in society. Individuals believe that women should be secretaries and personal assistants to men. They should also not hold senior positions. Adichie (3) experienced gender discrimination by her teacher, who refused to make her a class monitor, yet she had the highest performance. Women fail to reach their career potential due to inferiority complex issues. Before any promotion, most companies or institutions consider gender as a primary factor for continuity. Climbing the corporate ladder is a challenge for women due to their family roles. Corporate boards expect aspects such as maternity and family obligations among women to prevent them from reaching their targets. They would be absent during the time of need. Therefore, organizations target males who can influence their teams using authoritative means.
Violence against women is another challenge facing contemporary feminism. In the past, the society put women into submission to men under all circumstances. Women would suffer abuse as they had no say. In the current world, however, human rights activists raise awareness of gender-based violence. While men are also victims, women suffer more due to their physical strength. Men have well-built physiques as compared to women. Therefore, they face violence in different forms. Adichie (2) explains how she met criticism for writing a story about a man beating his wife. Under normal circumstances, such occurrences result from the ability of man expressing his might against the woman. However, many fail to underscore the value of communication. While women ought to be submissive, men have no right to hit them.
Another concern is social inequality between males and females. Domestic labor is mainly a women affair. Regardless of the career development in women, they still have to strain while offering support to their families. Adichie () describes the struggle of a career woman as she has to balance between house chores and her job. However, the husband puts little effort into helping her with the daily house duties. Still, the author describes how parents inform a girl to prepare a meal for her hungry brother. They consider the boy’s superiority on a gender basis. These aspects are still prevalent in the contemporary world. The allocation of labor in the family setup raises concerns on gender superiority for males while women suffer.
Counter Argument Refuting Opponents’ Arguments
While the fight for feminism is essential in empowering females, society faces challenges as a result of feminism.
First, feminists shift focus from women empowerment to compete against men. While individuals concentrate on building women to achieve greater heights, they are their enemies. Most feminists consider financial freedom and human rights as the ability to make decisions without engaging their partners. In most cases, they even replace marriage with liberty. In most cultures, the husband is the head, while the woman should be supportive. A man should respect his wife and support her in decision-making. However, women refuse submission and demand to make their decisions. While human civilization maintains cultural freedom, aspects such as religion are unavoidable. Religion is one social facet acclaiming the value of man in the family. He must get the respect he deserves as he shows love and support to the woman. In these aspects, women cannot surpass men’s authority. Men should always protect their families in financial, security, and political dimensions.
Second, women rising in ranks consider ego, thus failing to listen to subordinates. Women with power have a strong sense of egocentrism. Female CEOs tend to maintain their presence and remind their subjects about their potential. When they get top positions, the fear of getting toppled causes them to create aggression. They consider being bossy to maintain their respect. This aspect results from the threat of getting disrespected. These working conditions raise concerns about whether the society needs to appreciate feminism. Every individual deserves respect, regardless of their gender. However, women cannot win the feminism war they keep on creating an environment of anxiety when they get top positions. Besides, they create hostility among themselves. Women leaders tend to overlook their colleagues in lower positions. They feel threatened by the ability of other women to take their places. Therefore, while addressing feminism, women should understand their role in a peaceful development of freedom.
Conclusion
Feminism is an essential social aspect that needs urgent attention. The concept requires adequate evaluation in empowering women. The main target is to leverage resources for development in women in economic, political, and career scales. While advocating for feminism may create gender struggles, women deserve empowerment. They are the backbone of the society. They are capable of influencing development. They act as supporting roles in enhancing economic, political, corporate, and social growth. Failure to consider feminism would prevent men from achieving their targets. Empowering women does not make them heads. Instead, it helps in stabilizing a society through diverse perspectives. For instance, a career woman would support her husband in taking care of the family’s financial needs. Therefore, Adichie’s perception of every individual being feminist is not just beneficial but also influential. Humanity should support women to help establish a cycle of development in the society.