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historydepartment · Site Admin Joined: 14 Sep 2009 Posts: 8

Hello scholars of the U.S. Womens' Movements!

Please register, log in and respond to this post with one of the answers you received last night!

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edeangelis · Joined: 14 Oct 2009 Posts: 25

What is feminism?

F. Age: 53
Feminism is the belief that women are equal to men in all things, and should have the same opportunities and rights that men have... Choices as to what you do and what you pursue based on what's important to you, and not your gender.

asteward · Joined: 14 Oct 2009 Posts: 27

F, age 17: It's like a grouping of ideas about women roles and gender equality, and grappling with a lot of different thoughts and trying to condense them into women's rights and what it means to be a woman
i feel like it's always changing, it changes with the women of the generation.

zmammalton · Joined: 14 Oct 2009 Posts: 31

are we supposed to post both the response and interview-ish stuff here?

lauraadams · Joined: 14 Oct 2009 Posts: 1

hi, i'm confused as to what information you want posted here. but obviously i have found out how to work this site and have an account.

Mfischhoff · Joined: 14 Sep 2009 Posts: 51

For tonight, just post one of the answers you received when you asked someone to answer "what is feminism?"

rbennett · Joined: 14 Oct 2009 Posts: 39

i'm pretty sure we just have to post one of our interview things, and the reponse is separate.

rbennett · Joined: 14 Oct 2009 Posts: 39

damnit martha you beat me to it.

zmammalton · Joined: 14 Oct 2009 Posts: 31

Either way I am gonna just post a response like I did in previous Martha classes. I thought the first half of the dicker reading to be very similar to what we had touched on today in class. The ideas of defining feminism and the role of race and class in being a feminist. It was all a bit similar to what we did, then I saw the "personal is political" idea, I mean we had done a bit with that, but found the idea to be really interesting; and a "mantra of the second wave". Now that I am here I guess I do not really know what I wanted to say about it....well it has been 10 mins since I last wrote, but I think I have formulated some idea, on the importance of a lack of distinguishment(real word?) betweeen political and personal. How is any movement to advance as long as one part acts independantly of the other. Each personal act should be taken as a political one, while one personal choice can define a persons political agenda. I think there is the wierd untouchability to the whole thing. I am making up new words left and right. There is this direct effect of society on women, and how certain things are taken to be the norm, but what if a feminist likes something that is norm, maybe not because it is the norm, but because she wants to. And how is it that one tells whether this influence is internal or external. I think its is hard to be a feminist.

zmammalton · Joined: 14 Oct 2009 Posts: 31

ok no big deal, I looked after I had already posted the response...... I just thought I would one up everyone inadverntantly

mnorton · Joined: 14 Oct 2009 Posts: 23

hiiii. I don"t know how to work this thingy Sad

I'm going to try to post this little bit and see if it works.

mnorton · Joined: 14 Oct 2009 Posts: 23

it worked! yayayay! alright so my grandmother definitely gave a great answer. she's so cute Smile

Here's what she said in a nutshell:

"Feminism is the belief that women can do a lot. Betty Freidan was one of the first women I studied when I took classes on feminism. Feminism is fighting for women’s equality. Women don’t have to be stay-at-home moms and cater to men. They can be what they want and do what they want. They can get out in the work force and have power. My grandmother always worked and that certainly wasn’t common in those days. They needed women for WW2 to work in the factories. Its freedom from all that housework!"

rbennett · Joined: 14 Oct 2009 Posts: 39

Male, age 60 says:

"Feminism is a development of the early 1970s that arose out of women's sense of disempowerment visa-vi job opportunities, wage levels and equal rights with men."

hnguyen · Joined: 14 Oct 2009 Posts: 8

Female, age 35

"Feminism is the ideal support for women, equalities and fairness to all women"

ewasserman · Joined: 14 Oct 2009 Posts: 7

male, age 13:

"Feminism is supposed to be girls being equal to boys but a lot of girls like the girls in my class think that it's being better than boys and that's stupid and annoying."

Very Happy

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