History of Feminism

Living in a time where “Women were the property of men (Proto-feminism article)” would have been horrible. Mary Wollstonecraft, the mother of the feminist movement, was born into the world where women was not allowed to be educated, own property, or have a job without damaging her reputation. Though she was restricted she self-educated herself and fought for equal education rights for women. In my opinion she was very brave to do this when men earned everything.

If I was living during her time period I would have probably been too scared to stand up for women’s rights. I am not ashamed to admit that I would have not fallen in line with Mary. If I was born at that time I would have been uneducated and not have known better. However, since I was born after the second wave of feminism I do expect equal rights and can appreciate what the women in the past have accomplished. Women’s rights have come a long way. It may have taken 72 years but women can now vote (The First and Second Waves of Feminism in the United States by Amy Kesseiman pg. 558.) I am also impressed with how far women study programs have come. By 1989 over 500 colleges in the United States had women study programs (Women Images and Realities pg. 9.) 

While reading the article Men and Women’s Studies: Premises, Perils, and Promises by Michael Kimmel I was blown away with his point of view. This made me stop and think about how men reacted positively to equality for women. Men Acting for Change (MAC) is a male pro-feminist group. He had a good point when he asked what the men were doing when the women was fighting for equality.  Against the Tide is a book that holds some history of how men reacted positively to the Feminist Movement.

            Though the United States has made substantial progress concerning women’s rights there are other women who have to suffer the same inequality as women in Wollstonecraft’s time period. Saudi Arabia is the only country that banes women from competitive sports including the Olympics. In the article I found it states that girls are banned from participating in any sport if they attend a state school. Other issues concerning women rights in Saudi Arabia include having their body fully covered while exercising, not being able to drive, and having to have a male accompany them anywhere they go.
http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/2012/05/18/saudi-ban-on-womens-sports-blamed-for-rising-obesity/