How To Apply Sociological Theory

The theory that I chose to discover and investigate more is the feminist theory. The feminist theory explains feminism from a theoretical, fictional, or philosophical standpoint. Feminism, according to the dictionary, is “the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men.” In simple terms, feminism is making sure that women have the same equal rights as men do. As of today, women who have the same job as men and do as good of a job still get paid less. Feminists have been fighting for their equality since 1913, and there have been three waves of feminism. According to History.com, “first-wave feminism, dealing with property rights and the right to vote; second-wave feminism, focusing on equality and anti-discrimination, and third-wave feminism, which started in the 1990s as a backlash to the second wave’s perceived privileging of white, straight women.” (Editors, 2019) The feminist theory focuses more on the women’s viewpoints and interactions rather than the males or the overall picture. The feminist theory centers on social problems, trends, and issues that are overlooked by the traditional male perspective within social theory.

The theory has different branches that focus on gender differences, inequality, and oppression. For the gender differences, it explains how a woman’s place in a social experience is different from a man’s. For example, different types of feminists, such as cultural feminists, look at the different values associated with womanhood and femininity as a reason why men and women experience the social world differently. Others believe that the different roles assigned to women and men within society better explain gender differences. The first feminist was Christine de Pizan, who was a French philosopher and poet in the 14^th-15^th century. According to the British Library, “Christine was the first female writer to earn a living from her work. She was born in Venice in around 1364 and moved to France as a child after her father got a job as the physician and royal astrologer to the king of France, Charles V. At the age of 15, she married Etienne de Castel. They were married for ten years and had three children together before Etienne died in an epidemic while on a royal mission with King Charles VI of France. At the age of 25, Christine was left with three young children to support. It was then that she turned to writing. Over the next 30 years, she became a prolific writer, producing 41 works in Middle French.” (Library, 2017)

During the Renaissance, Christine de Pizan broke with the traditional roles assigned to women in several ways during a time when women had no legal rights and were considered a man’s property. She was one of the few women of the time period that were educated, and so she was able to write and defend women in The Book of the City of Ladies and The Treasure of the City of Ladies. When it comes to this theory, understanding why feminists actually fight and what they are fighting for is actually very interesting to learn about. As a teenage female in this society, I have faced some discrimination for not only being a woman but for being a colored woman who is a part of the LGBTQ+ community. I have been passed for jobs and opportunities because of who I am and that is not fair. Before today, I would have never considered myself a feminist, but now learning about what that is and what it actually means, I definitely would say I am 100% a feminist. I do agree with the values and principles that they have, and if I could, I would definitely make some serious changes. The Me Too movement is a movement against sexual harassment and sexual abuse where survivors publicize allegations of sex crimes committed by powerful and/or prominent men. Tarana Burke founded the MeToo movement, but it began as a social trend in October 2017 as a hashtag started by Alyssa Milano, who shared her story of sexual assault against Harvey Weinstein. Shortly afterward, women from across the world began talking about their survivor stories. To some people, the Me Too movement had a huge positive impact on feminism, and for others, it seemed like one big joke. According to The Guardian, “The #MeToo moment and its backlash made it clear that there really was a divide among feminists, but analysis of that divide cast it as a mere catfight, or a screaming match between weary mothers and teenage daughters. The implication was that the feminist debate unfolding around #MeToo is a kind of routine domestic drama, something we’ve seen before.” (Donegan, 2018) To the older generation, is seems that the Me Too movement was some big joke. They complained that many of the claims of harassment were too minor to be publicized. They argued that by grouping together such a wide spectrum of sexual misbehavior, #MeToo had lost a sense of touch. They want women to “suck it up and get over it.” To the younger generation of feminists, the Me Too movement is an opportunity for women to get their voices heard. It makes women who have never been able to share their stories feel impowered and strong. I feel as though the fact that there has to be a criterion is very outdated. For example, with the Me Too movement, who is to say any form of sexual assault or harassment a woman faces is too small to be told? If a woman goes through something with a man and feels highly uncomfortable, she should be able to speak out about it no matter what without criticism from anyone. Women deserve the same rights as men.

References

Donegan, M. (2018, May 11). How #MeToo revealed the central rift within feminism today. Retrieved July 18, 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/may/11/how-metoo- revealed-the-central-rift-within-feminism-social-individualist

Editors, H. (2019, February 28). Feminism. Retrieved July 18, 2020, from https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/feminism-womens-history

Library, B. (2017, September 22). Book of the City of Ladies. Retrieved July 18, 2020, from https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/the-book-of-the-city-of-ladies

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