It used to be that feminism was about equality of the sexes. The development of third wave feminism seemed to eradicate that goal. The movement has in a sense become a caricature of itself. This new brand of feminism is not about correcting social injustices, but promoting a female interest group. There are egregious instances of discrimination that women face in certain occupations, healthcare, political and social rights. Besides discrimination, women still face disproportionate levels of domestic abuse and sexual assault. To ignore this is to deny reality. The white women of the West have used feminism to further advance their place at the expense of non-white women. This has done damage to the African American community. Concepts such as rape culture not accuse men of being natural predators. The modern day feminists refuse to acknowledge basic biology and elements of sexual dimorphism. Having a basic understanding of science would actually disprove arguments of women's inferiority. There are complaints that women in the West face difficulty, but compared to lesser developed nations it is constant struggle. Now, anything a woman does is considered "empowering" no matter what the action is. Modern day feminism attempts to make heroes out of women who do not deserve such praise.Another problem is that modern day feminism is largely dominated by the narratives of women of the West. Anti-colonial feminism has been completely segregated from the discourse. White women continue to hold a monopoly on the academic and philosophical discussion of feminism. This caustic and divisive form of feminism gave rise to a reactionary backlash known as the men's rights movement. This movement developed with the sole purpose of opposing feminism. While exposing contradictions in the third wave feminist perspective , it discredits itself by claiming feminism has caused a societal breakdown.It has come to the point in which modern day feminism has a fringe and extremist attributes. The reason some are seeing feminism as a negative movement is because of the contradictions, ludicrous ideas, and a general hostility.
One major issue with feminism is that activists seem to care little about the challenges in lesser developed nations. The Western feminists either ignore or focus solely on Europe or North America. There is potential to expand and make the movement an international force through solidarity. This is a utopian hope however. Racism is a part of this movement, which white feminists still support. The United States provides an example of the duplicitous nature. While African American women were struggling with African American men for descent jobs, education, and basic rights white women still had proportionally more freedom. There were obviously restrictions due to their sex, but they never confronted the viciousness of race hatred. There are connections that the feminist movement had with other social justice causes. The abolitionist movement found allies with the early first wave feminists in the 19th century.When emancipation of the enslaved came to the US, these activist gradually separated. The African American community fought for civil rights and citizenship for an entire century. When women acquired the right to vote in 1920, this did not extend to African American, Asian, or Latino women . Other ethnic groups subject to racist laws. The feminist movement would lost momentum after World War II as the cult of domesticity was revived in the 1950s. The resurgence came with the second wave in the 1960s, but was divided by ethnic lines. Today there has been limited reconciliation. White feminists often criticized black feminists for not challenging black men. This believe demonstrated a severe lack of understanding. The black man was subject to humiliation, treated like an animal, and degraded. Black masculinity was reduced to a point of low self-esteem through out the community. The image of the black man had to be a positive and strong one to overcome a legacy of self-hate. This was unacceptable to many black women feminists who understood that could be self destructive to the health of black America. Forty years later we are seeing fatherless house holds and it is effecting young black men in a negative way. This is of minimal concern to white feminists, because it is clear that their agenda differs from that of full liberation. The iconic photograph of Gloria Steinem and Dorothy Pitman Hughs is a representation of the illusion of solidarity within the movement.
One major issue with feminism is that activists seem to care little about the challenges in lesser developed nations. The Western feminists either ignore or focus solely on Europe or North America. There is potential to expand and make the movement an international force through solidarity. This is a utopian hope however. Racism is a part of this movement, which white feminists still support. The United States provides an example of the duplicitous nature. While African American women were struggling with African American men for descent jobs, education, and basic rights white women still had proportionally more freedom. There were obviously restrictions due to their sex, but they never confronted the viciousness of race hatred. There are connections that the feminist movement had with other social justice causes. The abolitionist movement found allies with the early first wave feminists in the 19th century.When emancipation of the enslaved came to the US, these activist gradually separated. The African American community fought for civil rights and citizenship for an entire century. When women acquired the right to vote in 1920, this did not extend to African American, Asian, or Latino women . Other ethnic groups subject to racist laws. The feminist movement would lost momentum after World War II as the cult of domesticity was revived in the 1950s. The resurgence came with the second wave in the 1960s, but was divided by ethnic lines. Today there has been limited reconciliation. White feminists often criticized black feminists for not challenging black men. This believe demonstrated a severe lack of understanding. The black man was subject to humiliation, treated like an animal, and degraded. Black masculinity was reduced to a point of low self-esteem through out the community. The image of the black man had to be a positive and strong one to overcome a legacy of self-hate. This was unacceptable to many black women feminists who understood that could be self destructive to the health of black America. Forty years later we are seeing fatherless house holds and it is effecting young black men in a negative way. This is of minimal concern to white feminists, because it is clear that their agenda differs from that of full liberation. The iconic photograph of Gloria Steinem and Dorothy Pitman Hughs is a representation of the illusion of solidarity within the movement.
The fact is that white women still benefit from white privilege. It is clear that for many white women in the movement they want the power and favoritism of the white male ruling class that controls this country. The United States still in a sense is isolated. The average American has very limited interests in events outside the nation. The feminist movement falls victim to this simple minded attitude.While women still face unfavorable circumstances, the developing world has far worse issues. Female genital mutilation, lack of education, no reproductive rights, arranged and child marriage are rampant in certain areas. Nations that are at war leave women especially vulnerable to rape and torture. Yet, women who live in the West claim that life is just as much a hardship compared to women of the global south. This claim lacks cogency when examining the facts. Women who live in the West seem to have more advantages than their global counterparts. White feminists rarely make statements or organize to counter these negative trends in Asian, African, and Latin American nations.Silence is the biggest indicator of approval or complicity. Movements for the liberation of women have been active in Asian, African, and Latin American nations for nearly two centuries. These movements were invigorated with anti-colonial wars for freedom. Leaders realized that women had to be a part of the struggle or else independence would be a failure. Gamal Nasser and Kwame Nkrumah made women's rights a part of their political agenda. These policies faced mixed results due to traditional family values and societies that believed in strict gender roles. Today, even if there is a discussion about the condition of women in Asian, African, and Latin American countries its done in either a paternalist or racist context.
Certain feminists seem to want to deny the existence of biological differences. This distorted concept of equality believes everyone must be alike to be equal. The fact is individuals are different from one another in many respects. Men and women are also like this. Many sexists have used biological difference as a excuse to exclude women from public life and various professions. Pseudoscientific ideas were promoted in medicine, biology, physiology, and anthropology to make the claim women were men's inferiors. This has been proven false, these ideas reappear. It is understandable to have these falsehoods challenged, but their is another extreme to the spectrum. Their are feminists that want to deny sexual dimorphism exists. This irrational thinking has gone further to a general rejection of science.The irony is that a stronger knowledge base of biology and physiology can challenge ideas of women being inferiors. The fact is humanity is both a product of their environment and biology. Men are on average for example stronger than women. This means that their numbers in physically demanding occupations would be higher. There are obvious sex discrimination practices that have kept women out of professions such as law enforcement, construction, firefighting, mining, and military occupational specialties. The third wave feminist argument would be to lower standards to get more women involved in such occupations. This defeats the concept of equality. Women should be able to meet the demands of these occupations without tailored standards. This is also an insult to women who can meet the set standards in physical fitness requirements. Women's low numbers in these occupations are explained by both environment and biology. Feminists erroneously have thought that men's greater physical strength some how promotes ideas of male superiority. This does not, because men do not have a monopoly on physical strength. There is the theory that men used their strength to control women, but subjugation came through economics and legal systems. Through out history women were regarded as property, not people. This meant they were not allowed to own property of their own ( normally transferred to husbands) and personal income under the control of a husband or male guardian. This disparity in property and wealth is at the route of inequality of the sexes. Biology is not a valid explanation. Denying biological differences puts third wave feminists on the same equivalent as intelligent design advocates.
Third wave feminism has the practice of promoting certain women as heroes. This selection is a representation of a corporate version of feminism in which the establishment tries to select for the public who are "acceptable" icons. These women appear in media, entertainment, and print, but do not challenge the mainstream political convention. Hillary Clinton has been presented as a champion of women's rights when she has vacillated on issues in regards to reproductive rights. However, this image was sold by media outlets and continues to be promoted. The facts prove otherwise as corporate feminism continues to construct a false narrative. It even goes further into areas of popular entertainment. Anita Sarkeesian the feminist media critic got instant attention form her "Tropes Versus Women in Video Games" videos posted over the internet. These videos were explaining how videos games are sexist, but lacked a cogent argument. The selection for which she used as evidence was limited. These videos she produced were initially were not popular, became so after the reaction online. Sarkeesian became the target of online abuse, which she used as proof that in her view "gamers are misogynists." Sarkeesian was then selected as a hero fighting sexism in the video game industry. This is another false narrative that developed. When she appeared on the cover of Time magazine, it further proved how certain people are promoted as icons for social justice. She considering the other women who could be called genuine feminist really had no right to be featured on the cover of Time. Mala Yousafzai who has been an advocate for women's education in Pakistan, risked death to make her campaign possible. She continues to promote women's education in Pakistan despite a 2012 assassination attempt. Sarkeesian being a white female was promoted more so as an icon for obvious reasons. It is obvious which one will be remembered in history. People who risk death for their cause a truly devoted. While it is clear that the establishment selects certain people for the public to admire, movements have negative associations with particular groups.
At one point the feminist movement collaborated with American conservatives. This seems like an unusual alliance but in was a common convergence over pornography. The argument of the Christian right was that it was obscene and sinful. The feminist complaint was that it objectifies women and encourages violence against them. Andrea Dworkin and Katherine MacKinnon launched the Women Against Pornography Movement in the 1980s . The people they allied with in this campaign were the same groups that opposed the Equal Rights Amendment. Dworkin even said in a New York Times interview " when Jerry Falwell starts saying pornography is harmful, that is valuable to me." Falwell was the leader of the Moral Majority and notorious for his anti-abortion stances. These anti-pornography laws were a threat to free speech and also had more vicious repercussions. It resulted in police harassment of gay bars and prostitutes. The new censorship was then used against feminist and LGBT publications. Canada used this censorship to ban publications even written by Dworkin herself such as Pornography; Men Possessing Women. This strange incident in history demonstrates another problem with third wave feminism. They are against the freedom of expression and free speech. Although this event in history occurred before third wave feminism, the same tactics are utilized. Anyone who disagrees with third wave feminist ideology is either labeled a sexist or misogynist. This is an action that is normally done by white women feminists of prominence or notoriety. It extends further to a new phenomenon known as embedded feminism. Other groups may use feminist agendas to advance their own goals. This is what the Bush administration did during the early phases of the Afghan War. The Feminist Majority Foundation supported President Bush's aggressive wars what has been known as the War on Terror. Their reasoning was that the women of Afghanistan needed "liberation" from the Taliban. George Bush needed an organization that was normally supportive of peace to help legitimize a war of aggression. White feminists have been known to turn to the right frequently, even if it harms their own interests. They attempt to recruit non-white women when they are useful to their cause, but abandon them in their time of need.
Third wave feminism's methods for activism almost become borderline spectacle. Protest and activism is essential to advancing causes for social justice. Being outrageous can get attention to a movement. However, third wave feminists have taken this to a ludicrous extreme. This also accompanies some less than favorable ideas. One activity that has got notoriety is referred to as slut walks. These developed as a form of protest to rape culture. Their origins are rooted in the Canada where a police officer made the suggestion a rape victim was attacked because of the way she dressed . This ignorant and insensitive statement by a Toronto police officer started a transnational movement globally. Women began to protest, but using a different method. Women would appear in short skirts, shirtless, or tank tops to draw attention. The emphasis is to show that rape is not acceptable and that no woman is "asking for it."
This new method and form of protest has drawn criticism. Although it gets attention the mere spectacle is not informing the public of pressing women's issues. It almost becomes a entertainment act rather than a genuine movement for change. The women are attempting to make a point that they should be able to dress however without the threat of abuse or violence. The commotion of topless women, odd signs, and chanting causes the real goals to be diminished. The purpose is to reduce sexual violence and reduce misogynistic culture. This also relates to the problem of the concept of rape culture. This is in many ways a misnomer. Victim blaming, trivializing the crime, and sexually objectifying women and girls is the example of a misogynistic culture. Cultures such as these view women as property, maintain ridged gender roles, and control women's bodies by eliminating reproductive rights. It is designed to subjugate women and deny them the most basic of human rights. The term was coined in the 1970s by second wave feminists, but has been revived in recent decades. Theories have developed as well as new third wave feminist rhetoric. Phrases like "teach men not to rape" have become common in certain third wave feminist circles. This idea has several problems. It casts all men as rapists and that they are taught to be criminal. It is true that men do absorb sexist beliefs from their environment, culture, and associates. It cannot be said that they are taught to sexually assault a woman. The idea of "teaching men not to rape" does not address the violent individuals who cannot be reformed.
Third wave feminists ignore the fact that men are victims of custodial rape in prison. The refusal to acknowledge women pedophiles who like their male counterparts, target youth are also a danger. The idea that merely teaching men not to rape is going to solve the problem of sexual violence is misguided. There is also an issue using the word slut in these protests. That word is a pejorative that denigrates women as being promiscuous and lacking self control. The irony is that the word is being used to challenge the sexual objectification of women in the protests. There is a divide among sex positive feminists and radical feminists who have conflicting views on human sexuality. The sex positive feminists embrace the slut walks as challenging rape myths. The radical feminists would say they are promoting rape culture. It is clear that these protests in the West are dominated by white women excluding people of African, Asian, and Latin American descent. Feminism is weak without solidarity.The effective and proactive path to counter misogynistic culture is to reform law enforcement and empowering women through self-defense. Stricter punishments for criminals and women's self-defense programs are effective methods. Black Lives Matter is challenging police brutality and police misconduct. Third wave feminists have issues with police not taking rape or sexual assault cases seriously. It makes no sense why these groups are collaborating in challenging a corrupt police force. If these slut walks do not evolve into something substantive, it will be just spectacle. It does seem to resonate in other countries such as Brazil, India, Singapore, and South Korea.
Economics needs to be more of a focus in third wave feminism. While there is discussion of the pay gap and glass ceiling it never expands at the root of the problem. Neoliberal capitalism has put the majority of the population in a vulnerable situation. The feminization of poverty is not only the product of a misogynistic culture, but the repressive nature of neoliberal capitalism. This economic systems sole purpose is for the sake of profit maximization. The worker will be the unit in the system ,but will not benefit from the labor. The ruling class controls the mechanisms of the power structure. Women who are in the workforce do get paid less and single mothers face poverty. As long as they are productive or useful the elite do not care. A faction of third wave feminist embrace this system even though it puts women of color and women in poverty at a disadvantage. As long as a small and powerful minority controls the majority of the world's wealth, no one can be free. Socialist feminists understood this and they were at the forefront of the feminist movement in the 1960s. Marx understood that middle class values were designed not only to control women, but the society as a whole. The bourgeoisie were a human shield for the ruling class and they instigated conflict between the working class. The class conflict that emerged diverted attention away from the actions from the ruling class. The socialist feminists were active in the anti-war movement and anti-imperialist dialogues. They were later overshadowed by the new found strength of the radical feminists who did not have specific ideological stances on economic issues. The 1970s saw their rise and they did not have intersectionality as one of their goals. Economics is important on a political and social level. Women must have economic power. The current system outsources jobs, dismantles the public sector , and privatizes essential industries. Women do not fare well in a neoliberal structured economy. The number of women CEOs or business employees is not an accurate measure of women's economic progress. There are women who have been in the workforce for long periods of time, never getting promoted or having enough financial security for retirement. There are solutions. Women should seek to enter professions that are male dominated to challenge the pay disparity. This would include going into science, mathematics, law enforcement, construction, firefighting, and the military. These fields do have positions with high salaries. There also must be a movement towards a mixed economy in which the public and private sector can exist. Third wave feminists must seriously consider a revision to economic policy.
Religion is also a controversial subject that third wave feminists do not address. Monotheistic religion whether it is Christianity, Islam, or Judaism demands the obedience of women to men. It is stated in religious texts. The Bible, Quran, and Torah have patriarchy as a guiding principle. Women are normally given a subordinate role. Women cannot be priests in the Catholic Church or imams in Islam. There are women of devoted faith who are not allowed to express their love for it. Third wave feminism either ignore this subject or make no bold formulations. Feminism and religion may not even be compatible. Certainly, the religious right in the United States has made anti-feminist and anti-woman declarations. Given the history of the concept of God, this seems perplexing. The ancient world had numerous Gods in Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and other civilizations around the world. Before polytheism neolithic humanity could have worshiped a mother goddess. However, when the monotheistic religions emerged from the Middle East women's status declined. Organized religion most of the time is opposed to change or social movements. Religious fundamentalism continues to be a threat to women in various societies. The response was the rise of Women Against Fundamentalism. The organization wanted to tackle problems facing women under religious extremism. Stereotypical representations show the global south as being the worst for fundamentalism. The West and particularly the United States is no more safe. The Christian right wants to ban abortion, end marriage equality, and make Christianity America's official religion. The United States has religious freedom as a pivotal corner stone in the first amendment. Yet, there is a growing segment of the American population that believes that Christianity is the only legitimate religion. They also believe that only males should have authority and power in society. Third wave feminists either think this is not significant enough to organize against or a women's issue. It soon will be when reproductive rights, birth control, and access to abortion are curtailed by legal means.
Third wave feminism is not simple to describe. It is a combination of ideas that were synthesized through radical feminism and a more moderate liberal feminism. Liberal feminism sought to solve the problem of inequality through legislation and lobbying efforts. While this did provide legal protections and overturned restrictions, enforcement was not what it should have been. Although at times the ideology of third wave feminism seems convoluted or ambiguous it is clear what it has evolved into. This is not a movement of equality, but a special interest group for the advancement of upper middle class white women. There are some aspects of life that women have no desire for equality, because it would place them at a disadvantage. The draft, child support, and alimony usually put men at a disadvantage. There is no reason these areas of life can be equal for both sexes. Women are now able to apply and work in combat jobs. Some have shown they are physically capable of meeting the standards. The fact they do not have to register for the selective service proves that double standards still exist. Child support should be the responsibility of both parents. The most important role of both parents is to see their child raised in a happy and healthy environment. The question also remains why is the burden of alimony still placed on men. The modern women is supposed to be independent and able to survive. That is the third wave feminist conviction. Third wave feminists or women in general would never want these changes. Equality does not mean that women would get more privileges or chivalrous protections. It means men and women would be treated the same in relation to the law. The mass of contradictions and vacillations has caused a crisis in feminism itself . Many associate it with a negative connotation. It seems that third wave feminism has reached the end of its life cycle. What evolves from this point is unknown.
Further Reading
Alice, Susan. Introducing Feminism. Cambridge: Icon book, 1999.
Smith, Sharon. Women and Socialism: Race, Class, and Gender. Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2015.
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