draft and revise essay for kelvin

1

Lanni Yu

ENL 211

05/02/2017

Argumentative essay

Feminism

A French Philosopher, Charles Fourier, coined the term Feminism, this is interesting since he was a man and not a woman. In the subsequent years, the word was used as a symbol for the movement of women who campaigned for equal rights to that if men, both in Europe and in the United States. Feminism movements in these two regions were triggered for a variety of reasons, the early stages of this movement championed for equal rights of women in marriages, property ownership, contractual agreements, and parenting rights. However, this leading cause changed as women now demanded an equal opportunity across all spheres including gaining political power and dominance. Over the years of feminism, women still do not get full representation like they are supposed to, inequality still exists, even in the essential purchase of commodities. Recent analysis shows that women pay more for household goods compared to men, which is a slap in the face of feminism (Narins, 2016). It is, therefore, imperative for women to rally behind the feminist movement and demand for equal rights, in every walk of life. Opponents of feminism claim that this movement has diverted away from its intended purpose and it is now being used as an excuse to favor women over men in different aspects of human life. Feminism should not be considered as a threat to the existence of balance in the society; it should be taken as a normal and regular concept that is widely embraced and accepted to all.

The US population is comprised of more than 51% who are women, despite this majority, over the years women have continually been underrepresented in positions of power in the government. In the Congress, for instance, women make for 20% of the members, which, with reference to history, makes the current Congress the most diverse. However, there is still a long way to go to for equal representation (Bump. 2015). On a broader scope worldwide, the representation of women in political positions is at 22%. Countries need to borrow a leaf from Rwanda, which currently has 63.8% of seats won by women followed by Bolivia at 53.1% (UNWOMEN, 2016).

The current gender gap pay places women at a disadvantage, according to the Pew Research Center survey, women make around 16% less money than their male counterparts, even in the same field. The implication of this is that, even though this pay gap has narrowed over, the years, women make 84% of what their male counterparts earn, regardless of if they worked part-time or full-time. Breaking the math down, women would need to work 40 more days in a year to equal what men make in a year. As if the situation is not worse enough in the US, overseas women are more disadvantaged as they only make 77% of the earnings made by their male counterparts. Even more disturbing is the UN-International Labor Organization (UNILO) report recently published that indicates that if the rates remain as it is, it will take more than 70 years for the gender pay gap to close (Brown & Patten, 2017). If you consider the racial disparities, minorities are far much disadvantaged, with black women having to work 19 more months compared to white men in a year (Friedman, 2016). The differences in race that make African-Americans at a disadvantage comes into full play, especially for a Black woman. The stakes for black women are low. However, the picture is grimmer for the Hispanic woman, according to the report. The efforts women bring to the economy is significant, although they are not rewarded in equal measure.

The opponents of feminism are skeptical of the concept, with claims that feminism is an excuse to favor the girl child and women in the society, and thereby sidelining men in the community. They base their arguments on allegations that women are given a priority especially under organizations that are led by women, even more so women in power tend to focus more on supporting other women and leaving men out. They argue that if the trend prolongs overtime, the boy child will be at a disadvantage and will struggle to find a place in a feminist world. This argument is baseless, as feminists only role is to give fellow women a voice and uplift them, politically as well as economically. Therefore, the argument that men are sidelined is rather a selfish thought.

The concept of feminism should be embraced, especially by those who oppose this movement, considering the benefits of living in an equal society, where men and women have equal rights. In most communities, women are in charge of holding the household together, therefore empowering them and giving them equal opportunities and remunerations not only leads to an economically viable society but one that is innovative and happy. Women should be given more posts in the political front from which they will be able to deliver agendas that affect women personally, such as the gender pay gap.

References

Brown, A., & Patten, E. (2017, April 03). The narrowing, but persistent, gender gap in pay. Retrieved April 30, 2017, from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/04/03/gender-pay-gap-facts/

Bump, P. (2015, January 05). The new Congress is 80 percent white, 80 percent male and 92 percent Christian. Retrieved April 30, 2017, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/01/05/the-new-congress-is-80-percent-white-80-percent-male-and-92-percent-christian/?utm_term=.11b6bbc322be

Friedman, M. (2016, August 03). Think the Gender Pay Gap Is Bad? Try Being a Black Woman. Retrieved April 30, 2017, from http://www.elle.com/culture/career-politics/news/a29539/black-women-equal-pay-day/

Narins, E. (2016, August 11). 10 Things That Cost More for Women Than They Do for Men. Retrieved April 30, 2017, from http://www.marieclaire.com/culture/a13816/things-that-cost-more-for-women/

Topping, A. (2015, March 05). Gender pay gap will not close for 70 years at current rate, says UN. Retrieved April 30, 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/money/2015/mar/05/gender-pay-gap-remain-70-years-un

UNWOMEN. (2016, August). Facts and figures: Leadership and political participation. Retrieved April 30, 2017, from http://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/leadership-and-political-participation/facts-and-figures