Social Movements on Feminist Movements

Posted: September 9th, 2013

Social Movements on Feminist Movements

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Social Movements on Feminist Movements

            Sociologists have over the years tried to give a definitive statement as to what social movements are. Many have attempted to answer that question and many definitions have come into play. So what are social movements? Social movements are said to be the ingredient of change the world over. Revolutions have taken root just by the shear dissatisfaction with the social structures. The Magna Charta was birthed because of a social movement. A revolution awakened by the tyranny of Feudal law in England at the time The According to Foweraker (1995), a satisfactory definition of social movements remains elusive. Nonetheless, there is an agreement that the social movement must be defined, not as a group of any kind, but as a process. An earlier definition stipulated that social movement was a deliberate and collective endeavor that would promote change in any direction by any means possible without excluding violence.

Social movements are forms of group action that focuses on tackling political or social issues. Most modern social movements, especially those of the West were because of education and due to the increase of mobilization arising from industrialization and urbanization. Other movements however, arose across the globe to fight colonialism. A clear example is the Mau Mau in Africa, in Kenya. There are various types of social movements. These include the reformists who deal with the how laws are implemented and the resistance movements, who rather than effecting change, hope to maintain the status quo. The express movements who want to change individuals rather than trying to effect change in institutions or directly in laws, the utopian movement that seeks a perfect state and women movements who seek for equality to their male counterparts.

The question therefore is, are social movements still relevant today? To determine the relevance of social movements today, feminist movements and their ability to propagate agendas shall be investigated. The feminist’s agenda seeks to equality with their male counterparts. Their aim is to break away from the stereotypic traditional gender role of the woman defined by religion and society. Mohanty & Russo (2003), explore the fundamental role Islam played in establishing gender roles. These roles were more to the benefit of men than to women. The woman in recent years has seen herself being independent of the roles chosen for her by the society. These roles are best seen in books written in a Victorian setting. A book like ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Jane Austen or even ‘Anna Karenina’ by Leo Tolstoy depict women as subject to male dominance. It is therefore crucial to understand how the modern woman has broken away from these gender stereotypes.

Other than breaking away from gender stereotypes, feminist fight for the rights of the woman and the girl child. In a society that feminists consider dominated by men, the need to fight for equal opportunities lies in changing laws. From the time, women were allowed to vote in America, the feminist agenda has never ceased. Today in Trinidad and Tobago, women are protected by a Sexual Offences act in their constitution that gives the woman an upper hand in determining sexual cases. The logic is that sex has been used as a tool to oppress the woman, but not any more. The tables are turning, and women are gaining on men every day it seems. Countries like Liberia are embracing women leadership to the extent of the Presidency.

The questions are quite clear. Is feminism as a movement effective? If so, how successful has it been? In the question of equality, is there such a point in the feminist point of view or is the ultimate goal dominance over their male counterparts. Feminism is a strong social movement whose potential impact on society in the end needs to be examined.

References

Foweraker, J. (1995). Theorizing social movements. London [u.a.: Pluto Press.

Mohanty, C. T. (2003). Third world women and the politics of feminism. Bloomington [u.a.: Indiana Univ. Press.