Feminism Essay -- Womens Right, Equality

The past century saw women in Britain gain control of their fertility, find out access to education and establish their status as equal citizens. The British social order came a long way from 1890s when women in Britain were de jure restricted to the point they could non enter a contract, own property or have parental rights unmarried women were challenged by society and pressured in to union (British History Oxford, 2007).The womens rights and suffrage movements in the period between 1832 and 1918, which is known as The first feminist wave, aimed to challenge the idea of women being the subordinate sex and demanded equal rights. This so called first wave ended with the Royal Assent to the Representation of the People Parliament Act being passed in 1918, which given women the ability to vote and recognised females as equal citizens (Fraisse, 1993). Following work will assay the position of women in todays society and barriers that clog gender equality. The focus will be on the conflict between feminist ideals, assumptions and demands behind what known as womens lib. Feminism has evolved dramatically over time, which makes conclusion a widely accepted set of feminist ideas an impossible task. However, Websters dictionary (2007, p230) defines feminism as a theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes. Therefore, feminism is based around the idea of men and women being equal. On the other hand, feminist is also defined as an organized activity on behalf of womens rights and interests (Webster 2007, p.230). This exceedingly ambiguous definition suggests that any socially or politically active woman can be considered to be a feminist, so the ideas of feminists do not always coincide with the philosophy o... ...ens favour. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to determine what gender receives the larger income over a lifetime. With this in mind, modern feminism appears to be aimed at total equality, where every adult receives same wa ge and employers are controlled by the government. The feminist philosophy, on the other hand, preaches equality purely in healthy and political rights. A number of conservative feminists believe the battle for equal rights was won when in 1928 women were enfranchised (British History Oxford, 2007). It caused social transformation in Britain and emancipated women. This philosophy is relevant in modern society because it can be beneficial in any country where women experience hard ship overdue lack of legal equality. Further legislation aimed at improving equality in the UK needs to consider possible side effects, and should promote equality for all.