Feminism at Montclair State University: What Students Really Think
“We are having national, even global conversations about feminism that we’ve never had before, not to this degree at least,” said Shannon Harry, an adjunct professor at Montclair State University specializing in women and gender studies.
She argued that the renewed vigor in fighting for equal rights that has developed over the past few years is a welcome change both at MSU and around the world: “What I see now is a renewed energy for social justice in general which is thrilling.”
But while Montclair State University has adopted major and minor programs in women and gender studies and endorsed several on-campus women’s empowerment groups to promote conversations about women’s rights, other campuses, states and countries aren’t as quick to follow. In the modern day, the call is louder than ever before for equal rights — and not just for women, but also for minority racial groups and the LGBTQ+ population. However, it has not always been like that.
Feminism, formally defined as the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men, dates back to the late 1790’s when Mary Wollstonecraft first published A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. Often regarded as among the earliest works of feminist philosophy, the book focused on the idea that women had to right to a proper education and should be treated as human beings instead of the property of their husbands.
In the years since, the feminism movement has gone through quite a few changes. The women’s suffrage movement fought for equal political rights and eventually led to women gaining the right to vote. Later, the age of Rosie the Riveter called for equality in social and cultural aspects as well. It was also during this time that feminists began focusing on abolishing other inequalities as well, such as discrimination based on race.
By the 1990s, feminism has transformed into an impossible to ignore beast. Women were calling for a break from the traditional mold of a white, middle-class, inherently feminine woman and began to argue that their gender and sexuality should be more than a simple binary scale. Continuing to today, feminism has taken on more issues than simply women’s rights- it often also incorporates spiritual, political, psychological, and sexual freedoms as well.
But with all the different aspects to consider, it’s quite difficult to define “feminism” in the modern day. In short, feminism is different to each woman (and man) and can incorporate a long list of beliefs centering around one ideal: equality for all.
As part of its ongoing effort to create an ever-more inclusive schooling experience, Montclair State’s coursework in women and gender studies promotes the idea that students should work to develop a critical lens through which to consider feminism and other movements for equality.
“In every course, my job is to help students sharpen their critical thinking skills,” said Harry. “My goal is not simply to answer questions so that we have neat categories of identity.”
Meanwhile, students of Montclair State continue to have varying viewpoints of feminism as it exists in the modern day.
“Whenever I think about a feminist, I think about a strong, usually single woman who can do it all by herself,” said Dominique Laing, a senior English major. “I imagine them to be successful, like Ellen [DeGeneres].”
Matthew Liso, a senior mathematics major, has a broader view of feminism: “I feel like feminism is not conforming to gender roles, it’s not expecting things out of women because they’re women.”
And still, there are others with yet another definition: “I see feminism as [us] asking for equal rights, to be treated as equal to men,” said Amanda Reid, a senior art major.
With all the different ideas about what feminism is and what it means to students at MSU, it might seem impossible to pinpoint one area that most are calling for change in, but there is one issue that seems to be at the top of everyone’s list: equal pay.
“In ten, fifteen years, hopefully by then women and men will have equal pay,” said Liso. “By the end of my lifetime, hopefully women will be more career orientated.”
Laing offered that she believes the reason equal pay has yet to be achieved in the United States — in 2015, women were paid an average of 80 cents for every dollar earned by a man — is because women are less likely to negotiate higher wages. “In the next ten years, we should have equal pay,” she said. “Well not me, I’m going to have it at the start [because I’ll ask for it].”
Despite the 2016 election marking the first time a woman has made it onto the ballot, a definite sign of the progression of women’s rights, and a call for equality that is louder than ever before, a lot about the future of women’s rights seems uncertain. But one thing is for sure: many MSU students are calling for change and are willing to fight for it. An optimistic view of the future for women (and for everyone else for that matter) isn’t too hard to find at MSU, and for Harry, that’s exciting.
“I hope to see this wave of young activism continuing,” she said. “Students know how to challenge inequality. They can advocate for themselves and each other. I’d like this trend — let’s call it feminism — to become part of who we are as a nation.”
