The State of Modern Feminism in the West: Under the Law or Under Attack?
Written by Khadija Hersi | Edited by Samuel Lau
Everybody, whether or not they’d like to admit it, knows that men and women are not the same. As the world progresses at changing speeds, it is likely that men and women will never be “equal” under the countless systems of government and policies we have today. While striving for equality of outcome over equality of opportunity might be a lost cause, the concerning state of modern feminism in the West is becoming ever more apparent. With the biological contrasts between the two sexes, varying societal privileges, and unique upbringings that come with the distinction of one chromosome, there can be harmony in finding solace through our attributes and taking a look at how far we have come.
But even then, what is assumed to be “progress” has the right, and ought to be questioned, let alone criticized by many. Every social, political, racial, and economic movement in history has its faults and casualties. For example, women in the United States got the right to vote in 1920, but indigenous peoples weren’t even considered to be citizens of their own native land at the time, and wouldn’t until the year 1924. And sure, the United States has won nearly every war they were ever involved in, but at what cost exactly? These are just a few examples of how societies don’t always let legislation dictate their morality.
And as we fight for what’s moral and just, wrongs will undoubtedly be committed and better yet, sometimes we do the wrong thing for the right reason. In order to predict and prepare for the future, it’s imperative to analyze history with multiple perspectives in mind because history may never blatantly repeat itself, but it sure does rhyme. As the human species progresses, we advance with the same issues, the problems never genuinely disappear, but rather are disguised in some other way. When is it safe to say that a movement has failed? Do we draw the line when generations have passed and the issue still persists? Or do we cut our losses and revert backward? In the West, it seems that modern feminism is up to the plate — and will have to stand the test of time and integrity with the recent overturning of Roe v Wade.
According to a 2020 report from Pew Research Center surveying women who identify as feminists in the US documented that 61% do so. Many of them reported having found the word and movement to be empowering, while some found it to be polarizing. A YouGov survey in 2018 extracted from BBC documented that the numbers of self-identifying feminists in other Western regions such as France, Germany, and the UK are actually staggering. It is a high possibility that many of the remaining individuals who didn’t check these boxes do believe that women should have rights under the law based on the political equality of the sexes, however, the current verbiage, image, and almost polarizing state of modern feminism proves to be off-putting to an overwhelming demographic of people.
And as definitions of these labels continue to change, it proves to be challenging to find a middle ground because we might not always know where the ground even is. We should ask ourselves, if we shouldn’t allow legislation to shape our morality, then why are we even fighting to change it? In any case, the social and psychological effects of legalized sexism should not be trifled with, as second-wave and third-wave feminists today take extreme measures to express their advocacy.
- Barroso, A. (2021, March 10). 61% of U.S. women say ‘feminist’ describes them well; many see feminism as empowering, and polarizing. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/07/07/61-of-u-s-women-say-feminist-describes-them-well-many-see-feminism-as-empowering-polarizing/
- Charen, M., & Stepman, I. (2018). Has Modern Feminism Failed Us? | Aspen Ideas. Aspen Ideas Festival. Retrieved January 28, 2022, from https://www.aspenideas.org/sessions/has-modern-feminism-failed-us
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- Scharff, C. (2019, February 6). Why so many young women don’t call themselves feminists? BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47006912
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