What is Feminism?

Things You Need to Know About It

In the 8th century BC, Hesiod wrote two important works, “Theogony” and “Works and Days”, which form the basis for the creation narrative and the social existence of women.

There are many similarities between Pandora, who was created from clay and mud, and the Eve mentioned in the Old Testament chapter of Genesis.

Let’s first delve into Pandora’s tale.

Angered by the fact that Prometheus gave people fire to make them stronger, Zeus decides to take revenge on him. He commissions Hephaestus to create the most beautiful creature humans have ever seen. He then convenes the council of the gods and asks each of them to give this new creature a special ability. Because of the special powers given to her by the gods, she is given the name Pandora, which means “all-gifted”,” meaning that she has been given everything.

This woman, Pandora, is sent into the world with a dowry, which Zeus places in a locked box. Epimetheus, Prometheus’ brother, agrees to marry Pandora, who is introduced to him by Hermes. One day, out of curiosity, Pandora opens the box and unwittingly unleashes plagues on mankind.

So the reason for all the evil in the world is Pandora and Pandora’s curiosity.

Now let’s look at the creation of Eve in the Genesis chapter of the Old Testament. The Lord God said: “It is not good that man should be alone. I will make him a helper fit for him.”

The Lord God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep. While Adam slept, God took one of his ribs and closed the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken from Adam and brought her to Adam.

Later, as you know, Satan seduces Eve. And Eve eats of the fruit of the forbidden tree. Adam then says to God: “The woman you put by my side gave me some of the fruit of the tree, and I ate it.” Perhaps the greatest similarity between Pandora and Eve as portrayed in these texts is that both women are held responsible for all the evil in the world. Pandora succumbs to her curiosity because, according to the texts, Zeus created her as lazy and foolish. Similar to Pandora, as mentioned in the Old Testament: Eve is the first to eat the apple. This is why both Eve and Pandora are punished so severely, and all men also pay the price for the mistake the women have made.

In Homer’s works such as the “Iliad” and the “Odyssey”,” women, whether slaves or rulers, are always subordinate to men. They are taken, given, sold or exchanged like animals. In one of the fundamental texts of ancient Chinese civilization, women are portrayed in a similar way. It emphasizes that a woman should always be at her husband’s side. If this is not the case, neither the family institution nor the social order nor the government can function. In the Ramayana, the question of a woman’s social duties is dealt with in a somewhat more painful way. A woman whose husband dies may choose to sacrifice herself by throwing herself into the fire to protect herself from the gaze of society and accusations of indecency.

From early history to the 15th, 16th, 17th and even 18th centuries, it’s undeniable that women weren’t socially equal to men. So what happened? Did the male-dominated society suddenly have an epiphany and give women back the rights and justice they should have had all along? At this point, let me ask you this: do you think there has ever been a victory in history that was won without a fight?

Never! There was indeed a struggle for women to attain what they rightfully deserved, thus feminism was born.

Feminism is derived from the Latin root “femina”,” which means woman. Like various other terms such as capitalism, liberalism, socialism and rationalism, the ending “-ism” ultimately comes from the Greek ending “-ismos” which is a suffix that converts nouns into verbs and indicates a world view, practice or belief. Feminism is therefore a combination of “femina” and the suffix “-ismos”,” giving rise to the term “feminism”. Feminism cannot be viewed from a single perspective, as it is not a static concept.

And why is that, you might ask? Women living in the 15th and 21st centuries do not share a common cause. Since the issues they face differ, the struggle within the concept of feminism naturally varies as well. We are not experiencing the exact same challenges as women did 500 years ago. Therefore, it would be more accurate to discuss a dynamic movement focused on addressing the problems of the century in which it exists and the social issues of that century.

Throughout history, there has been a policy of devaluing women in social, political, economic and symbolic realms. Feminism strives to prevent inequality between women and men and fights for the social rights and freedoms to which women are entitled.

When we consider the first wave of feminism, we refer to a period from the early 19th century to the 1960s. Shortly after the French Revolution of 1789, a Declaration of the Rights of Man was published. As the title of the declaration indicates, it was only addressed to men. However, as we all know, people are born equal and free in terms of their rights.

One of the most fundamental texts of the first wave of feminism was written by Mary Wallstonecraft. In her work “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman”, published in 1792, she says:

“The time has come for women to revolutionize their way of life. It is long overdue to restore to women the honor they have lost and to enable them to contribute to the transformation of the world as part of the human race. Fight until there is no difference between men and women except sexual desire.”

Therefore, the primary battle of the first wave of feminism is actually the right to education, the right to vote and equal participation in public life on the basis of property rights. Their struggle first bore fruit in New Zealand, and in 1893 women in New Zealand were given the right to vote.

The second wave of feminism began in the 1960s and continued into the 1990s. After the liberation of women from patriarchy and their equal rights in politics had come within reach, other issues were naturally also addressed. Feminism goes beyond the pursuit of equality in the public sphere and begins to fight for equality in all areas. Discussions are held about intra-family relationships, interpersonal relationships, the workplace, women’s rights over their own bodies, birth control and abortion.

When discussing second-wave feminism, it is essential to mention Simone de Beauvoir. Beauvoir distinguished between biological sex and gender. She is famous for her words: “One is not born a woman, one becomes one.”

The distinction between biological sex and gender is already one of the cornerstones of 20th century philosophy, which was established as part of the postmodern philosophy that emerged in the 1960s. What is natural? Do we have a social existence apart from our biological gender and our identities? It has been established that what we call femininity and masculinity is not natural, but is constructed by society.

A woman doesn’t laugh out loud. A woman doesn’t sit with her legs apart. A woman is a gentle and emotional being. A woman is first and foremost a holy mother. That is, she’s defined by her motherhood and her existence is judged solely on the basis of her ability to procreate and be a mother. There are women who don’t prefer to become mothers. There are women who cannot become mothers. There are also women who become mothers and love their children deeply, but find it difficult to accept the role of motherhood.

Simone de Beauvoir repeatedly emphasizes that what we call a woman today is constructed through social indoctrination. Therefore, being a woman is something learned. We can say the same for men. That’s why feminism is for everyone. Regardless of which gender we belong to, we try to conform to what society expects of us. It’s also possible to be a man who doesn’t want to work, who wants to stay at home and look after his child, who wants to clean and cook. This is why Simone de Beauvoir says that such naturalization takes place in society in order to prevent existing inequalities.

Naturalization, however, does us more harm than good. When it is said that the nature of man is to be tough and the nature of woman is to be a mother, no one questions it, no one rebels against it.

This is why Simone de Beauvoir says that gender is socially constructed and that this learned notion of femininity can change. Her idea opened up a field within sociology that is still known today as gender studies.

Another important development during this period was the widespread availability and increased safety of contraceptives, which gave women the right to be sexually active without the risk of pregnancy. Because a woman is not just a reproductive machine! In Simone de Beauvoir’s work “The Second Sex”,” she declared: “The liberation of women will start from the womb.”

The third wave of feminism, which began in the 1990s and continued primarily in the late 2000s and early 2010s, focuses on the rights of women of different colors, races, ethnicities, nations and cultures. The resistance of an African American woman and that of an Iranian woman will differ because of the different contexts in which they resist in relation to their rights.

During this time, financial inequalities between women and men in the workplace were particularly emphasized. Issues such as the fact that a woman and a man with the same background and qualifications do not receive the same pay for the same work were discussed, especially after 1990.

Feminism is not just a theory that relates exclusively to women. It should be seen as a very broad concept. This can also be seen in the relationship that people who identify as LGBT+ have with feminism today.

Why do we need feminism today?

Why do we still need this fight today?

Women have the right to vote and be elected. Women are active in the workforce. But does that all end there? Does the mere existence of the right to vote and stand for election mean that it is applied in practice? Or when we talk about feminism, about women, has this equality been put into practice? According to United Nations data on violence against women, 70% of women experience male violence at least once in their lives. One in five women is raped or attempted to be raped. 70% of victims of human trafficking are women and girls.

I hope the future brings us all more equal and freer days.