Author: Angelee Torres

Coming into this class, my initial impression about “feminism” was just women who fight for rights and equality and just wore feminism shirts, and pins, and protested so that they can be equal to men. My impression of “sexism” is men being superior and the lack of equality and rights towards women. I believed “gender and women’s studies” was based on the role women play in society and their history and elevation.  One quote that tries to imply what feminism is “Simply put feminism is a movement to end sexism. This was a definition of feminism I offered in Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center more than ten years ago. It was my hope at the time that it would become a common definition everyone would use. I liked this definition because it did not imply that men were the enemy. By naming sexism as the problem, it went directly to the heart of the matter.” A line that indicates some type of evolution is “Women’s studies programs, now common, were rare on campuses just a few generations ago. The evolution of the discipline, and its status in academe today, are the subjects of the essays in The Evolution…” 

When did the wage gap start getting noticed as a problem? 

How much time does It take to compare all the information and numbers for the statistic on the wage gap? 

Something I noticed/ experiences was when I used to work in a supermarket. I was a cashier, and another position was to be a “stock boy.” Notice how the position has the word boy at the end and only males worked in that position. All of the cashiers were females and the men worked longer hours than the cashiers which means they were paid more as well. 

In the text Seneca Falls Convention, “Declaration of Sentiments” (1848), one quote that stood out to me was “The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman, having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over her. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.” This line stood out to me because I felt this sentence as it shook me to my core. That quote states that we are still living the same unfortunate reality. The “history” is not really history if us women never stopped getting hurt by men whether that is politically, socially, emotionally, etc. That men have a horrid oppressive rule over women and it is not new, but it is definitely old. It has been going on for fat too long. Another quote that stood out to me was “He has endeavored, in every way that he could, to destroy her conficence in her own powers, to lessen her self-respect, and to make her willing to lead a dependent and abject life.” This line stood out to me because I have encountered and seen this happen to so many women on Tv, social media, and real life. Men crush women’s dream and potentials so that they can be under their wing and not surpass them. So that they can be dominant, in control and superior. 

YouTuber- Bretman Rock (all his videos), he’s funny, full of confidence and super brave/bold

Song: All in – Lil baby

India pt3- Lil durk

I love you- Billie Eilish

The texts from this week opened my eyes more and gave me a more thorough/ visual representation of what it was like to be a woman in the 1960s-1970s whether that was your assigned sex or not. Throughout the different texts for this week, the common issue shared was the oppression of women and what was required of women and their role in society.

Something that caught my eyes throughout the text is the statement “Women are inferior to men.”  Women make up half of humanity, nurture, work around the clock as mothers, do the house chores, work 9-5 jobs, do all these things like wonder women and are still not given the respect, equality or credit.

Also, something that stood out to me in “women’s liberation aims to free men too” is that some believe women have small brains which sounded completely absurd. Women are not always given the opportunity to show their true and full potential for such rude and ignorant remarks.

In “Redstockings Manifesto,” “I Want a Wife,” and “The Politics of Housework” these articles shared feminist views and the oppression occurring. The women’s “role” in society/everyday life. The difference between “I’m Glad I was in the Stonewall Riot” is that Sylvia Rivera was into drag, brought down, treated as less for being gay and was able to participate in the “Stonewall Riot” that included many people whom were also in women and peace movements.