feminismus essay

Essay on Feminism

500 words essay on feminism.

Feminism is a social and political movement that advocates for the rights of women on the grounds of equality of sexes. It does not deny the biological differences between the sexes but demands equality in opportunities. It covers everything from social and political to economic arenas. In fact, feminist campaigns have been a crucial part of history in women empowerment. The feminist campaigns of the twentieth century made the right to vote, public property, work and education possible. Thus, an essay on feminism will discuss its importance and impact.

Importance of Feminism

Feminism is not just important for women but for every sex, gender, caste, creed and more. It empowers the people and society as a whole. A very common misconception is that only women can be feminists.

It is absolutely wrong but feminism does not just benefit women. It strives for equality of the sexes, not the superiority of women. Feminism takes the gender roles which have been around for many years and tries to deconstruct them.

This allows people to live freely and empower lives without getting tied down by traditional restrictions. In other words, it benefits women as well as men. For instance, while it advocates that women must be free to earn it also advocates that why should men be the sole breadwinner of the family? It tries to give freedom to all.

Most importantly, it is essential for young people to get involved in the feminist movement. This way, we can achieve faster results. It is no less than a dream to live in a world full of equality.

Thus, we must all look at our own cultures and communities for making this dream a reality. We have not yet reached the result but we are on the journey, so we must continue on this mission to achieve successful results.

Impact of Feminism

Feminism has had a life-changing impact on everyone, especially women. If we look at history, we see that it is what gave women the right to vote. It was no small feat but was achieved successfully by women.

Further, if we look at modern feminism, we see how feminism involves in life-altering campaigns. For instance, campaigns that support the abortion of unwanted pregnancy and reproductive rights allow women to have freedom of choice.

Moreover, feminism constantly questions patriarchy and strives to renounce gender roles. It allows men to be whoever they wish to be without getting judged. It is not taboo for men to cry anymore because they must be allowed to express themselves freely.

Similarly, it also helps the LGBTQ community greatly as it advocates for their right too. Feminism gives a place for everyone and it is best to practice intersectional feminism to understand everyone’s struggle.

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Conclusion of the Essay on Feminism

The key message of feminism must be to highlight the choice in bringing personal meaning to feminism. It is to recognize other’s right for doing the same thing. The sad part is that despite feminism being a strong movement, there are still parts of the world where inequality and exploitation of women take places. Thus, we must all try to practice intersectional feminism.

FAQ of Essay on Feminism

Question 1: What are feminist beliefs?

Answer 1: Feminist beliefs are the desire for equality between the sexes. It is the belief that men and women must have equal rights and opportunities. Thus, it covers everything from social and political to economic equality.

Question 2: What started feminism?

Answer 2: The first wave of feminism occurred in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It emerged out of an environment of urban industrialism and liberal, socialist politics. This wave aimed to open up new doors for women with a focus on suffrage.

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5 Essays About Feminism

On the surface, the definition of feminism is simple. It’s the belief that women should be politically, socially, and economically equal to men. Over the years, the movement expanded from a focus on voting rights to worker rights, reproductive rights, gender roles, and beyond. Modern feminism is moving to a more inclusive and intersectional place. Here are five essays about feminism that tackle topics like trans activism, progress, and privilege:

“Trickle-Down Feminism” – Sarah Jaffe

Feminists celebrate successful women who have seemingly smashed through the glass ceiling, but the reality is that most women are still under it. Even in fast-growing fields where women dominate (retail sales, food service, etc), women make less money than men. In this essay from Dissent Magazine, author Sarah Jaffe argues that when the fastest-growing fields are low-wage, it isn’t a victory for women. At the same time, it does present an opportunity to change the way we value service work. It isn’t enough to focus only on “equal pay for equal work” as that argument mostly focuses on jobs where someone can negotiate their salary. This essay explores how feminism can’t succeed if only the concerns of the wealthiest, most privileged women are prioritized.

Sarah Jaffe writes about organizing, social movements, and the economy with publications like Dissent, the Nation, Jacobin, and others. She is the former labor editor at Alternet.

“What No One Else Will Tell You About Feminism” – Lindy West

Written in Lindy West’s distinct voice, this essay provides a clear, condensed history of feminism’s different “waves.” The first wave focused on the right to vote, which established women as equal citizens. In the second wave, after WWII, women began taking on issues that couldn’t be legally-challenged, like gender roles. As the third wave began, the scope of feminism began to encompass others besides middle-class white women. Women should be allowed to define their womanhood for themselves. West also points out that “waves” may not even exist since history is a continuum. She concludes the essay by declaring if you believe all people are equal, you are a feminist.

Jezebel reprinted this essay with permission from How To Be A Person, The Stranger’s Guide to College by Lindy West, Dan Savage, Christopher Frizelle, and Bethany Jean Clement. Lindy West is an activist, comedian, and writer who focuses on topics like feminism, pop culture, and fat acceptance.

“Toward a Trans* Feminism” – Jack Halberstam

The history of transactivsm and feminism is messy. This essay begins with the author’s personal experience with gender and terms like trans*, which Halberstam prefers. The asterisk serves to “open the meaning,” allowing people to choose their categorization as they see fit. The main body of the essay focuses on the less-known history of feminists and trans* folks. He references essays from the 1970s and other literature that help paint a more complete picture. In current times, the tension between radical feminism and trans* feminism remains, but changes that are good for trans* women are good for everyone.

This essay was adapted from Trans*: A Quick and Quirky Account of Gender Variability by Jack Halberstam. Halberstam is the Professor of American Studies and Ethnicity, Gender Studies and Comparative Literature at the University of Southern California. He is also the author of several books.

“Rebecca Solnit: How Change Happens” – Rebecca Solnit

The world is changing. Rebecca Solnit describes this transformation as an assembly of ideas, visions, values, essays, books, protests, and more. It has many layers involving race, class, gender, power, climate, justice, etc, as well as many voices. This has led to more clarity about injustice. Solnit describes watching the transformation and how progress and “ wokeness ” are part of a historical process. Progress is hard work. Not exclusively about feminism, this essay takes a more intersectional look at how progress as a whole occurs.

“How Change Happens” was adapted from the introduction to Whose Story Is it? Rebecca Solnit is a writer, activist, and historian. She’s the author of over 20 books on art, politics, feminism, and more.

“Bad Feminist” extract – Roxane Gay

People are complicated and imperfect. In this excerpt from her book Bad Feminist: Essays , Roxane Gay explores her contradictions. The opening sentence is, “I am failing as a woman.” She goes on to describe how she wants to be independent, but also to be taken care of. She wants to be strong and in charge, but she also wants to surrender sometimes. For a long time, she denied that she was human and flawed. However, the work it took to deny her humanness is harder than accepting who she is. While Gay might be a “bad feminist,” she is also deeply committed to issues that are important to feminism. This is a must-read essay for any feminists who worry that they aren’t perfect.

Roxane Gay is a professor, speaker, editor, writer, and social commentator. She is the author of Bad Feminist , a New York Times bestseller, Hunger (a memoir), and works of fiction.

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Home — Essay Samples — Social Issues — Women's Rights — The Impact of Feminism on Society

The Impact of Feminism on Society

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Published: Jan 31, 2024

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Understanding feminism, feminism's impact on society, critiques and misconceptions, current challenges and future directions, case studies and examples, personal perspectives on feminism.

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Feminism Essay | Essay on Feminism for Students and Children in English

February 14, 2024 by Prasanna

Feminism Essay: Feminism is defined as a social and political movement that advocates for women’s rights on the grounds of equality of sexes. Feminism in no way denies the biological differences between the sexes but demands equality in opportunity social, political and economic arenas.

Most scholars believe feminist campaigns to be the reason for the crucial historical developments of women empowerment. The right to vote, right to public property, right to work and receive education, all own their roots to the feminist campaigns of the twentieth century.

Modern-day feminists are also involved in life-altering campaigns supporting abortion of unwanted pregnancy and reproductive rights. They have ground-breaking achievements on women’s suffrage, questioning Patriarchy and renouncing gender roles.

You can also find more Essay Writing articles on events, persons, sports, technology and many more.

Long and Short Essays on Feminism for Students and Kids in English

We are providing students with essay samples on a long essay of 500 words and a short essay of 150 words on the topic Feminism.

Long Essay on Feminism Essay 500 Words in English

Long Essay on Feminism Essay is usually given to classes 7, 8, 9, and 10.

French philosopher and a utopian socialist Charles Fourier coined the term “Feminism” in the year 1837. The history of modern western Feminism consists of four distinct waves.

The first wave-

The first wave began in the 19th and 20th century for women’s suffrage movement and advocating for women’s right to vote. It specifically began in the UK and US and led to the passing of several laws.

It marked the equality in marriage, parenting and property with laws like the Custody of Infants Act 1839, Married women’s Property Act in 1870 in the UK.

The second wave-

The second wave comprised pf the women’s liberation movement of the 1960s, where campaigns were held demanding legal and social equality of women. Though more attention was paid to women empowerment in the European countries, women still had very few rights of their own.

They still required the permission of their husbands to work and earn. Simon De Beauvoir’s book, “The Second Sex” provided a Marxist solution to this dependency on Patriarchy, thus leading to the second wave of Feminism.

The third wave-

The third wave was mostly focused on the individual and personal developments of women to become more independent and confident. It also brought in focus the constricted views of Feminism which focused mainly on the upper class and middle-class western whites and their outlook of life.

This paved the way for a more inclusive set of ideologies like Black Feminism and Interracial Feminism.

The fourth wave-

The fourth and the latest wave of the twenty-first-century Feminism is directed towards curbing of sexual harassment, abuses and more importantly rape cases. One of the most important movements of the fourth wave of Feminism is the #MeToo Movement.

You can now access more Essay Writing on this topic and many more. The feminist ideology is varied and has a vast spectrum of action. Hence, it is required for different kinds of Feminism to develop a more focused outlook on certain sections. The kinds of Feminism are-

Liberal Feminism: It attempts to focus on women’s individuality and independence. It demands equality and liberty. Freedom of choices is the key to development. Some of the notable Liberal Feminists are Abigail Adams and Mary Wollstonecraft.
Radical Feminism: The body of Feminism that arose from the civil liberties movement of 1967-68. Radical Feminism believes the male -capitalist mentality as well as the forces of the state to be the sole reason for women’s oppression.
Marxist and Socialist Feminism: The Marxist Feminism believes that to liberate women from age-old oppression, the forces of the capitalist society need to be overthrown; otherwise, equality of sexes cannot be achieved.
Cultural Feminism: Cultural Feminism is a more recent transformation of radical Feminism. Radical Feminism tried to transform the dominant patriarchal society into a more inclusive one. However, Cultural Feminism is an attempt to create an alternative to the dominant society and try to increase its acceptance.
Eco Feminism: Eco Feminism is more of a spiritual ideology which beliefs on the exploitation of patriarchal resources to be the solution for women’s liberation.

Short Essay on Feminism Essay 150 Words in English

Short Essay on Feminism Essay is usually given to classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

The ideology of Feminism is a movement initiated in the 19th century advocating for Women’s rights on the grounds of equality of sexes. It demands equality of opportunity of every gender irrespective of their biological differences.

The movement is distinctly divided into four waves. The first wave was the wave of movements that led to the voting rights for women. The second wave began during the civil liberty movement of the 1960s.

The third wave focused on individuality and personal liberty and was against the constricted Feminism of the upper class and pave the way for black Feminism and interracial Feminism.

The fourth and the most recent movement is focused upon addressing sexual harassment and rape cases.

Feminism can be divided into different kinds. The different types of Feminism are-

Liberal Feminism
Radical Feminism
Marxist Feminism
Cultural Feminism

Eco- Feminism

Modern-Day Feminism is no more restricted to women empowerment but also has extended its hands towards the LGBTQ+ community.

10 Lines on Feminism Essay in English

1. Postfeminism is a range of viewpoints that began in the 1980s. 2. It is mainly divided into four phases. 3. Feminism believes for equality of opportunity. 4. It is often misunderstood as a hostile movement. 5. #MeToo Movement is an organ of the Feminist movement. 6. Feminism believes in a woman’s right to sexual autonomy. 7. Some notable Feminist are-Virginia Wolf, Emma Watson, Malala Yousufzai. 8. Feminism is not essentially a woman’s movement only but a movement for all genders. 9. “Pseudo Feminism” is a term often called to the constricted Feminist viewpoint. 10. Feminism is a basic Human Rights movement in today’s world.

FAQ’s on Feminism Essay

Question 1. Is Feminism only for women?

Answer: No, Feminism ensures equal rights for everyone irrespective of their gender.

Question 2. Can men be Feminists too?

Answer: Absolutely, yes. It is open for anyone who believes in equality.

Question 3. Is Feminism against Men?

Answer: No, Feminism is against Patriarchy and not individual men.

Question 4. Does Feminism advocate for female supremacy?

Answer: No, Feminism advocates for equal rights of all genders and doesn’t encourage the supremacy of one gender over the others.

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Feminism in the Past and Nowadays Essay

Introduction, liberal feminism, radical feminism, works cited.

The feminist movement is spread all over the world, and more and more people are sharing their values. In the context of the modern era, the position of women has changed. Discrimination based on gender is slowly vanishing from our reality, though it is still an issue in emerging countries. The patriarchal type of relations has almost disappeared, and household duties are usually shared by family members. Such positive changes would be impossible without the influence of passionate women, who stand for their rights. Although the feminist movement is still making a huge impact on global society, some of its aspects have changed throughout time, and this paper is focused on observing the present-day agenda in comparison with previous goals and achievements of feminism.

The definition of liberal feminism is the following: “a particular approach to achieving equality between men and women that emphasizes the power of an individual person to alter discriminatory practices against women” (“Liberal Feminism: Definition & Theory” par. 2). In other words, it is based on the idea that in a democratic system women can create an equal society where law and men respect them. It should be noted that democratic institutions have developed significantly, so nowadays women have more opportunities for action. However, every movement has different directions, and liberal feminism can be addressed from two points of view: middle-class and working-class feminism.

Middle-class Feminism

The division by class here is for a reason. A famous activist bell hook claims that in the US middle-class white women had more opportunities to fight for their interests than women from other class and race (hooks 6). It means that privileged women had access to media, universities, and other public institutions, unlike others, so they could easier address the large audience.

The problems that middle-class feminists were highlighting mostly concerned about their isolation and inequality in the labor market. “The Feminine Mystique” by Betty Friedan, which illustrated the sad truth about the life goals of women, provoked a massive reaction and protest. Friedan disagreed with the nationwide promotion of early marriages and family as the only goal for women and revealed the problem of never questioning. It was torturing women, who did not even realize their true state of mind (Friedan 54). Hence, the movement became focused on highlighting women’s individuality and abilities to make an impact in society along with men.

Working-class Feminism

The status of working-class women was always vulnerable and open to debate. Firstly, as workers, they had to face the dehumanizing nature of labor and suffered from poverty daily. Furthermore, they were suspicious about middle-class women’s attempts to get a place at the labor market and knew that this liberation movement threatened their jobs (hooks 98). Therefore, the main struggle for them was to get decently paid and to avoid total discrimination.

All in all, liberal feminism was reflected in massive protests and public speeches, which finally reached many of its primary goals. In 1920 American women finally obtained the right to vote. Later, it became possible for women to work in the same positions as men. Today’s feminism missions would be much more complicated without this progress. Gender discrimination at work is gradually vanishing, and women keep raising awareness about it in order to eliminate it completely. Erasing these inequalities contributes to making a healthy society, where people respect each other and value work of the others.

Another school of feminism is called radical and focuses on fighting against male violence and patriarchy. Challenging the patriarchy means dealing with male dominance at home and at work (Mackay 4). Unfortunately, men’s supremacy has been a feature of every community for a long time. Hence, the concepts of radical feminism are interconnected with ideas of the liberal school, as male supremacy was always one of the major concerns for all women.

Radicals stress the topic of rape and violence. This is a critical issue that has always been hard to discuss. Women had never been eager to share their traumatic experiences and to combat violence at home until some brave activists began the public protest. It caused a tidal wave of disagreement, and it is noteworthy that women living in civilized countries can feel safe nowadays. Law protects them and brings confidence to millions of women across the world.

However, there are still many countries where the state does not protect from violence. It happens because of the reluctance of members of these societies to make a change. Possibly, they underestimate the features of healthy societies, and it results in indifference.

Modern feminism would not have been what it is without influencers and activists from the past. Literature, music, and other cultural ways of transferring a message helped feminists to widespread their ideas and beliefs. Second-wave feminism was the period when the movement was at its peak, so most of the remarkable works concerning the position of women in society were created at this time. Along with authors who discussed basic women’s rights, like bell hooks, others promoted the topics which had never been talked about before. For example, Erica Jong developed a theme of female sexuality in her novel “Fear of Flying” published in 1973. It was a provocative subject for those days, but it was time for the society to reconsider conservative views and accept the natural causes of the phenomenon.

Another outstanding example in modern feminism is Alice Walker, a writer who coined the term “womanism.” It was meant to symbolize all women, including the black ones, as “feminism” did not usually encompass them. According to Walker, “womanism” is a philosophy of women who love their gender, which also addresses all issues mentioned above (Junior 16). Although the opposite term “misogyny” has been popular lately, there are still many proponents of Walker’s views.

In the context of education, the feminist movement became a global appeal for critical thinking and overviewing the common concepts of the position of women. Women started asking themselves, and they finally realized that their opinion and self-respect matter. It is important that the ideas of feminism gave a sense of community to women, and this sense of participation brought power and confidence to many of them. Women became capable of debating openly over controversial topics. This is how the slogan “the personal is political” occurred – it addressed the connection between the self and political reality. It was one of the first steps in discussing the subject of political consciousness among women, and it seems especially important today when we finally see women-politicians, women-presidents.

To sum up, the contemporary feminist movement has progressed to the state of a global and powerful philosophy which helps women worldwide. Fashion claims that the future is feminine, men join the movement and support active women, and this would never be true without the founders and previous activists, who were first to declare women’s rights. Besides, today’s agenda has become more diversified, and feminists’ concerns are not only about women but also about global development in general. Thus, the efforts of the first feminists were not useless, and future generations can rely on modern activists.

Friedan, Betty. The Feminine Mystique . W.W. Norton and Co, 1963

Hooks, bell. Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center . Routledge, 2014.

Jong, Erica. Fear of Flying . Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1973.

Junior, Nyasha. An Introduction to Womanist Biblical Interpretation . Presbyterian Publishing Corp, 2015.

Mackay, Finn. Radical Feminism: Feminist Activism in Movement. Springer, 2015.

“Liberal Feminism: Definition & Theory.” Web.

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Short Essay on Feminism

This short essay will provide an overview of feminism, discussing its history, key principles, and objectives. It will explore the different waves of feminism and their impact on society, including the fight for women’s suffrage, workplace equality, and gender norms. The piece will also examine contemporary feminist issues and the movement’s role in addressing them. Additionally, it will touch upon the criticisms of feminism and the challenges it faces in achieving its goals. You can also find more related free essay samples at PapersOwl about Critical Theory.

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Feminism is defined by the dictionary as “the advocacy of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes,” but I believe it’s a lot more than that. I believe feminism is a way of life, a way of seeing more than just male and female. It is seeing people as a whole, regardless of their gender. Feminism isn’t only about equality for women, yes it might have started as such, but it opened up our eyes to a whole world of discrimination that was kept swept under the rug. Need a custom essay on the same topic? Give us your paper requirements, choose a writer and we’ll deliver the highest-quality essay! Order now

Feminism is the courage to stand up for what is right, even when its not a popular opinion.

Feminism can be divided into 3 waves, the first wave of feminism occurred in the 19th and early 20th century and was mainly concerned with women’s right to vote. It ended with the 19th amendment to the US constitution in 1919, granting women the right to vote. The second wave was in the 1960s-1980s and it focused on equality and discrimination. The second-wave slogan, “The Personal is Political,” identified women’s cultural and political inequalities as inextricably linked and encouraged women to understand how their personal lives reflected sexist power structures (Drucker 2018). Betty Friedan hypothesizes that women were victims of false beliefs and that led them to find identity through the lives of their spouses and children, in part making them lose their own identity. The third wave was in the early 1990s was essentially a continuation of the second wave, as people felt the second wave was not successful.

Before Feminism, the majority if women artists were invisible to the public eye. They were often times denied exhibitions and gallery representation based on the sole fact of their gender (The Art Contributors 2017). With exhibitions such as WACK, it’s safe to say that feminism is making a comeback. Although feminisms “height” was in 1960-1980s, WACK exhibitions allowed people another glimpse at the Art that emerged from that era. Its revival is important so that people can rediscover and educate themselves on the art, that the feminist movement created, but was most likely largely unknown.

One Feminist Artist that engages with feminism is Valie Export. Her artwork is all about challenging the ways women and their bodies are portrayed in the media. She takes on various mediums including, performances, photographs and videos. Most of her work includes exposing herself in a certain way as to challenge the audience’s sexual gaze. In one of her performances titled Tap and touch, she allowed strangers only to feel her breast hidden behind a makeshift cinema while gazing directly into her eyes, with it representing “a women’s first step from object to subject.” She resents male patriarchy and went as far as to change her name because she did not want to be known by her husband’s or father’s last name and created a new persona for herself.

Contributors, The Art. “Feminist Art Movement Overview.” The Art Story, 1 Feb. 2017, www.theartstory.org/movement-feminist-art.htm.

Drucker, Sally Ann. “OH Blog and News.” Ohio Humanities, 27 Apr. 2018, www.ohiohumanities.org/betty-friedan-the-three-waves-of-feminism/.

Hadbad-, Victoria. “VALIE EXPORT Art, Bio, Ideas.” The Art Story, The Art Story Contributors, 16 July 2018, www.theartstory.org/artist-export-valie.htm.

Hess, Amanda. “How a Fractious Women's Movement Came to Lead the Left.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 7 Feb. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/02/07/magazine/how-a-fractious-womens-movement-came-to-lead-the-left.html?register=email&auth=register-email.

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Home › Feminism: An Essay

Feminism: An Essay

By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on April 27, 2016 • ( 6 )

Feminism as a movement gained potential in the twentieth century, marking the culmination of two centuries’ struggle for cultural roles and socio-political rights — a struggle which first found its expression in Mary Wollstonecraft ‘s Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792). The movement gained increasing prominence across three phases/waves — the first wave (political), the second wave (cultural) and the third wave (academic). Incidentally Toril Moi also classifies the feminist movement into three phases — the female (biological), the feminist (political) and the feminine (cultural).

The first wave of feminism, in the 19th and 20th centuries, began in the US and the UK as a struggle for equality and property rights for women, by suffrage groups and activist organisations. These feminists fought against chattel marriages and for polit ical and economic equality. An important text of the first wave is Virginia Woolf ‘s A Room of One’s Own (1929), which asserted the importance of woman’s independence, and through the character Judith (Shakespeare’s fictional sister), explicated how the patriarchal society prevented women from realising their creative potential. Woolf also inaugurated the debate of language being gendered — an issue which was later dealt by Dale Spender who wrote Man Made Language (1981), Helene Cixous , who introduced ecriture feminine (in The Laugh of the Medusa ) and Julia Kristeva , who distinguished between the symbolic and the semiotic language.

The second wave of feminism in the 1960s and ’70s, was characterized by a critique of patriarchy in constructing the cultural identity of woman. Simone de Beauvoir in The Second Sex (1949) famously stated, “One is not born, but rather becomes a woman” – a statement that highlights the fact that women have always been defined as the “Other”, the lacking, the negative, on whom Freud attributed “ penis-envy .” A prominent motto of this phase, “The Personal is the political” was the result of the awareness .of the false distinction between women’s domestic and men’s public spheres. Transcending their domestic and personal spaces, women began to venture into the hitherto male dominated terrains of career and public life. Marking its entry into the academic realm, the presence of feminism was reflected in journals, publishing houses and academic disciplines.

Mary Ellmann ‘s Thinking about Women (1968), Kate Millett ‘s Sexual Politics (1969), Betty Friedan ‘s The Feminine Mystique (1963) and so on mark the major works of the phase. Millett’s work specifically depicts how western social institutions work as covert ways of manipulating power, and how this permeates into literature, philosophy etc. She undertakes a thorough critical understanding of the portrayal of women in the works of male authors like DH Lawrence, Norman Mailer, Henry Miller and Jean Genet.

In the third wave (post 1980), Feminism has been actively involved in academics with its interdisciplinary associations with Marxism , Psychoanalysis and Poststructuralism , dealing with issues such as language, writing, sexuality, representation etc. It also has associations with alternate sexualities, postcolonialism ( Linda Hutcheon and Spivak ) and Ecological Studies ( Vandana Shiva )

Elaine Showalter , in her “ Towards a Feminist Poetics ” introduces the concept of gynocriticism , a criticism of gynotexts, by women who are not passive consumers but active producers of meaning. The gynocritics construct a female framework for the analysis of women’s literature, and focus on female subjectivity, language and literary career. Patricia Spacks ‘ The Female Imagination , Showalter’s A Literature of their Own , Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar ‘s The Mad Woman in the Attic are major gynocritical texts.

The present day feminism in its diverse and various forms, such as liberal feminism, cultural/ radical feminism, black feminism/womanism, materialist/neo-marxist feminism, continues its struggle for a better world for women. Beyond literature and literary theory, Feminism also found radical expression in arts, painting ( Kiki Smith , Barbara Kruger ), architecture( Sophia Hayden the architect of Woman’s Building ) and sculpture (Kate Mllett’s Naked Lady).