Feminism’s Influence in the Modern World and the Changing Role of Women in Society

Feminism started out by fighting to give women a say in politics, especially the right to vote. Today, the movement has revolutionized the twenty-first century world in one way or another. It is hard to imagine what the world today would be like if not for feminism.

This movement has evolved as well. Each subsequent wave of feminism focused on new issues that faced women in various aspects of life. Here, we will see some of the ways in which feminism has impacted the modern world. This should help you understand how this movement has transformed the role of women in society.

Women’s Right to Vote and Hold Political Office

A woman’s right to vote and be voted for was one of the fundamental goals of feminism. It was also the earliest achievement of this movement. The push for women’s suffrage began with the first wave of feminism. Before “feminism” was coined, the movement was known as the “suffragette movement”.

Thanks to the efforts of these early feminists, women gained the right to vote. This began with New Zealand in September 1893. The first female deputies were also elected in Finland in 1907. This election saw 19 women elected to the parliament. In the United States, the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote nationwide. This came into effect in August of 1920.

The impact of this movement has been profound in this regard. Getting women a right to vote provided them with a formal, legal path to influence public policy. By allowing more female participation in the political landscape, women now had a voice. They could participate more actively in conversations that affected them directly.

Marriage and Evolving Gender Roles

In pre-feminism, largely patriarchal world, marriage was greatly exaggerated in the lives of women. In fact, in many societies, marriage and childbearing was framed as a woman’s most important goal in life. Women had to choose between getting married and going to school or getting a job. This was because women were expected to exclusively take care of the family. And they mostly did this on their own, with little to no help from men on the domestic front.

Impacts of Feminism on Traditional Family and Gender Roles

The second wave of feminism challenged the notion of traditional gender roles. Some of the ways the movement has reshaped marriage and gender roles include:

• Feminism fought for and won legal changes that gave women greater autonomy within marriage. This includes the right to property and rights to sign contracts on their own.
• The emergence of new divorce laws. These made it easier for women to leave marriages if they wanted to instead of staying in at all costs.
• Diverse family structures including single parent households and unmarried couples living together.
• The ideal of the stay-at-home mother became less of a social standard. This allowed more women to pursue their careers.
• Steady increase in men’s participation in domestic work and childcare.
• Female reproductive autonomy.

Education

Feminism has had a significant impact on the education of women. Today, higher education for women has become completely natural across most societies. While women went to school before feminism became popular, educating the girl child wasn’t a priority in most societies. Instead of universities or colleges, women typically went to boarding schools. Here they were trained on how to be good wives and mothers rather than scientists or other workers. This limited their impact on society.

The first female to gain admission to a university and graduate with a bachelor’s degree was Julie-Victoire Daubié. She gained admission to the University of Lyon, France in 1861. Her victory opened doors to many other females to gain access to higher education. Today, there is a slightly bigger percentage of women than men who are educated with higher education degrees in the majority of areas in the world.

Labor Force Participation

One other major way in which feminism has changed society is by bringing more women into the workforce and earning their own living. A comparison of the labor force participation rate by gender today with that of a century ago provides an idea of just how much the movement has impacted this area of society.

Back in the early 20th century, most women in the US and other countries all over the world didn’t work outside the home. This was due to the stereotype that men were providers. The women who participated in the labor force at the time were primarily young and unmarried. Women’s work in the home, particularly in family businesses and home production, was also not recognized. It was also a norm for women to leave work after getting married.

How Feminism Has Improved Labor Force Participation

Between the 1930s and mid-1970s, more women began to participate in the economy. Statistics show that up to 50% of single women and 40% of married women were participating in the labor force by 1970. Some of the factors that contributed to this include:

• Mass high school education of women.
• Emergence of new technologies such as typewriters and computers. This increased demand for clerical workers.
• Cleaner and safer jobs that could be taken up by women without stigma.
• More laws to protect women from discrimination and sexual harassment.

The increased labor force participation brought significant social and economic benefits for women. There are still some social and cultural factors that threaten the careers of women in society today. But they have been gradually declining in recent years.

Waves of Feminism and Their Impact on Society and Gender Roles

Since the 19th century, Feminism has evolved in waves. Each wave has targeted a specific aspect of society. The table below shows the impact of different waves of feminism on society and gender roles.

Conclusion

As shown above, feminism has come a long way in bringing change to society. While most of these changes have been viewed as largely positive, some of them are still being debated. The impact of feminism continues to evolve as the movement grows.

One thing is clear, though: feminism has answered so many questions and solved many problems for women. It has given rise to a few questions of its own. But the problems pale in comparison to the positive results that have been achieved over the years.