Module 7

Before listening to the power point and reading The Combahee River Collective, I never realized how much intersectionality really does play a role in our society. In general, women are seen as subordinate to men and are not given the same rights that men are. In another sense, African Americans are seen as subordinate to White Americans in the United States. Hence, being both a woman and an African American is a double hit. According to intersectionality, if you are a non-white, poor, gay woman then you will have a very unique experience of offpression and privilege.

I am very surprised that many white women were racist during the women's movement. It would seem that they would want as many women fighting with them as possible, regardless of race, class, and sexuality. Maybe if white women would have embraced black women we would not have as much of a racism problem as we do today.

I think that if we had consciousness raising groups today, they would fail miserably. The idea of women sitting around rapping about their problems and experiences would be very humorous to their opponents and wouldn't get anything done. It may entice more radical feminists to join in the fight, but I don't think it would get much done in terms of legislation and the way that women are viewed in general.

If I wrote a manifesto I would want it to be about violence from husbands to their wives. I feel that this is a huge problem in society today and would want to push for harsher punishments for this crime. Even something that the state sees as not being a big deal, such as emotional abuse, should be illegal and have a harsh punishment. Many men today think that it is ok to abuse a woman if he is married to her, which is simply not the case and this way of thinking should be stopped immediately.

Module 6

During the First Wave of the women's suffrage movement there wasn't much jailing and physical harm, especially when compared to that of the movement in Britain. However, tactics such as picketing and hunger-strikes were used sparingly. The activists participating in these were arrested, jailed, and force-fed. I do not think that these strategies would be effective for feminist activists today because this is how opponents of feminism picture feminists. By picketing and participating in hunger-strikes, feminists would just be reinforcing the negative thoughts that anti-feminists have about them.

I don't think that issues like racism still divides feminist movements today-at least I haven't heard of any examples of this. I think it would have been better if the suffragists would have remained a part of the Black Rights Movement. It's better to have one big group fighting together than two smaller groups that somewhat disagree with each other. If they would have remained together, I think that women's suffrage would have come much sooner after black men suffrage than it did. To be a successful activist during the First Wave, you would have to be very determined and be able to rebound after failure. You would have to be able to stand by your platform even when it seems that no one else agrees or is willing to fight with you. Activists also had to be very educated so that they would know how to best go about getting things done. Having connections is also a huge part of activism because if you don't know the right people it's hard to accomplish your goals, especially on capital hill.

Module 5

I feel that the state is doing a lot to protect women and are really trying to give them equal rights as men. We have sure come a long way since the time when there were no laws against marital rape. Women are now allowed to use any type of contraceptives that they want, which is a huge victory in women being able to make their own choices concerning sex and family. Many laws are in place that feminists are fighting for, however sometimes they are not taken as seriously by citizens as feminists hope. There are laws in place concerning sexual harassment within the workplace, but I feel as if many bosses do not take these complaints as seriously as they should. They may laugh it off so that they don't have to deal with it or give very mild punishments.

As far as the whole controversy about divorce and collecting alimony, I think you have to look at it from many perspectives, and it should be looked at from a case-to-case basis. If it is just a husband and wife with no children involved, the women should be compensated a little just because women generally make less income than men. However, if the woman has children who mostly she will be responsible for, the ex-husband should give her a pretty large compensation for that. There is no way that you can look at this issue and make a clear-cut decision on what percentage of income should go to husband and wife.

I believe that full equality can be achieved under our current capitalistic system. We have made great strides and are continuing to grant equality to women, as well as other minorities. However, I don't think many more policies can be made within the state. Instead, citizens need to start respecting these laws and realizing that they are doing great things for our country if they are respected.

Module 4

Before now, I had absolutely no idea that there were so many different types of feminism. This is probably part of the reason why so many people are against the idea of feminism and think that it is all very radical and outlandish. Many don't realize the different kinds and degrees of feminism that are out there. The theory that I find to be the most persuasive is the liberal feminism. I like how they are deeply concerned with issues like equal pay for men and women, and working to stop sexual harassment in the workplace. By passing laws (instead of taking radical steps) it seems that a lot of good are coming from these liberal feminists. I think that most women can relate to this point of view, because the majority feel like women are still subordinate to men in the public domain.
The theory that I find to be the most disturbing is Marxist feminism. I don't know if it just seems scary to me that these feminists are trying to overthrow capitalism or that I just don't understand the argument. I don't understand how moving from a capitalistic to Marxist society will increase women's rights. Even if women do usually make less money than men while doing the same job, there are other aspects to women's rights. Sexual harassment will still take place and the government will probably try to decrease the amount of women working.
Feminist research is different from other kinds of research because it gets right to the root of what real women are thinking and feeling. Instead of just reading old books and articles, researchers talk and engage with real women in all different situations including the workplace, the home, and doing other activities outside of the house. They look at it from all different viewpoints and try to put themselves in the position of the subjects instead of just judging them from an outsiders point of view.

Module 3

In a previous course that I took (Human Sexuality), we learned all about intersex infants and the options that they, their parents, and their doctors have. There is a great controversy as to what should be done, taking into account the infant's health as well as their well being later in life. When an infant is born and they are first noticed to be intersex, doctors and parents usually pick a sex and the infant's genitals are constructed in that particular sex. There are medical problems that could arise because of this (as there is with any surgery), but it is generally pretty safe. However, when some of these children grow up they may identify more with and wish that they were the opposite sex. In a sense, the doctors and parents have "picked the wrong sex" to make the child. This can lead to deep psychological problems and a gender identity problem.

On the other hand, different problems can arise if no change is made at all and the child is left to be intersexed. First of all, it is very painful and can be psychologically scaring to perform surgery later in the child's life after they figure out what sex they identify with most. Embarrassing situations can arise in locker rooms and bathrooms with intersex infants and taunting by others is very common.

Personally, if I were an intersex infant I would immediately want my parents to decide on a sex and have me surgically changed. I also don't think I would ever really want to know that I was ever intersex later in my life. I feel that nurture has a lot to do with how girls and boys identify with their sex. If an intersex infant is decided to be transformed into a girl, the parents will surely treat the girl like any other female. They will buy her dolls, barbies, cooking sets, and other things intended for girls. Although this alone does not "make" a girl a girl or a boy a boy, I think that it plays a huge role. I would also not want to go through the embarrassment of daily activities not really knowing who I am.

Module 2

Before I read the first couple articles for my Women's Studies class, I did not consider myself a feminist in the slightest. I always thought of feminists as being very radical and willing to do anything to achieve their goals. Many people do not take feminists very seriously because they feel that women's rights will gradually develop when the time is right for them.

I became attracted to this Women's Studies class because I am hoping it will be a critical thinking class where the students will get the facts and then be allowed to discuss among themselves what they think. Also, being a woman, I feel that it is important to have knowledge about work women have done in the past and what I can look forward to happening in the future. I hope that by taking this class I will gain a stronger sense of what it means for me to be a woman so that I can appreciate myself better.

The stereotypes that feminists are radical, lesbians, hate men, and reject motherhood are believed by many people in the United States, as well as throughout the rest of the world. These stereotypes reiterate the idea of male dominance because they contain the idea that there are no strong women, and when women are trying to stand up for what they believe in, they are just seen as being crazy and ultra-radical. I think that equality between the sexes has definitely improved and keeps improving in the United States, however we still have a long way to go on topics such as sexual harassment and ideas on gender roles. Other countries, especially in the Middle East, believe in male dominance to a much great extent than the United States does. I feel that this is a much more serious problem than those we find in the United States. Practices such as women not being able to talk to any other man besides her husband (including her doctor) are just inhumane and a very serious problem.