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:
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 fastestgrowing 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.