Context Builder #6

Mikala Lindsley
Trina Roundy
Katelyn Ball

Part I: Definitions

Define all of the following

1. Title IX- ​It is a civil right that says “​No person in the United States shall, on the basis of
sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to
discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial
assistance.​”
2. Wage gap- ​It is the difference between the median earnings of men and women relative
to median earnings of men.
3. Glass ceiling- ​An unofficial barrier for advancements for women in many professions.
4. Hostile sexism- ​An​ antagonistic attitude toward women, who are often viewed as trying
to control men through feminist ideology or sexual seduction
5. Benevolent sexism- ​compliments women based on stereotypes. Like holding women to
higher standards than men.
6. Internalized misogyny-​ involuntary belief by girls and women that the lies, stereotypes
and myths about girls and women that are delivered to everyone in a sexist society are true.
7. Sexual harassment-​ harassment (typically of a woman) in a workplace, or other
professional or social situation, involving the making of unwanted sexual advances or
obscene remarks
8. Victim blaming- ​devaluing act where the ​victim of a crime, an accident, or any type of
abusive maltreatment is held as wholly or partially responsible for the wrongful conduct committed
against them
9. Oppression- ​prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control
10. Standpoint theory- ​postmodern theory for analyzing inter-subjective discourses. This
body of work concerns the ways that authority is rooted in individuals' knowledge, and the
power that such authority exerts
 Part II: Historical Examinations

Select ONE of the following women from first wave feminism and create a brief
profile that includes a picture and two or three paragraphs providing biographical
information along with her contributions to feminism.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Activist, Women’s Rights Activist (1815-1902)

Elizabeth Cady Stanton was born in New York, and was a leader of the early women’s

movements. She was the daughter of a lawyer who made no secret that he preferred his son, she

showed the desire to excel in things that men “should” do. She graduated from the Emma

Willard’s Troy Female Seminary in 1832. She was immediately drawn to the women’s rights

movements through visits home to see her cousin, Gerrit Smith. In 1840 she married Henry

Stanton, they went to the World’s Anti-Slavery Convention in London, where she joined women

in protest for not being able to attend. Later on, her and Henry had seven children and settled in

Seneca Falls, NY.

 Elizabeth Cady Stanton along with many other women’s rights activists, held the famous

Seneca Falls Convention in July of 1848. At this meeting the attendees, drew up the

“Declaration of Sentiments” and took the lead in being granted the right to vote. Not only did

she focus on the suffrage of women, but she also focused on how religion played a role in

denying women their rights. Elizabeth Cady Stanton died on October 26, 1902. She was willing

and able to speak on a wide spectrum of women’s issues - “​from the primacy of legislatures over

the courts and constitution, to women's right to ride bicycles - and she deserves to be recognized

as one of the more remarkable individuals in American history.”

Select ONE of the following women from second wave feminism and create a brief profile
that includes a picture and two or three paragraphs providing biographical information
along with her contributions to feminism.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

(1933-)
Supreme Court Justice
 Ruth Bader Ginsburg was born March 15, 1933, in Brooklyn, New York. She married

Martin D. Ginsburg who was a law student. He was drafted shortly after the birth of their

daughter, was discharged two years later, and returned to Harvard where Ruth joined him. She

was one of the nine females in the class of over 500 students. It was challenging but she pressed

on and excelled academically. She was the first female member of the prestigious Harvard Law

Review. She later graduated from Columbia Law School in 1959, going on to be an advocate for

fair treatment of women and working with ACLU’s Women’s Rig​hts Project. She was

appointed by President Carter to the U.S. Court of Appeals in 1980 and was appointed to the

Supreme Court by President Clinton in 1993. She said, "My mother told me two things

constantly. One was to be a lady, and the other was to be independent.”

In 1980, President Jimmy Carter appointed Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the U.S. Court of

Appeals for the District of Columbia. She served there until she was appointed to the U.S.

Supreme Court in 1993 by President Bill Clinton. On June 27, 2010, Ruth Bader Ginsburg's

husband, Martin, died of cancer. She described Martin as her biggest booster and "the only

young man I dated who cared that I had a brain." Ginsburg has sided with several major supreme

court rulings; the affordable care act, he legalization of same sex marriage in all 50 states, and

struck down the Immigration and Nationality Act that allowed the deportation of any foreign

national convicted of a "crime of violence."

Part III: Thinking about the Issues

1. Whereas first wave feminism focused primarily on gaining legal rights for women, second wave
feminism focused primarily on gaining equal social status for women. What were the primary issues second
wave feminists addressed? What progress has been made on those issues? And what progress is yet to be
made?

During second wave feminism, starting in roughly the 1960s and ending in the late 80s,

according to Wikipedia, issues such as sexuality, reproductive rights like birth control and the

right to choose. Women wanted to work jobs other than teacher and secretary, they wanted

education and they wanted to manage their own bodies and their own lives. While it’s fair to say

that much progress has been made, there is still much work to be done. First, women are not

officially covered by the constitution. The ERA was never ratified and therefore became a non

issue. There has however, been much progress in protecting women from abuse and assault, but

we can continue to do better. Unfortunately, the most important issue in this writer’s opinion is

the right to make decisions about our reproduction, our futures and our bodies, and this is an

issue that has been a continual fight since Roe v. Wade.

2. What is the difference between biological sex and gender? Why does the difference matter?

Biological sex is the scientific differences – mostly physical – between men and women.

Gender is a cultural construct to define patriarchal gender roles and keep men superior. It

matters because yes, men and women are very different, but men and women working together

on virtually any challenge proves to be better than each on their own.

 3. What is consciousness raising and how was it used during second wave feminism? In your opinion is it a
useful/valuable strategy?

Consciousness raising is basically activism. Rallies, marches, protests; regarding a

common issue with a common goal. In second wave feminism, organizations such as Women’s

Lib, W.O.W., Lean In and very recently the #metoo movement is raising awareness to these

issues. I for one do not think these are the kinds of things feminists should be doing, because

often times it looks less like feminism and more like misandry. We are looking for equal, not

better.

Gloria Steinem and Dorothy Pitman-Hughes 

 Sources

“Elizabeth Cady Stanton.” ​Biography.com,​ A&E Networks Television, 27 Feb. 2018,

www.biography.com/people/elizabeth-cady-stanton-9492182​.

“Ruth Bader Ginsburg.” ​Biography.com,​ A&E Networks Television, 29 June 2018,

www.biography.com/people/ruth-bader-ginsburg-9312041​.

Consciousness raising. (2018, July 15). Retrieved from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consciousness_raising

Second-wave feminism. (2018, July 18). Retrieved from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second-wave_feminism