modern feminism. Feminism in modern society

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Introduction

Conclusion

List of used literature

Appendix (Women's Leadership Effectiveness Questionnaire)

Introduction

The movement of women for equality at the beginning of the 20th century was an international phenomenon, but the scale, nature and forms of movements, as well as the rhetoric of feminists, were determined by specific socio-political conditions, cultural and historical traditions of a particular society.

Feminist ideas remain relevant today. Although women have already achieved a lot, there is still no true equality in society. As before, men dominate in politics and economics, they are doubtful about progressive, businesslike women. On paper, the laws proclaim equality, but in reality, the old, patriarchal foundations in the family prevail, the man still considers himself the master in the house and in society.

While writing the work, I used the works of Russian and foreign scientists: N. Novikova, A. Temkina, S. de Bouvard, S. Evans and others, as well as articles in periodicals.

Feminism in Russian historiography has long been considered part of the labor and socialist movement. This issue was not considered independently and therefore did not receive wide development, hence the scarcity domestic literature. The main sources were the books The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir, Born to Liberty by Sarah Evans, and the collection Feminism: Prose, Memoirs, Letters, Essays. Simone de Beauvoir refers in her story to the myths and legends about the “mystery of sex”, about the “mystery of the female soul”, created, in her words, by men. The book by Sarah Evans reveals the history of the life of American women, starting from the 16th century. She writes about how the American woman has long tried to change the boundaries allotted to her. Hence the explosion of social activity, which led to the creation of a number of informal associations.

At the center of the book are the varied lives of American women - Native Americans, pioneers, slaves, immigrants, factory workers, mothers and housewives. The women's movement, according to Sarah Evans, is a hidden source of the democratization of society. The collection includes works of different genres - essays, memoirs, letters and excerpts from works of art well-known public figures and writers - J. Sand, A. Adams, G. Ibsen, S. Anthony and others. The works included in the collection reflect the history of 150 years of women's struggle for their rights - from the time of the American Revolution to the forties of the XX century. Among the problems that in question in the collection - marriage as an instrument of suppression and exploitation, the desire of a woman to dispose of her freedom herself, the economic dependence of a woman.

The object of the work is feminism.

Subject of work - women in modern society.

The purpose of this work is to study feminism in modern society.

reveal the essence of modern feminism;

study of women in business.

Chapter 1 The Essence of Modern Feminism

1.1 Feminism in the second half of the 20th century

The revival, or "women's renaissance," began in the 1960s. The United States became its epicenter, where during these years there was an intensification of democratic processes aimed at eliminating various forms of discrimination, and above all racism. The women's movement has acquired new, often radical forms, which is reflected in its name - "women's liberation movement".

A new wave of struggle for emancipation was due to structural changes in society and, above all, a significant increase in the share of female labor in social production. Thus, by 1960 in the United States, women accounted for more than one third of the country's labor force, while 54% of working women were married, and 33% had children, which indicates economic factors that encouraged women to be included in social production practices.

The feminist movement of the 60s - early 70s acquired a somewhat extravagant coloration, manifesting itself in unusual slogans and forms of protest that were defiant, even shocking the traditionally minded public. In an effort to awaken women's self-awareness, liberate public opinion from the inertia of patriarchally oriented moral attitudes, feminists used, for example, the techniques of "square theater". In 1968, leaflets from an American organization under the infamous name of The Witch said: “Everything that is repressive, exclusively male, envious, marked by puritanism and authoritarianism, should be the target of your criticism. Your weapon is your boundless beautiful imagination. Your strength comes from yourselves as women, and it is multiplied by working with your sisters. It is your duty to free your brothers (whether they want it or not) and yourselves from sex role stereotypes. Shaternikova M. Where does feminism grow from? // Bulletin of Moscow State University. - 2014. - No. 16. - P.25.

Not only were the forms of feminist protest shocking, but also its content. Those foundations of society that, according to feminists, contributed to the consolidation of the unequal status of women: marriage, motherhood, etc., were criticized. The logic of reasoning was approximately as follows: “In marriage, according to the law, a man and a woman are one person, that is, the very being or legal existence of a woman ceases with the beginning of her marriage. For “one” always implies male dominance.”

The extremism of the feminist movement had positive and negative consequences. On the one hand, it contributed to the awakening of female self-awareness, and on the other hand, it gave rise to discredit, allowed opponents to accuse feminists of having an inferiority complex, an unhealthy predilection for power, a propensity for sexual promiscuity, etc.

Feminism, like any other political movement, could not avoid radicalism, "leftism" as a kind of growing pains. It took time for the maturity of assessments, moderation and balance of actions, and finally, theoretical validity to come. This was largely facilitated by the creation of a network of so-called women's studies, designed to simultaneously carry out educational work and provide a scientific foundation for the women's liberation movement. Women's studies have become an integral part of curricula many universities, many specialized research centers have appeared.

In the 1970s, centers for "women's" or "feminist" studies appeared everywhere in Western universities with special programs that included specialists in biology, physiology, anthropology, ethnography, philosophy, history, and philology. A dispute has moved into them, dividing feminists into supporters of an “egalitarian” approach and preachers of “female subjectivity”. With the spread of women's studies, this dispute not only was not resolved, but it separated opponents in different directions. Bryson W. The political theory of feminism. / Per. from English. - M., 2011. P.145.

The researchers proposed their way out of this impasse, building the analysis based on a comparison of “male” and “female” roles in different situations in different periods. They proposed to introduce a new concept of “gender” (from the English gender - genus). In Russian, this concept can be revealed only by a semantic phrase: “social relations of sex”, or a socially fixed division of roles into male and female. They seek to transfer the analysis of sex relations from the biological level to the social level in order to finally abandon the postulate of the “natural purpose of sex”; to show that the concept of "sex" is one of the same semantic concepts as "class" or "race".

In the 1970s and 1980s, the international community adopted documents calling for the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women. In them, a woman is recognized as the same full-fledged subject of history as a man, and her personality is valued higher than her “natural purpose”, they emphasize that the birth of children, procreation is a right, not a duty of a woman.

Started in the 60s, the "women's revolution" was under the slogan: "If a woman has the right to half of heaven, then she has the right to half of the power on earth!" - in the 1980s and 1990s, it forced those in power to make room and finally let women into all the structures of society's management. These structures from same-sex male structures began to turn into “mixed” ones. Suffragettes, grandmothers of American women of the late 20th century, would rejoice at the increase in the number of women members of political parties. In 1969 women held only 3.5% of positions in the states, by 1986. this figure rose to 13%. In local authorities, their representation was 4% in 1975. and 10% in 1981. The proportion of women in the US Parliament is 11.2%, in the UK - 7.8%. . And these numbers continue to grow, albeit very slowly. Thus, the "women's revolution" has changed the idea of the role of women in modern society. By the mid-90s, men occupy 375 seats in the House of Representatives of the US Congress - only 60 women. There are 87 men and 13 women in the Senate. There are 4 women in the top ministerial positions in the Bush Administration. Women-owned companies employ one in four Americans. But at the same time, only 12.4% of women are members of the boards of directors of the largest American companies. Bryson W. The political theory of feminism. / Per. from English. - M., 2011. P. 147.

In 1961, US President John F. Kennedy created the world's first special structure - the President's Commission on the Status of Women. This organization was headed by Eleanor Roosevelt, the widow of President Franklin Roosevelt and the author of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights The Commission oversaw women's rights in the workplace In 1963, the US Congress required all employers to pay women the same as men for the same job.

In 1964, discrimination on the basis of race and gender was prohibited by law in the United States. An influential Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was created to investigate such discrimination. There. P.148.

Feminism spread around the world with such speed only because it was able to use the already existing traditions of social activity everywhere. Feminism adopted the fundamental norms of the era of humanism and the Enlightenment, according to which a person is a being that affects the environment and himself, changing and creating. However, in a patriarchal society, a man has assumed an active role and the right to embody these features of the human race. The goal of feminism is thus to liberate women from the constraints imposed by men, to give her equal opportunities to participate in the creative process, in history.

Feminism grew out of other movements aimed at reforming society. In the US, one of the ancestors of feminism was the movement for the liberation of the black population, the other - the student movement. In the UK and Western European countries, modern feminism has its roots in the radical student movement of the 1960s.

From the beginning of the 60s, a radical branch of American feminism began to take shape - the “liberation movement”. This current grew gradually out of the “new left” movement, being at the same time a reaction and protest against the student revolution. Students enthusiastically took part in university protests, in sit-ins, protest marches against segregation in the South, in anti-war rallies against the Vietnam War. But gradually they begin to experience dissatisfaction with the role assigned to them in the youth movement. Disappointment was associated with the process of realizing their complete detachment from leadership and decision-making in the new left informal groups and organizations. The "New Left" movement was the first mass movement of young middle-class people in the history of the United States against the institutions and values of Western democracy. Criticism and ideological nihilism of the new radicals concerned the entire system of values and institutions of the “rotten industrial civilization”. Zherebkina I. “Read my desire…” Postmodernism. Psychoanalysis. Feminism. M., 2014. P.76.

At the same time, it turned out that, having questioned the political ideals of “one hundred percent Americanism”, challenging the bourgeois “American dream”, the “new left”, like the “old”, questioned the values and practices of patriarchy. The requirements of egalitarian democracy and “participatory democracy” do not apply to the system of gender relations. Companions in the movement, who dared to move away from the destined role of clerical and kitchen assistants and put the problem of equal rights for women on the agenda of youth meetings, met with rude ridicule, mockery and complete rejection. The leader of an influential radical organization, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, became famous throughout the country for his “joking” reaction to the question of the status of women. "The only position of women in our political organization," he publicly stated, "is prostrate."

Women leaving student groups in protest form their own communities and organizations. Their new concept is the slogan "The personal is political." The "liberation wing" declaration provided the basis for collective strategies and actions distinct from the practices of liberal feminism. The main form of their activity was the creation of informal small discussion groups of “growth of self-consciousness” (conscious-raising). Awareness of personal female deprivation and personal experience, as a political problem and as a social model of the inequality of women, as a group, inevitably led, according to the organizers, to the formation of a collective identity and new solidarity activity. “ Personal experience and personal experiences give grounds to talk about the general problem of the oppression of all women,” said the Manifesto of the Red Stockings, an influential radical group from New York. “Male domination is the oldest form of domination and exploitation of women. The growth of self-consciousness is not psychotherapy, it is the development of a solidary class consciousness of women. Our goal is liberation from all kinds of suppression of the female personality. Zherebkina I. “Read my desire…” Postmodernism. Psychoanalysis. Feminism. M., 2014. P.78.

Any woman or women's group could start activities at the local community, city or state level.

IN numerous groups“growth of consciousness” and “increase in personal self-esteem”, their participants reinterpreted the well-known discussion “similarities - differences” in a new way. In the radical current, female difference, which opposes the understanding of equality as sameness, ceases to be a pejorative term. At the initiative of women's groups, alternative women's "countercultural" social institutions and practices are being formed. Since the late 60s, feminist publications, bookstores, cafes, kindergartens, women's clinics and centers for women's health and family planning, crisis centers for women who have experienced sexual and domestic violence have appeared. In terms of its scope, the "liberation" women's movement by the mid-70s begins to surpass the scale of anti-war and youth protests. Evans S. Born for freedom. / Translated from English. - M., 2013. P.107.

The feminist challenge becomes a leading topic in the media. The women's rights movement did not cause such a resonance. The reformism of liberal women's organizations in the 1960s generally fit within the framework of the US democratic system, while the radicalism of liberation groups threatened to destroy centuries-old sociocultural values, institutions, and policies.

The problematization of sexual relations as a political relationship of power and subordination exacerbated the split within feminism in the 1980s. The identification of a lesbian wing in the radical movement and the ideological justification of female homosexuality as the leading strategy for women's liberation caused sharp antagonism from liberal organizations. According to one of the well-known theorists of this trend, Charlotte Bunch, “reformists define the problem as a private matter; meanwhile, for us it is a form of political uprising against the social construction of female sexual inferiority and secondariness, as well as a struggle against male power and oppression.

By organizing their own organizations and distancing themselves from the male homosexual movement, the lesbian community of the 1970s insisted on the fundamental importance of combating forced heterosexuality. Since the prevailing sexual practices excluded the possibility of realizing and satisfying women's own sexual desires, it was this project, in their opinion, that provided the basis for establishing equality as a sociocultural norm. As feminist discussion cools, the declaration of homosexuality ceases to be an act of political protest. Since the mid-1980s, in the context of observance of the civil rights of sexual minorities, this topic has become part of the program requirements of liberal organizations. Evans S. Born for freedom. / Translated from English. - M., 2013. P.108.

Since the mid-1970s, following the lesbian movement, black feminism began to take shape within the framework of the US women's movement. Famous journalists, future popular writers Alice Walker, Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison and Angela Davis were the first to raise the problem of dual identity and dual oppression of black American women in their works. Involved in the African American civil rights movement in the 1960s, they followed the same path in their ideological evolution as their white counterparts from youth organizations. The discovery of the marginality of the women's situation not only in the traditionally patriarchal American society, but also in the new liberal and radical concepts of African-American liberation inevitably led them into the ranks of feminists, inevitably causing accusations of betraying the interests of racial solidarity on the part of adherents of the new programmatic slogan of the fight “black power” .

For black feminists themselves, the path to gaining female protest solidarity could not be easy or smooth either. A serious barrier on this path and the main object of criticism was the fact that the experience of black women was not included in the models of women's liberation created by white feminism. In this sense, the concepts and practices of both branches of the movement in previous decades completely ignored social, racial and ethnic differences among women. The liberal and radical paradigms of feminism, built solely on the experience of white, educated middle-class women, reproduced, according to feminists of color, a hierarchy of power among women themselves. The mechanism they created to ensure formal individual equality, which did not take into account the dual exploitation of women from racial, ethnic minorities and lower social strata, turned out to be inoperative, and sometimes worsened the status of these women. One of the most famous black feminist theorists, Bell Hooks, wrote in her book Feminist Theory: From the Edge to the Center that feminism should not be limited to the pursuit of equal social status with men. Beauvoir S. de. Second floor. / Per. from fr. - M.: Gardarika, 2014. P.54.

The addition of missing elements of analysis inevitably splits the feminist environment, but at the same time expands the boundaries of feminism to understand the totality of diverse systems of domination, the interdependence of forms of oppression based on gender, race and class. The identification of oppression solely with male domination, according to Hooks, marked the weakness of liberal and radical political analysis and made it difficult to form viable strategies, the ability of men and women to be subjugated - their common point of contact. This idea becomes key in the formation of multicultural feminism in the 1980s and 1990s.

"Feminism of differences", or the plurality of feminisms, defined a new stage in the ideology and practices of the US women's movement in the 1980s and 1990s. The collective action of the 1960s and 1970s is being replaced by the institutionalization of the women's movement in decision-making on a wide range of gender policies. The academic status of the new university programs in women's and gender studies asserted recognition of the epistemological possibilities of feminist concepts. In the last decade of the 20th century, the integration of many feminist values into the structure of the national consciousness and life philosophy of Americans becomes obvious. Legal recognition and respect for differences of any kind determined the formulation of the principles of multicultural pluralism in the 1990s and the evolution of the American model of democracy. Beauvoir S. de. Second floor. / Per. from fr. - M.: Gardarika, 2014. P.60.

1.2 Major currents of contemporary feminism

It seems like “feminism” is an American phenomenon, or rather, now it is no longer American, but global, global, but it was born in America - at least they say so. Maybe that's the way it is. I touched on this topic a little in the story about New York. Now I would like to dwell in more detail.

The feminism in question is a phenomenon of the 80s and 90s of the last century, when women became men. And it began ... Various courts of law, incidents of accusations of "sexual harassment" - this is when it seems to a woman that a man looked at a woman as an object of desire. Previously, we knew about all this only by hearsay - now a lot has come down to us.

A woman became a man, accusing a man of having to do this - maybe she is right about something - I do not dispute her right, I do not reproach - I just think. She went over heads, through corpses, through skyscrapers, human souls - she went quickly, confidently - but where did she go?

Of course, a lot has been said about the role of women. Plato in his "State" - one of his most powerful works - certainly, when considering the ideal state, considered all its constituent parts: society, the cell of society - the family, the constituents of the family - a man and a woman. Thus, he viewed the ideal woman in an ideal state.

He just carefully considered the process of why women cannot do the same things that men do, why they cannot, and what is the difference between them and husbands, if any. A wonderful comparison from there: can a bald and hairy man be a shoemaker? Are they different? It is necessary to understand, according to Plato, how they differ in order to thoughtfully explain whether they can do the same thing or not. Popkova L. Theory and practice of modern feminism: the women's movement in the USA. SPb., 2014. P.24.

A man is a breadwinner and a guardian, and why can't a woman be a breadwinner and a guardian? What are the criteria for differentiation? According to Plato, perfect man had to be fluent in gymnastic art - he was given a series of exercises, for a more effective result, which had to be performed naked. At the very beginning, this caused ridicule in society, but then they evaporated, as the results spoke for themselves. From this followed reflections about the fact that then women should also be engaged in naked, and this may not be reasonable enough: after all, even at a fairly advanced age, men are engaged in naked, already when they are deprived of the attractiveness of youth. How will women of advanced age survive this if they are equal in this as well?

Nevertheless, thinking in detail, Plato came to the conclusion that a woman can do the same as a man, but since she is physically weaker than him, she should have less load. At the same time, the woman also has a certain other role, so that this compensates for the woman's certain difference with the opposite sex. However, she can be both a warrior and a guard on a par with a man, if she so desires. Very fascinating judgments in Plato, and besides Plato, many later touched on this issue.

Apparently, once again a woman decided to prove that she can do what a man does, but not in a Platonic way, but from the point of view that she can do it no worse, not on an equal footing, but even better - that she is stronger, more significant. Speaking of equality and equal rights, feminists have put themselves first. There is something wrong with this. Another thing is when a man, raising you as a woman, puts you in the first place. This is analogous to when others see merit in you and note them, but it is another matter when you yourself talk about them incessantly.

Once again, a woman was seduced, of course, seduced spiritually, which caused her tragedy - seduced by the theory of consumption, fashion and podium, slogans like “You deserve it - take it! You can!" As a result of this, at first glance, as if feminine, the Woman became similar to a man, already similar in all respects, and such a woman is already outwardly assimilated with the male archetype. Popkova L. Theory and practice of modern feminism: the women's movement in the USA. SPb., 2014. P.27.

In America, the following happened: in such megacities as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, where the bulk of the population lives, there are generally fewer men and most of the non-men. Men who are more or less capable, attractive in terms of future marriage and fatherhood, turned their backs on feminists.

It is felt that mixed marriages have now gone in a wave - a man in America, having reached marriageable age, does not look at women who shake their rights, calling all individuals of the opposite sex "goats". Everywhere, marriages with European women - French, Italians, Spaniards, Scandinavians, and moreover - with oriental women - from Asia, plus the beauties of Panama, Ecuador, Guatemala, because women there are still classically feminine, went everywhere. I know one worthy couple - an Asian woman, very famous for her age, holds a fairly high position and can “destroy”, “build” entire workshops across the ocean at work that work for their corporation, but ... her husband is her HUSBAND! Apparently, this tradition comes from the East - a woman does everything to make her husband better - because she is in her husband too. He is her king and God. And they have very a good relationship in family. The man, in turn, carries her in his arms, he does not look at her as his free application, as something secondary in their union. This is probably the unity of "Yin-Yang", characteristic of Asia, when people do not mutually use each other, but complement each other. Temkina A. A. Feminism: the West and Russia // Transfiguration. - 2015. - No. 3. - P.41.

At the same time, there are a huge number of young American women in the offices - lonely, embittered. Yes, even if one of them meets with someone, the following often happens: a pretty girl, and he ... nondescript, spineless, no - a dunk. Where is the best place to find her? And seeing his failure, she scolds him behind the eyes, spreads rot on him even more and still stays with him so as not to be lonely.

And what woman confesses her mistakes? And the collective feminist mind will never admit that it is doing something wrong (although it may be true, it should be so - I, a sinner myself, just argue from my sinful point of view).

And feminism has gone forward even more wildly - this is very clearly visible on the street, when eyes are running, devoid of love, which have deprived themselves of it - nervous, aggressive, ready to rush at anyone - men literally shy away from them - you can’t approach them, they a lot and they rush to no one knows where. Where? There.

And it has come to our country too. Maybe the New York feminists are still far away, but somewhere close by - the so-called "self made women", each with their own business.

The most important component of feminism is its gradual evolution. The content of this evolution is a shift towards multicultural feminism, plurality feminisms or difference feminisms. Until that time, the idea of female identity, which was the main focus of liberal and radical feminism, made it difficult to conceptualize the diversity of women's experience. The experience of white, well-educated middle-class women was taken as the norm, ignoring the historical and sociocultural conditions of other more marginalized women's groups. Multicultural feminism has argued that recognizing women's differences and conflicts is part of a healthy political process. Shenar A. Where is the feminist movement going? / Per. from English. // Today. - 2014. - No. 23. - C.4.

With the acquisition of experience in political activity, women have become more confident in themselves, in their abilities. The contemporary women's liberation movement appears to have followed a similar path. At the initial stage, it was a struggle to achieve the same specific goals - such as the right to abortion, the right to divorce, the legal prosecution of rapists and men who beat their wives.

The key word was “the right to choose”: women sought to manage their own lives and, above all, their own bodies.

Another important area of activity of the women's movement at the present stage has become the labor market. Here, women fight for the right to get a job, equal opportunities for advancement in careers, equal pay for equal work. A demand is put forward for the abolition of legislative acts supposedly designed to “protect”, but in fact discriminate against them.

Feminism considers not the experience of sex, but the experience of gender, "masculinity" and "femininity" are not biological-anatomical, but cultural-psychological characteristics, since manifestations of gender and biological sexuality exist only as a product of "humanized interactions". According to feminism, to attribute generic ideas inherent in a given culture to the very "nature of a person" to his sexual characteristics means to uncritically accept a number of hidden patriarchal premises - a certain type of division of labor, a hierarchical principle of subordination of the young to the elders, an abstract technological understanding of science, philosophy, progress etc. These attitudes, according to feminism, have a cultural and historical nature and are irreducible to either economic or legal reasons. Taking into account these assumptions, relations between the sexes are understood in feminism as one of the types of manifestation of power relations, since under the guise of "objectivity" a situation is reproduced when one part of the human race, having its own interests, simultaneously represents the interests of another part of it. this corresponds to a specific understanding of "objectivity", which is formed through scientific ideas that bear the stamp of a "masculine orientation". In cultures of this type, according to feminist theorists, a woman is presented only as an "Other".

Representatives of feminism believe that the schemes of rational control prescribed by society for men and women, in fact, differ, while the type of female spirituality remains, in principle, unclaimed. The basic schematisms of culture are assimilated only in their masculine manifestation. Therefore, the goal of feminism is to bring women's spirituality out of the "sphere of silence". The fundamental insufficiency of traditional theoretical analysis and the need for political action are recognized.

Thus, feminism causes significant and irreversible changes in a woman's life, in everything that has to do with her social status, her place in society. Feminism is very much changing the picture of the world in the political and economic aspect, bringing to the arena previously hidden, and now more and more rapidly gaining weight forces. Today, feminism remains a vital and visible social movement that has achieved the greatest success in the field of culture. Despite the loud predictions of the post-feminist era, the ongoing social inequality of women and its eradication remains the focus of feminism in all its forms.

Chapter 2

2.1 Opportunities for women to take leadership positions in enterprise management

A woman in business is not an exception, but a regularity in the development of entrepreneurship in modern Russia - that's right, it is confirmed by the data of questionnaire surveys and general statistics; patterns of growth in the share of women's participation in entrepreneurship. In particular, in industry, agriculture, wholesale trade, activities to ensure the functioning of the market, the financial sector, the share of women entrepreneurs ranges from 13% (in industry) to 20% (finance). Retail trade, public catering, science, culture, health care are most actively mastered by women, where the share of entrepreneurs ranges from 39% (in retail trade) to 56% (in science). These conclusions are consistent with data from other surveys, which confirms their validity.

Behind last years the proportion of women in business is growing rapidly. Gender stereotypes in modern Russia when considering the possibility of women occupying leading positions in enterprise management are quite strong, however, market conditions have led to their mitigation. This has been reflected in the fact that the number of women occupying leading positions in firms has been steadily increasing over the past 5 years. Komarov E.I. Woman leader. M., 2013. P.46.

Truly “female” business sectors have emerged (retail, services, etc.), in which the proportion of women leaders is significantly ahead of men. The results of the research confirm the priority of the service and trade sectors in women's entrepreneurship. According to the study, 45% of women head enterprises with up to 10 employees and 55% with 10 to 30 employees. According to the author of the survey, this is due to the fact that women's entrepreneurship is mainly developed in those industries whose technology does not require a large number of workers.

A woman has the opportunity to act as a subject of entrepreneurial relations on an equal footing with men - this is not true, men have advantages both in employment and in some other business relationships - this is confirmed by the survey data and analysis of the observation results.

Six hundred surveyed women aged 20 to 55 (of which 3.2% are entrepreneurs) believe that women, unlike men, have much fewer opportunities for professional growth, promotion, and high positions. According to the respondents, this is hindered by time-consuming family responsibilities (55%), difficulties in reconciling work and family (38%), as well as a prejudiced attitude of men (19.2%). Komarov E.I. Woman leader. M., 2013. P.48.

The results of a study by the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences showed the following: when asked why women cannot successfully manage a business, respondents named the following reasons: 22% simply believe that women are not capable of doing business at all; 22% sympathize with women, but it is more difficult for them to get support from officials, take a loan from a bank, etc.; 12% drew attention to the fact that for some reason it is more difficult for women to get an appropriate education; and 21% note the resistance of relatives, friends, families to their business.

For a successful business, the issue of gender is not the main one - right, since specific characteristics of an individual's capabilities come to the fore, whether it be a woman or a man - this is confirmed by statistics and analysis of observational results.

Practice shows that women can lead successfully, and there are already quite a few women in leadership positions. According to the State Statistics Committee, already in 1994. among the co-owners of commercial limited liability partnerships (and there are more than 900 thousand of them), women accounted for 39%, cooperatives - 23%, entrepreneurs using hired labor - 17-19%, more than 1/3 of women in individual labor activity. In 1996, out of 200 business enterprises, according to L.V. Babaeva and A.E. Chirikova, women held leadership positions in 25% of firms. Komarov E.I. Woman leader. M., 2013. P.52.

Another conclusion of psychologists seemed interesting: successful business models are carried out by those entrepreneurs who, regardless of their gender, have a psychological scenario of behavior - managers. This means that both men and women have almost equal psychological opportunities to manage an enterprise. The characteristics of the floor are practically no limit to successful leadership.

A business woman has a number of significant psycho-physiological advantages over a male entrepreneur, which allow her to more effectively build a strategy and tactics for doing business in certain sectors of commerce - true, since in a number of business sectors women naturally occupy leading positions compared to men - this is confirmed by statistics, questionnaires and analysis of observation results.

As many male employers note, in certain leadership positions and in many areas of entrepreneurship, a “female governing hand” has a number of great advantages - for example, when negotiating with male companions, when developing entrepreneurship in an area where demand is formed by women themselves, etc. Novikova N. Liberal feminism in Russia and the West: an experience of comparative analysis. Yaroslavl, 2010. P.37.

A number of researchers of this issue argue that there is a special, “feminine style” of management and doing business, characterized by gentle relations with subordinates, great attention to particularities and peculiarities of the company’s strategic behavior in the market. This management system often turns out to be more effective than the male style of doing business - tough, direct and clearly regulated. According to J. Rosener, this style of management allows you to go through the stages of a crisis in business with fewer losses.

Today, social prejudices and discriminatory aspects persist in society, limiting the opportunities for women in commerce compared to men - this is true, confirmed by an analysis of the results of observation and questionnaire surveys.

In many studies, a survey of male respondents showed that they generally have a negative attitude towards the role of women in business, and are skeptical about the possibility of a woman doing anything serious. Moreover, such an opinion is often not supported by more or less intelligible arguments - for example, 22% of those surveyed in the course of a study by the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences “simply” believe that women are not capable of doing business at all. Novikova N. Liberal feminism in Russia and the West: an experience of comparative analysis. Yaroslavl, 2010. P.38.

Analytical results of observation also confirm this state of affairs. So, for example, it is believed that women in business pay less attention to the main thing, more to the little things; less content and more form; put less emphasis on the future, more on current issues. They pay less attention to the production of money than to their preservation. Men, respectively, are the opposite.

A typical anti-scientific stereotype is the opinion that women - leaders are often forced to fall under the influence of their male subordinates in matters of the future of the company, its strategy.

A sociological survey conducted in Russia showed that the question to women “Are you ready to engage in entrepreneurial activity?” was answered as follows:

"Yes, ready" 22%,

"I don't want" 44%,

“Already doing” 0.4%, .

Never thought about it” 34.6%.

Most of the women expressed the opinion: "This is not a woman's business." Komarov E.I. Woman-leader. M., 2013. P.115.

The process of alienation of women from power, from real participation in politics, especially in big politics, is going on and even gaining momentum. Has a woman begun to play a more active role in the public life of Russia in the context of the democratization of society? When conducting a sociological survey, only 11 percent of the respondents gave an affirmative answer, 62 percent gave a negative answer, of which half are convinced that the real participation of women in public life has decreased.

0.1% of women entrepreneurs are dominated by an optimistic attitude, elation and even enthusiasm for their activities. Most women are dominated by feelings of anxiety, tension, uncertainty about the future.

Which typical mistakes behaviors allowed by women entrepreneurs and leaders? A woman begins this activity by spending a lot of energy on quickly overcoming or at least masking her natural features. Feeling like on stage, a woman often thinks: "I am a woman and must constantly prove my right to lead as well as men." She lives in constant fear of not being in line with her position, of being too sentimental, kind, condescending, showing "feminine" weakness.

Do female charms help women in business and career? Men are sure that they help, especially if a woman has achieved more than they do. However, in "big business" this rarely affects: "There are no men and women in business - there are business partners" - say the British.

Is there any covert or overt discrimination against women! In a socio-psychological sense, yes. The main male personality traits are the motive of self-affirmation and achievement, rivalry with other men in the competition for status, position in society. Every man throughout his life, as it were, proves to himself and others that he is at least in some way better than others, seeks public recognition. In this struggle for status, a man competes with other men, but does not take women into account. Indeed, the desire for a high social status is not characteristic of women, they are more focused on family well-being. A woman who asserts herself in her personal career often experiences irony and humiliation from men, especially if she succeeds better than them. A business woman who even made her way to high level business careers are usually not invited to select, male companies, where the most important information is disseminated to a narrow circle. Komarov E.I. Woman leader. M., 2013. P.117.

The question arises: what are the limits of gender equality, can it be complete? The essence of the idea of equality of men and women, their equal opportunities, is that in terms of their intellectual and physical potential, a woman is in no way inferior to a man. For her, there are no fundamentally closed, inaccessible areas of mental and physical labor. No law should forbid a woman to engage in this or that business, to master this or that profession. Its sacred right is complete freedom of personal choice of types and forms of activity for its self-realization. Such a formulation of the question, of course, does not mean that the physiological characteristics of women cannot limit (sometimes temporarily) their professional duties. This implies the conclusion that gender equality, while not absolute, can be quite complete and comprehensive.

With all the pluralism of views on the problem of discrimination against women, one should not forget the fact of historical significance: it was the October Revolution in Russia in 1917 that gave impetus to solving the key issue of equality between women and men in all spheres of life, including civil and legal rights, in labor and education , in family.

But discrimination against the "weaker sex" persisted under the Soviet regime. The party-quota system of women's "appointment" practically sanctified it, if not by the force of law, then by the omnipotence of an administrative order. For women, service in the armed forces and other power structures was closed (with the exception of a number of technical or auxiliary specialties). They were legally denied access to "heavy" and "harmful" industries, which completely excluded the freedom of personal choice.

As for post-Soviet Russia, despite all the talk and incantations about its democratization, the problem of social discrimination against women has acquired a special, exceptional topicality in connection with the collapse of the socialist social system, the change in the entire socio-economic structure and the virtual elimination of social guarantees for the family, children, women.

Thus, for analysis, the problematic situation lies in the deep contradiction that has developed between the formal course towards the democratization of Russian society, the implementation of the constitutional principle of “equal rights and opportunities” for the sexes, on the one hand, and the actual discrimination against women in the field of labor and employment. , infringement of their social rights in economic life, on the other. Word and deed, the position "de jure" and the situation "de facto", alas, as is often the case in Russian reality, are in blatant contradiction to each other.

Guided by certain documents and agreements and based on an analysis of Russian reality, on January 8, 1996, the Russian government adopted a resolution “On the concept of improving the status of women in Russian Federation". According to the concept, women's rights are an integral part of general human rights. Their full and equal participation in political, economic, social and cultural life at the federal, regional and international levels should become the main goal of state policy in the field of improving the status of women in the Russian Federation.

The main method of collecting information for this work is to analyze the results of a survey conducted by various research organizations on this topic. Also in this work, the method of sociological observation and analysis is used, carried out on the basis of our own research and surveys of a narrow group of respondents.

Questioning as the main method of analysis in this work is a survey of women involved in entrepreneurship. Selected surveys contain questions on the most characteristic aspects of the chosen topic: obstacles in business, discrimination, difficulties with obtaining licenses and certificates, and much more.

The tools used in this study can be divided into three parts:

1) comparison and comparison of the results of various studies of this topic;

2) analysis of observation results;

3) study and analysis of publications.

It should be noted that the specifics of this work is that it is not based on a specific study - be it a questionnaire, observation or interview.

2.2 Findings from the study of women in business

The study proved the correctness of four of the five hypotheses put forward - a woman in modern business is a pattern; a woman in business is under the influence of negative stereotypes; in certain areas of business, the natural psycho-physiological qualities of a woman allow her to have an advantage over men; for successful business, the issue of gender is not decisive.

So, let's sum up. The fact that a woman in business today is increasingly strengthening her position is proven. Women as a social category have become equal to men - this is confirmed by the current legislation, which does not make any distinction between the sexes in the field of business and entrepreneurial activity. Moreover, the highest legislative act of the country - the Constitution - expressly stipulates that no one can be subjected to any kind of discrimination based on gender. Women in modern Russia manage a significant percentage of all business structures. There is also a trend towards an increase in the number of women in business - every year the percentage of men and women entering business tends to favor the latter. Based on this, we can conclude that the role of women in society as a whole is increasing every year. The rights of the beautiful half of humanity, which previously had only a declarative nature, have now become a real basis for realizing any opportunities both in business and in other areas of public relations.

However, in the course of the study, the second hypothesis was also confirmed - that a woman in business depends on the stereotypes and prejudices that exist in the public mind, which have a sharply negative impact on the realization by a woman of her rights to engage in entrepreneurship. It is impossible to overcome this tendency by legislative means, since the law cannot regulate the sphere of consciousness. However, the very fact of the presence of women in business, their growing role in entrepreneurship, in itself should soon change these negative social stereotypes. Already, many men in business have recognized women for a number of their undeniable superiority - moreover, in many areas of business, the stronger sex has “lost” its positions. equality woman business feminism

The same thesis is confirmed by the third proven hypothesis - that a woman in business has a number of objective advantages over men, and that certain branches of entrepreneurship seem to be specially created for women. These include the service sector (hairdressing salons and beauty salons, for example), the retail sector, in general, any commercial enterprises that require attention to every detail, with a small or medium-sized staff. Studies have shown that the proportion of women is higher in small business, then in medium business. In the field of large, especially international business, men continue to occupy leading positions - but in the field of managing this business, they are often simply forced to have female personnel, since their presence under certain circumstances is interpreted by the tactics of business activities (for example, when negotiating with male partners) .

And the last hypothesis - that the issue of gender is not decisive for running a successful business - accumulates the previous ones and sums up the present study. Indeed, despite all the obstacles that a modern business woman has to face, despite public opinion, the question of success in commercial activity, first of all, does not depend on gender (age, nationality, language or religion), but on the quality of existing professional skills. skills, experience, objective financial and strategic opportunities. Indeed, if a woman has the necessary knowledge, determination, perseverance and perseverance, as well as financial and strategic capabilities, then no man, no social prejudices can prevent her from reaching the top of the business elite and occupying a worthy niche in the field of entrepreneurship.

Feminism: attention to yourself

Many women choose radical feminism because they have experienced physical or psychological abuse by the men. The movement for women's rights seems to be built on a negative basis. However, this basis could also be positive, based on a woman's interest in other women, in her life. But modern feminism pays a lot of attention to the criminal acts of men, and very little attention goes to women themselves. More and more feminists are asking the question: is it worth constantly condemning male sexism and encouraging those who choose a nobler course of action?

One cannot close one's eyes to male authoritarianism, but understanding the true state of affairs is only a stage. When a feminist understands this, she begins to see the true amount of male violence against women. Constantly debating about sexism, modern feminism, on the contrary, gets stuck on this phenomenon. But is this really the goal of the women's movement? Isn't it sometimes just about ignoring the male world?

By paying attention to her own life, starting to use personal growth techniques in everyday life, a feminist makes her life more vivid and interesting. Which strategy is more effective - ignoring or aggression? When aggression is shown, people always show attention. And it is just necessary for those who yearn for fame and power. Criticism is not a hindrance for a bad artist, it's just another way to get people interested in his work. Therefore, it is important for radical feminism that its movement be built on positive principles - the attention of women to each other and to themselves.

The first evidence of feminism in Rus'

The main factor that determined the private life of a woman in times Ancient Rus', had the opportunity to independently choose a life partner. Very little historical evidence of the life of women of that time has been preserved. Until the beginning of the 10th century, the ritual of “kidnapping” was practiced on the territory of Ancient Rus', an analogue of bride theft in the East. It was customary not only to carry out this ritual, but also to seek the consent of the woman for further life together. These references are the first evidence of the private life of women in Russian history.
Over time, the marriage contract is becoming more widespread - now the decision on the issue of marriage is most often taken over by relatives. Despite the fact that there were isolated manifestations of women's independence, foreign historians note: in Rus', girls were forbidden to get acquainted on their own. They also could not discuss with their girlfriends questions about choosing a partner.

Women themselves sought to conclude a family union, even if their parents had not yet found a suitable "party" for them. With the approval of wedding marriage, marriage is increasingly becoming the norm. Since ancient times, there has been an offensive nickname that was used to call the "old maids": "centuries." People were sure that only physically or morally inferior girls did not marry. One of the Muscovites of the 12th century wrote a petition with a request to give him some money for a dowry. It is as if a cry for help is heard in it: the author could not attach the fifth “daughter”, since his “estate” ended.

It may seem that a woman's right to choose was significantly limited, but historical sources show a variety of situations associated with marriage. It is known that in earlier historical periods the family of the windy groom, because of which the wedding was upset, paid a "forfeit" to the bride's family. Starting from the 16th century, this custom began to spread to relatives from the side of the bride. For example, the case of the daughter of Prince Avdotya Mezentseva is known, dating back to the beginning of the 1560s. Avdotya was a great favorite of her grandmother Martha. On the eve of her wedding, Avdotya suddenly showed "willfulness" by falling in love with another. Martha, "for her tears," sold two villages to pay a penalty to her fiancé, who suffered from rejection.

Olympia de Gouges - author of the "Declaration on the Rights of Woman and Citizenship"

Olympia de Gouges (née Marie Gouz) was one of the most influential figures who shaped modern feminism. She was born in 1748 in the small town of Montauban. When Marie turned 17, she was married to Louis Aubrey, a poor local supplier. The marriage was made against Olympia's wishes, and she later wrote that this union was "a deal without any reason." But her torment did not last long. Louis Aubrey died a year later, and Marie was left alone with her little son in her arms. In 1770, Marie decides to move to the capital and change the name "Marie" to "Olympia".

After three years, fate brings Olympia with the official Jacques de Rozier, who becomes her patron. Thanks to this connection, Olympia has the opportunity to appear in high society.
By the beginning of the French Revolution in 1879, the first magazine dedicated to gender equality began to be published in France. Revolutionary communities begin to organize, whose members accept Active participation in the fight for women's rights. But in 1791, the government denies women the right to vote. Olympia de Gouges draws up the "Declaration of the Rights of Woman and Citizen", which was written in accordance with the "Declaration of Man and Citizen". In it, Olympia demands equal political rights for men and women.

Olympia was one of the first representatives of radical feminism - she called on women to defend the right to divorce, advocated the creation of maternity hospitals, the rights of illegitimate children, and the construction of workshops for the unemployed. Her words - "If a woman has the right to climb the scaffold, she should also have the right to enter parliament" - turned out to be a sad prophecy for her. On August 6, 1973, France's first female activist was arrested and sentenced to death on the guillotine as a counter-revolutionary.

Islamic feminism

It is believed that the movement for women's rights has no place in the modern Islamic world. Culture, progress or regression of society, is largely determined by the freedoms and guarantees that operate on the territory of the state. In the West and in America, women have the opportunity to be emancipated and independent. But in the system of values of Islam, a woman is regarded either as a commodity subject to sale (the price of which is determined by virginity), or as a person of easy virtue.

Morocco is one of the Muslim countries where significant progress has been made in the field of women's rights. Modern feminism spread to the territory of the country already in the second half of the twentieth century. The first feminists were representatives of the liberal movement, but at the same time they recognized the importance of the Islamic religion. They understood that women's rights were determined not so much by the dominant religion as by social relations. Religion is only a tool for their implementation.

In the 1990s, Moroccan feminists began to raise questions about gender equality, questioning the legitimacy of some Islamic traditions. In 2002, a quota system was approved by the Moroccan government, thanks to which 35 women became members of parliament. In 2004, a new law concerning family relationships was adopted. Complete equality was established between men and women, according to the new laws, all powers in divorce proceedings now belonged to the courts. Modern feminism in Morocco has become the driving force behind the spread of democracy and modernization throughout the country.

Thanks to the discoveries of that time, today abortion is allowed in most countries of the world. Despite this, abortion is still considered a crime in 97 states. For example, in Chile and Nepal, a woman can get a prison sentence for having an abortion.

Abortion in legal history

Every year, criminal abortions claim the lives of about 70,000 women. Despite this catastrophic figure, abortion is still illegal in many countries. About 2 million abortions occur every year in Russia, and about 55 million worldwide.

For the state system, abortion is theft of taxpayers. Religiously, abortion is murder. The first mention of artificial termination of pregnancy has come down to us since 1760 BC. e. Ancient Roman women could have an abortion at their discretion. Aristotle argued the need for abortion by the fact that if children are conceived in the family when the parents do not want it, then you can get rid of the fetus before it begins to live and feel.
With the spread of Christianity, abortion in some countries became punishable by death - for example, in England this law was established in 1524, and after a while Germany and France followed suit. In Russia, the death penalty for abortion existed from 1649 to 1749.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, there was a large number of discoveries, thanks to which it became possible to judge the development of the embryo. Extensive research into genetic abnormalities began. Previously, the first movement of the fetus was considered the beginning of life. Although the male sex cells were discovered in 1677, with the spread of the use of microscopes, the process of conception was not understood until 1827. Then the researcher T. Baer for the first time defined conception as the fusion of the egg and sperm.

Arguments against feminism

Many of those who openly call themselves opponents of feminism consider this movement the reason for the destruction of the traditional way of society. They are sure that modern feminism interferes with the proper upbringing of children, and the differences between men and women are only for the benefit of society.
Critics also believe that the women's rights movement has a particularly negative impact on the rights of married men who have children. Most often, custody of children remains with the mother, not the father. Also, ardent opponents of feminism are sure that the "glass ceiling" in a career is nothing more than a fiction. They believe that this concept serves as a background for women to move up the career ladder, as well as to create a favorable image of the company.

Other opponents of feminist schools are sure that a society in which the struggle for women's rights has gone the furthest is doomed to perish. They argue that a woman, being carried away by a career and methods of personal growth, does this to the detriment of childbearing and domestic work.

Modern feminism

It is believed that the first schools of feminism originated in the United States - it was there that the suffragist movement (from the English. suffrage - "the right to vote") was first born. The first feminists "had the audacity" to have their own opinion, appear in society without their husbands and smoke. It is not surprising that this movement caused a storm of protest in the then society.

The word "feminism" comes from the Latin "feminia" - "woman". It was first used by Ellis Rossi in 1985. Now this term is associated, first of all, with the struggle for equality between men and women. For a long time it was believed that women's interests should revolve around the "three K" - "Kirche", "Kuche", "Kinder" ("church", "kitchen", "children"). A century ago, women could not even dream of the opportunities that are available now: A woman has the opportunity both to receive a full education and build a career, and to develop internally using modern methods of personal growth.

The women's rights movement has brought about many changes in the way women live. Especially these changes concern Western countries and the USA. Thanks to the feminist movement, equality in voting rights was achieved, the right to access contraception and abortion, the opportunity to receive an education, own and dispose of property. Although the primary goal of feminism has always been the empowerment of women, modern feminism also fights for the rights of men who also suffer from the patriarchal order.

Conclusion

Modern feminism includes many directions. During its existence - and this is more than a hundred years - the feminist movement has made significant progress. Women and feminism, despite popular misconceptions, do not aim at the destruction of men or their subjugation. The women's rights movement was organized in order to equalize the rights of a man and a woman, to allow a woman to realize herself and develop. The famous words of Mary Shire can serve as its motto: "Feminism is a radical opinion that a woman is a person." To become a feminist, you first need to notice the signs of male authoritarianism, to abandon the social roles imposed from the outside, the purpose of which is the exploitation of women. You can fight both for the independence and freedom of all women, and for your own life, working on your own financial independence, using personal growth methods, independently choosing your life path.

General characteristics of the problems of feminism

Feminism, as a set of ideological, theoretical and philosophical concepts, has become very widespread in modern conditions- feminism is often mentioned in the media, special literature, comprehensive gender studies are carried out, etc.

All this allowed the followers of the doctrine under consideration to achieve significant success in combating sexual discrimination and ensuring the equality of the legal status of men and women.

For example, in all European countries on currently the rights of women to receive higher professional education, receive equal pay for equal work, the right to elect and be elected, etc. are recognized.

However, despite the indicated positive achievements, modern feminism is characterized by the presence of some problems and shortcomings that prevent the preservation of a positive image of feminist doctrine today.

Thus, the key problem of modern feminism in the specialized literature is its radicalization, generated by the third wave of feminism. Chronologically, the countdown of the designated process can be carried out from the 1990s. XX century, when the characteristics of feminism to some extent acquired an extremist color.

Some of the specific manifestations of this problem include:

The receding into the background of the ideas of equality classical for feminism;
Formation of the thesis not about the equality of men and women, but about the direct superiority of the latter;
Among the acceptable methods for achieving program goals and objectives, modern feminists, unlike their predecessors, recognize not the progressive reform of the state system, and the change in public consciousness in terms of transforming the appearance of men and women in social interaction, but radical social changes expressed in the destruction of classical ideas about the concept of sex, gender, traditional family, etc.

The indicated factors led to a split in the feminist doctrine that had been developing for decades, a divergence of views of its representatives on a number of conceptual issues that once formed the main content of a holistic theory - issues of identity, gender, the fight against patriarchy, the distinction between private and public, etc.

Moreover, in connection with the failure to reach a final agreement on the identified issues, another problem of modern feminism is its final disintegration into many relatively independent movements.

Remark 1

In other words, one of the main problems, both in the theoretical direction of feminism and in practice, is the vagueness of concepts, the absence of specific goals and objectives.

Problems of the radical libertarian direction of feminism

Since, as noted above, modern feminism is largely characterized by its own radicalism, within the framework of characterizing the problems of feminism, it seems reasonable to dwell on the problems of current trends in feminist doctrine in more detail.

At the same time, the analysis of special sources allows us to note that, just as classical feminism itself did not differ in absolute uniformity and homogeneity, modern radical feminism is characterized by the presence of many relatively independent theoretical and practical trends, the main of which are recognized as radical libertarian and radical cultural feminism.

The problem of the first of the designated - radical-libertarian direction of feminism is the excessive radicalism of the program goals and the proposed ways to achieve them.

Thus, according to representatives of the considered approach, gender, as a fundamental category of feminist doctrine, is an exclusively social concept, separated from sex. However, the model of the patriarchal organization of society that has existed for centuries leads to the establishment of control over a woman and the formation of an appropriate gender framework.

In other words, the main oppressor is not individual representatives of the male gender, but the existing system of male domination. In this regard, representatives of radical libertarian feminism advocate fundamental changes in the institution of the family, erasing the line between fatherhood and motherhood through the implementation of the only possible way, in their opinion, to defeat the system of oppression - replacing natural reproduction with artificial.

According to the supporters of the direction under consideration, in this way, the biological nuclear family system will be destroyed, and all children will be brought up collectively by the whole society.

Problems of the radical cultural direction of feminism

If the problem of the radical-libertarian direction of feminism is the desire for the complete destruction of the existing foundations social organization, starting with the interruption of natural biological reproductive processes, the problem of the radical cultural direction of feminism is the call for a “dramatic numerical reduction in the number of men”, which indicates a direct convergence of feminism (whose classical values were striving for equality and intergender justice) and fascism, in its desire for the physical destruction of "objectionable" social groups.

The reasons for the formation of such views are related to the fact that supporters of the considered direction of feminism argue that the reason for the dominance of men over women is actually their heterosexuality, which ultimately gives rise to psychological and physical violence of men against women.

Remark 2

Based on this, if a woman wants to be completely free, she must stop all communication with men, whether physical or spiritual.

Text: Elena Nizeenko

In 2016, there is still no unambiguous attitude to feminism and a clear understanding of its goals and methods. Even people who generally support women's rights often believe that feminism is no longer needed, and we all live in a world of victorious equality. But in fact, a whole bunch of still relevant global problems are related to gender inequality. In many countries, the quality of life still depends on gender: both how much you can choose your own life path, and what further opportunities society and the state provide. We understand what the main problems exist for women in Russia and other countries.

Violent customs

Women from different parts of the world are still subjected to humiliating and deadly procedures. Female genital mutilation seems to be a distant semi-mythical tradition, but they are carried out right on the territory of Russia today. Women are often mutilated in childhood: without medical indications, the outer part of the genitals is partially or completely removed. Including in unsanitary conditions, with severe consequences for health and in order to limit sexuality. They are trying to fight these practices: for example, in Russia this year they began, in other countries, like in the Gambia, the procedure is legal.

Girls are given in marriage without asking for consent, including in adolescence; from family; use them for the so-called temporary marriage. Women are killed by their relatives, calling it "honor killings". Sometimes the orders of a certain area are contrary to the law - alas, this is the very case when the position "it's the way it is with us" becomes as if legal. These practices are usually considered religious, although they are not always embedded in a religion.

Modern feminism is fighting, among other things, for women to be able to independently manage their lives and their bodies, and the fight against violent customs is one of its important tasks.

Gender gap at work

In many countries, the ideas of career equality are formally widespread: each person is free to decide for himself how he wants to work and whether he needs it at all. But in practice, gender still has a significant impact on career opportunities. Whales on which gender inequality stands: the wage gap between men and women (its index today is still non-zero in all countries); glass ceiling, and the fact that women and men need to make unequal efforts for the same position.

Russian law prohibits specifying the desired gender of a candidate in vacancies, but some employers still consider men first for the position. And the texts of vacancies for girls can be details that are not related to professional qualities. In some countries, there are still lists of professions prohibited for women; At the same time, according to the World Bank, women in Russia face the largest number of career restrictions in the world - 456 types of work are prohibited for them. Banning more of them for Russian women exclusively with the alleged harm to reproductive health - in many respects this is the result of a policy that puts a woman in the priority of having a child. During the interview and in the process of work, women often experience other difficulties - they face harassment, prejudice, discrimination. In addition, women often have to work taking care of children. Workspaces are often completely unsuitable for mothers.

The attitude “men are naturally more ambitious, more capable and should earn more than women” prevents us from accepting a sound idea: the division into “male” and “female” in a career is far-fetched and only reinforces the unequal distribution of power in society. Feminism pays attention to what systemic laws this inequality works under, how it interferes with work in certain areas, to the skewed positions, in which men have more points at the start by default.

reproductive violence

The decision to give birth or not should belong to the woman herself, but supporters refuse to give them such an opportunity. Opponents of abortion believe that abortion cannot be justified, and seek to protect, first of all, the unborn child, and not the rights, life and health of the woman herself. But pro-life advocates and state advocates of anti-abortion policy often lose sight of how the official rhetoric of the state differs from the real situation with support for motherhood. The simple idea that there is a gulf between a desired pregnancy and a pregnancy from rape is also often proliferated.

The historical experience of the ban on abortions is that in this case their number is not reduced, but they are carried out illegally and often with tragic consequences. But from sexual education and affordable contraception - yes. In attempts to deprive women of the right to abortion and to force them to give birth to children, the idea that the desire to leave women without the right to choose is violence against them is lost.

rapes

There is a lot of violence in our society, and it is important to find strength in ourselves about it. This is a terrible and everyday problem, but although it is not new, the language for discussing it is only now emerging. From childhood, women are taught measures supposedly to help protect themselves from violence: they are told how dangerous it is to talk to strangers, hitchhike, go out for a walk late at night, travel alone, go to disadvantaged areas unaccompanied, drink alcohol. This is the most difficult quest to avoid rape, which cannot be completed to the end, since it misses the main thing: control over the situation is always on the side of the rapist, and even if all safety conditions are met, the risks of being raped are equally high, regardless of the length of the skirt and the time of day.

There are still no accurate statistics on rape (victims are often afraid to talk about their experiences), and this topic itself is surrounded by various myths: from the existence of some kind of “correct”, “safe” clothing, to the idea that only a stranger can be a rapist - although very often victims face violence from acquaintances and even close people. Another huge problem with the culture of violence is the shifting of guilt and shame onto the victim (“it’s her own fault”).

Feminism brings out the problem sexual abuse from the shadows, calls to discuss and solve it. It's not easy to take on this, but it's important to get started - building support networks for women, safe spaces where you can talk and get real help. The main thing we need to come to is an unconditional condemnation of violence and an understanding that the problem is acute not only in unstable, non-peaceful and poor regions, but throughout the world.

Sexual exploitation

Trafficking in women and children takes the bulk of the multi-million dollar annual human trafficking. According to the International Coalition to Combat Trafficking in Women, 87% of victims are victims of sexual exploitation. To solve the problem, measures are proposed that have justified or discredited themselves to varying degrees - from the criminalization of clients to the legitimization of prostitution - but the fact remains: trafficking in women is ubiquitous, although often invisible to society, and unacceptable. The current situation threatens not only the freedom of women, but also their physical and psychological health - in fact, it functions according to the same laws as labor slavery.

Feminism also explores how the current model of society shapes the demand for sex services: in particular, why clients are predominantly male, how demand is affected by a culture of violence, and how the sex trade is embedded in the power hierarchy of the sexes. One thing is clear: the right of women to independently dispose of their own bodies must be ensured by law and economically, and equality cannot be achieved as long as a woman can be a commodity.

Minority discrimination

The world is permeated different types inequality - anyone can face it. Intersectional feminism deals with the intersection of different systems of oppression - in fact, this approach emphasizes that the rights of all people are important, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, physical or mental condition. The methods of oppression are standard and monotonous: a person is assigned to a certain category, and then this category is endowed with lesser rights than "universal" rights. Intersectionality explores how different factors - such as skin color, sexual orientation, transgender, disability - can shape a particular person's system of oppression.

The problem of discrimination in the world is still acute: it can manifest itself both in direct violence against minorities, and in. In the twenty-first century, people are still not equal in rights - therefore, it is important to be aware and adequately evaluate their privileges, as well as to understand that each of us can belong to a minority and become a victim of discrimination. And even if it has never affected anyone personally, this does not mean that the problem does not exist - often it is closer than many people realize.

Limited access to education

There are a number of reasons for gender inequality, and limited access to education is one of them. Women are two-thirds of the total number of illiterate people in the world. According to the UN, often girls fail to get an education due to the fact that parents believe that it is more profitable for them to invest in the education of boys; girls, on the other hand, are supposed to do more housework, and they are more likely to be forced to drop out of school to devote themselves to their families. Lack of education, in turn, does not allow women to go beyond a rather limited range of activities: their task becomes to run a house, prepare for marriage, give birth to children. In fact, this calls into question the fact that women can play other roles than the role of mother and wife, achieve anything in the public space. And even if the right to education is available to everyone in a country by default, girls can be hindered by unspoken gender barriers and the hostility of the “male” professional environment.

modern feminism. Feminism in modern society

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