Twenty years ago, feminist activism might have meant writing a letter to your congress(wo)man or picking up a pen to sign a petition. Nowadays it’s much more likely to involve Twitter, Facebook or online petitions, as feminists begin to use social media to effect change. In a society where communication has never been easier yet […]
Search Results for: future of feminism
Future of Feminism: VAWA Goes Viral
The reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)–which helps provide support networks for victims of domestic violence, sexual abuse and sexual assault and provides funding for law enforcement to address these crimes–gained its 60th co-sponsor on Tuesday. While VAWA may not be a perfect piece of legislation, there’s no question that Congress needs to […]
The Future of Feminism: Young, Queer and Sociologically Informed
Here are some faces in which the future of feminism is reflected: those of young, queer activists. At the recent winter meeting of Sociologists for Women in Society, an association of a thousand feminist sociologists, we recognized three of these bright young women, who received our Undergraduate Social Action award. Tonhu “Alex” Dao is a […]
Future of Feminism: Trans Inclusion and the Way Forward
How to address transgender issues has long been a sticking point in feminist circles. Trans women, especially, often find themselves with a conundrum: Not always welcomed into the women’s movement with open arms, they are nevertheless confronted with many of the same sexist and misogynist institutions all women face–sometimes more so because of the extra […]
Future of Feminism: Encouraging Girls and Women in Sports
I’m not much of a sports fan, but I can certainly appreciate the strength, time and sweat that goes into the training of a top athlete. Also, it’s hard to miss that in the hubbub around March Madness, women’s college basketball, despite its long history of stunning athleticism, is yet again being largely ignored in […]
Future of Feminism: Freedom from Body Shaming, Regardless of Size
While I’ve already spent some time discussing the dangerous ways the media sexualizes women and girls, and how it gives the false impression that to be attractive, popular and interesting you must be skinny and hyper-feminine, today I want to switch things up little and talk about the body acceptance movement (also called “size acceptance” […]
Future of Feminism: Girding Girls to Win Debates
Everyone has a right to speak out about the injustices they see in the world, but how to shape that rhetoric so that people actually listen? That’s something many of us spend years mastering. Mentoring girls in these skills is a central goal of the Women’s Debate Institute, a yearly summer workshop in debate for […]
Future of Feminism: One World, Many Gendered Voices
Profiling globally-minded organizations this month has reinforced for me one of the main underpinnings of feminism’s future: expanding the movement’s mission outside of our immediate comfort zones. In other words, moving beyond a personal-is-political philosophy to a politics of global humanity. “Solely discussing gender [is] not enough,” says Colleen Hodgetts, associate editor of the collaborative […]
Future of Feminism: Sex Workers Deserve Dignity and Care
There’s no doubt that sex work in its various manifestations, ranging from stripping to prostitution to pornography, remains a contentious issue. It’s one on which even feminists notoriously disagree–a “fracture in ideology,” according to Kate Holden–with discussions veering back and forth between victimization and empowerment. Of course there’s a substantial difference between becoming a sex […]
Future of Feminism: It’s Easy Being Green
Since yesterday’s post highlighted the need for women in the tech sector, it seems apropos to follow up with a further exploration of how women can and should make a difference in business and technology–in our present and for our future. Today, I’m featuring the Women in Green Forum, an annual conference that brings together […]