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 Series
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 […]
Future of Feminism: Beating the Gender Gap in Tech
With much of the country still struggling to come out from under the recession, it’s always heartening to hear that some well-paying sectors are actively recruiting–especially when they’re actively recruiting women. The STEM sector (science, technology, engineering and math) seems to be one of the stubbornly impenetrable “old boys clubs,” but many tech companies have […]
The Future of Feminism: Rachel Maddow and Melissa Harris-Perry
Local reporting from regions around the globe is absolutely essential. And, with the rise of blogs and social media, increasing power resides in the voices of independent writers who have the courage to speak their minds. However, mainstream media still has incredible reach and influence; and the sad truth is that women and people of […]
Future of Feminism: The Power of Local Journalism
A few days ago, the Global Press Institute, an organization devoted to training women to report on local and regional stories for national and global news outlets, celebrated its sixth birthday, and with it, ushered in what hopes to be a new era of responsible, home-grown journalism. After all, who better to tell the stories and […]