Is Feminism Harmful or Beneficial to American Society? (Essay Sample)

Is Feminism Harmful or Beneficial to American Society?
Fredrick Mwangi
Leland Stanford Junior University
Is Feminism Harmful or Beneficial to American Society?
The American feminist movement started gaining prominence in the early 20th century with the suffrage and prohibition movements. Women finally got their voice onto the political stage, successfully making reforms that they believed would benefit their lives, as well as, the lives of all Americans (Schulte, 1995). Feminism has improved American society through initiatives and reforms in three key areas: politics, economics and healthcare.
The most comprehensive reform of the feminist movement was the 19th amendment. In winning the vote, women made the political process of America more democratic; women’s suffrage theoretically doubled the collective voice of the constituents of America (Schulte, 1995). Politicians had to adopt stances that favored the whole family, not just men, in order to gain votes. Although women did not start winning political offices until nearly a half-century later, their input on the political process has forever left its mark with the 19th amendment. This amendment is the pinnacle of the feminist movement's aim to improve society through gender equality (Landry, 1996). Another prominent reform brought upon by the feminist movement was prohibition. Although the societal benefits of the prohibition of alcohol are debatable, the fact that the feminist movement try to better society as a whole cannot be taken away from them due to the failure of this reform.
In initiating gender parity in the workforce, the feminists have improved American economic life by bringing more money home and more competition to the workplace (Schulte 1995). The increase of women workers in the past 50 years has created a rich professional atmosphere for America. Nearly 80% of women with their Bachelor’s degree are in the workforce and over 50% of professionals are women. This not only leads to more competition through higher employment standards, it also increases family wealth. Today, families with only one breadwinner have the same income of families in the 1970s (Landry, 1996).
According to Schulte (1995), feminists have also brought about meaningful change in the health of American citizens. The culmination of women’s health initiatives in the United States is the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. As is the case with other feminist initiatives, Planned Parenthood seeks positive change through the betterment of the family and society as a whole, instead of just women. Not only does it offer cancer screening for women, it also offers cancer and sexually transmitted infection screening for males (Schulte, 1995). ...