Feminism today

By

Rita Alika

More than 60 years have passed since the famous book “The Second Sex” by Simone de Beauvoir was published.

What do young women today think about feminism? To find the answer we asked University of Latvia students their opinion.

All of them agree that changes have not meant women have lost femininity. “I don’t feel any discomfort being a woman. I could even say the opposite – men are opening the door for me, inviting me to a coffee break etc. Actually women can presume much more than men can nowadays – women can be weak and strong at the same time,” says Edīte (20, studying culture management). Laine (23, studying for her masters in marketing) agrees with Edīte’s comment, but she sees several serious aspects of inequality in Latvia.

“I think there is inequality in salaries between men and women, and there are still some professions which are ‘not for women’. In my opinion, data about violence in the family to females is a serious indicator of inequality, as well as the fact that children mostly stay with their mother after divorce,” she says. However Laine doesn’t see any need for a new wave of feminism.

Lauma (19, studying psychology) and Sandra (20, studying economics) say they don’t see any need for a feminism movement. “God made us to be with men, and, in my opinion, feminism will only increase homosexuality,” Lauma said. She also said feminism may have promoted a positive of sisterhood, but the most important part of feminism was to change thinking about female being the second sex.

As Ingmara said, women role has changed a lot but “now it is a new frame of what is a woman. Therefore we are not free; we have just changed ‘the chains’.”

In the Youtube video is the male reflection on the consequences of feminism.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX8KWSuEhIc