Feminism in a Modern World

In its original form, feminism was a movement to gain political, legal and civil rights for women - effectively to apply the liberal doctrine of individual freedom to women as well as men. With that aim largely achieved by the mid-twentieth century, in the 1960s a so-called 'second wave' of feminism emerged, more radical and also more disparate in its aims. At the heart of feminist ideology is the concept of patriarchy (male supremacy), and the belief of modern feminists is that it is so deep rooted that it requires more than simply extending voting rights to women in order to remove it.

Well, possibly - there is certainly a debate to be had here. Many might argue that in the modern world the place of women is far less inferior than feminists might suppose, and that modern women hardly represent a great example of female liberation. The story of modern woman Toni Comer, last week, was not exactly edifying. This was the woman who launched a legal attack on police for the way they arrested her after a typical night out. The blogger Frank Chalk writes about it as follows:

"Poor Toni Comer, whilst taking a break from looking after her two year old, accidently got howling drunk, was thrown out of a nightclub, vandalised someone's car, then punched, bit and spat at the poor copper unlucky enough to have to arrest her. Obviously she is a victim who needs urgent compensation."

Then, of course, there are the many social reports bemoaning the lack of male role models for boys growing up on hard-nosed urban estates, and the generally poor advance made by boys academically when compared with their more motivated female peers. Feminism, in the modern age, mnay have had its chips - it's time for the boys to reassert their rights and develop an ideology!!