Feminism vs. Patriarchy

1. I define feminism as a movement which strives to achieve equal economic and social opportunities for males and females of a given society.  This definition complements bell hooks in that it focuses on equality between sexes in several aspects of life.  This contrasts with the provided urban dictionary example which simply focuses on women being treated equal to men and not the belief that all sexes should simply be equal.  This definition provided a sexist outlook in its wording which hinted women are inferior to men in all intellectual and social aspects of life.


2. I would somewhat consider myself to be a feminist due to the high level of in-depth knowledge I have been provided on the topic.  I took a course last semester titled "Women, Crime & Justice" which focused on global issues which have established women as inferior to men in several countries.  One issue which I felt strongly about was the lack of resources in women's prisons and their distance from family relative to male prisoners.  This video on the high rates in Oklahoma can help explain this issue:

3. Our society remains patriarchal in many ways still.  I believe a common example of male gender dominance can still be seen in our use of language.  Several professions are still referred to as a male-oriented position in ending with "man".  Some examples are policeman, fireman and postman.  These terms are associated with governmental positions and therefore present the notion that our society is still under the influence of patriarchy even at its core.  The following video confirms this in only referring to men as those who are able to help in neighborhood.