User:Emily mosss/Fourth-wave feminism

Drop down menu named: Present Fourth Wave

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MeToo Movement

In 2007, American activist Tarana Burke founded the organization JustBe, Inc., to empower and support young black girls in her community.^[1] Shortly afterward, Burke began using the phrase "me too" to promote "empowerment through empathy."^[1] The phrase became a hashtag online, and went viral years after it was introduced.^[1]

Kamala Harris

On January 20, 2021, Kamala Harris made history by being sworn in as the first female Vice President of the United States. This is significant because the most visible and highest offices in the United States such as the Presidency and Vice-Presidency have remained male- dominated, presenting an obstacle for aspiring women leaders^[2]. Women constitute half of the United States population, yet they remain underrepresented in government. As of the 117th United States Congress, women hold only 26.54% of seats, demonstrating this disparity^[2]. Breaking through gender barriers, Harris became the first woman, Black American, and South Asian American to hold this position^[3]. Before her historic election as Vice President of the United States, Harris was also the first woman and person of color to serve as the district attorney of San Francisco and later attorney general for California^[4]. Harris has made strides for women toward breaking what Hillary Clinton titled “the highest, hardest glass ceiling” as vice president and first in line for the U.S presidency^[5]. Despite progress in various sectors such as business and academia, women continue to be underrepresented in leadership and positions of power^[4].  Harris’s presence and position of power can serve as inspiration for women, demonstrating the progress and struggle for gender equality in contemporary society. Her election marks an important precedence in history and for women’s leadership, “ushering in a new era of possibilities”^[4]. As Harris asserted, “While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last, because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.” ^[4].

Furthermore, Harris advocates for women’s rights, reproductive rights, and equal pay. Harris has committed to efforts to address issues such as maternal healthcare disparities. She emphasized that, “When women have access to reproductive healthcare to stay healthy, they can participate more fully and our democracy grows stronger.”^[6]. Within two months of taking office, President Joe Biden’s administration and Vice President Harris were set to revitalize Washington’s partnership with U.N. Women^[6]. Moreover, Vice President Harris has underscored the importance of gender equality, stating, “If we want to strengthen democracy, we must fight for gender equality. Because here is the truth: Democracy is strongest when everyone participates and it is weaker when people are left out."^[6].

Men and the fourth wave

Importance of men's participation

According to the International Women's Development Agency, feminism is "about all genders having equal rights and opportunities."^[7] More than 70% of U.S. fathers take parental leave, but receive less than two weeks off after the birth of their child.^[8] Four times more men than women die by suicide in the U.S., due to stigma around mental health and seeking help for it.^[8]

In Emma Watson's 2014 speech launching the HeForShe campaign for UN Women, she points out that "men don't have the benefits of equality either."^[9] She cites examples from her own life where she has noticed this, including seeing her "father's role as a parent being valued less by society," and witnessing her male friends struggle to express their emotions.^[9] From the HeForShe website, HeForShe is "an invitation for men and people of all genders to stand in solidarity with women" in order to achieve gender equality for everyone.^[10]

Challenges for male feminists

Societal pressure and the ideals of toxic masculinity can make it difficult for men to support feminism.^[11] In many societies, to be considered ‘masculine’, men must be “strong, active, aggressive, tough, daring, heterosexual, emotionally inexpressive and dominant.”^[11] Among these types of traits is the idea present in many cultures globally that being a man "often involve[s] male domination over women."^[8]

Fourth wave feminism has been able to reach a larger audience than the previous waves via social media.^[12] In May 2023, researchers conducted an experiment designed to find the effect of feminist content on social media on millennial men and men from Generation Z.^[13] The findings included mixed messages, with one participant stating that so-called ‘hashtag’ feminism “[spread] real awareness of the struggles women face that [men] are not all the time aware of, and sometimes never aware of.”^[13] The participants also felt that hashtag feminism was difficult for men to engage with, with one man stating that he doesn’t “know how to engage with it in a way that doesn’t come off as hostile.”^[13]

Men's feminist media and advocacy

In more recent years, the number of men acting to publicly support feminism has increased; celebrities such as Justin Baldoni, Terry Crews, Matt McGorry, and Alan Cumming have spoken and acted in support of the movement.^[14] Baldoni’s TED Talk, “Why I’m done trying to be man enough”, asks questions like “are you brave enough to be vulnerable?” and “are you strong enough to be sensitive?”^[15] “Why I’m done trying to be man enough” touches on recognizing privilege, amplifying women’s voices, and the importance of creating male friendships in which men can speak about real struggles together.^[15] In 2014, Terry Crews published his book, Manhood: How to Be a Better Man–or Just Live with One, a memoir discussing how to be a “good man, loving husband, and responsible father.”^[16] Crews has also publicly voiced his support for gender equality in an interview with BUILD Series^[17] and on his Twitter account.^[14]

In addition to celebrities, former president Barack Obama authored an article titled “This is What a Feminist Looks Like”, discussing gender roles and the need for everyone to fight sexism.^[18] Obama asserts that gender stereotypes “limit our ability to simply be ourselves” and that twenty-first century feminism is “the idea that when everybody is equal, we are all more free.”^[18]

In September 2014, the Obama-Biden White House founded It’s On Us, which became the largest nonprofit dedicated to preventing sexual assault on college campuses in the U.S.^[19]

In 2015, The Mask You Live In, a documentary film directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, premiered at Sundance Film Festival.^[20] The documentary details the environment and expectations that boys grow up with in the United States, using analysis from experts in various fields and firsthand accounts of experiences to illustrate how gender roles affect boys and men.^[21]

In 2017, Alec Baldwin, Michael Moore, Ian McKellen, Rufus Wainwright, and John Legend, along with a plethora of female public figures, attended women’s marches across the country.^[22]

Roe v. Wade Overturn

On June 24th, 2022, The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3, in favor of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization which subsequently overruled the previous landmark Supreme Court case of Roe v. Wade as well as Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruled that the Constitution of the United States does not confer the right to an abortion. The case was presented on the Constitutionality of a 2018 Mississippi law that banned abortion operations after the 15th week of pregnancy.^[23] This ruling makes Dobbs to be considered a landmark decision of the court. The decision on June 24th, 2022 came after a leak on May 2nd, 2022, which showed leaked documents of the majority opinion by Justice Samuel Alito, which criticized Roe. The following day the Supreme Court confirmed these documents to be legitimate but stated these documents do “not represent a decision by the Court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case”.^[24]

The impact of the overturn of Roe v. Wade was significant and impactful for all women across the country. Once Roe was overturned, various states across the United States followed suit in determining their stance on the Constitutionality of a protected right to abortion. Some states' older restrictions on abortion that were put on hold after Roe was passed, were now put back into place. Many states also had trigger laws that were put into place in May 2021, when the Supreme Court agreed to hear Dobbs arguments.^[25] These states include Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. Of the states never removed their pre-Roe abortion bans. They were unable to be enacted while Roe was in effect, but were put back into place after the overturning of Roe.^[26]

Protests spread all across the U.S. after the announcement of the overturn of Roe. These protests were largely peaceful and were carried out in 46 states.^[27]

The medical impact of the overturn of Roe has large and significant implications for medical and nursing education “and will reshape the knowledge, skills, and quality of care provided by future physicians and nurses, particularly in states with bans on abortion or pregnancy age restrictions”.^[28] Medical students without the knowledge to perform a safe and legitimate abortion will also not have the knowledge to treat other pregnancy related complications such as placental abruption, infections, ectopic pregnancy, and eclampsia, because the techniques and tools used during these procedures are similar or the same to a standard abortion.^[29] As abortion education within our country declines, the long-term quality of reproductive care in the United States will likely deteriorate. Studies showed that in comparison to women who had an abortion, those who were forced to carry an unintended pregnancy to term and give birth, had poorer physical health.^[30] Similarly, women who were denied an abortion also had poorer well-being and reported an incline in their anxiety and depression as soon as a week after being denied.^[30]

The discussion of where fourth-wave feminism falls into the overturning of Roe is on-going online.^[31]

References