15 Interesting Facts About . . . Feminism

1.    The term “feminism” appeared in the English language in the 1890s, though women’s conscious struggle against discrimination and sexism is much older.

2.    Most varieties of feminism have fought to dispel the belief that there is a natural, biologically determined essence of the feminine that is universal and unchangeable. Many feminists feel that essentialism has contributed to the belief that women were not as efficient as men in the political and public spheres.

3.    According to a recent survey, just 20% of Americans consider themselves feminists. Approximately 8% consider themselves as anti-feminists, while 63% said they are neither. However most respondents (82%) believed that men and women should be equal, with just 9% saying that men and women should not be equal

4.    Globally, about 1 in 3 women will be beaten or raped in her lifetime.

5.    Women hold the two highest IQ scores ever recorded

6.    Just 1% of titled land in the world is owned by women

7.    Approximately 38% of all murders of women globally are committed by their intimate partners

8.    Women are more likely to get a high school diploma than men. In addition, over 60% of college degrees in the United States are awarded to women

9.    In Yemen, women are not allowed to leave their house without their husbands

10.           Women have invented several important technologies, including the windshield wiper, industrial lathes, Liquid Paper, bras, nonreflective glass, the dishwasher, disposable diapers, petroleum refining methods, and much more

11.           Women are not allowed to vote in Saudi Arabia or in Vatican City.

12.           Some feminists have argued that both colonial oppression and Western feminism have marginalized postcolonial women. In response, alternative types of feminism have emerged, such as black and postcolonial feminisms, third-world feminism, indigenous feminism, African feminism, Stiwanism, negofeminism, femalism, transnational feminism, and Africana womanism

13.           In some parts of India, road safety laws do not apply to women—an exemption that kills or injures thousands of women each year

14.           In Yemen, women are considered to be only “half a witness.” This means that a single woman’s testimony isn’t taken seriously unless it is backed by a man’s word. Additionally, women cannot testify at all in cases of adultery, libel, theft, or sodomy

15.           There are various forms of feminism, including lesbian feminism (argues heterosexuality perpetuates women’s sexual oppression), cultural feminism (women have been separate from each other and convinced of their inferiority), socialist feminism (women are held back by lack of education and social discrimination), Marxist feminism (the division of labor and lack of support for working mothersexcludes them from productive labor), and radical feminism (opposes marriage and patriarchy), among many others........