Gender Discrimination: A Feminist Theory Perspective
Introduction
For centuries, society has been shaped to dictate different social roles. This has further divided based on social status, gender, and religion. However, one ideology that has remained dominant is gender roles and the perception of women in society. The ideology that women are inferior to men and do not deserve equal recognition has advanced to the current society and is the primary driver of gender inequality. The following article analyzes gender discrimination using feminist theory. The empirical evidence will be drawn from case studies of the U.S Women’s Soccer team as they pursue equal rights.
Summary of Article
The U.S. Soccer Federation came under criticism for publishing a report that stated that the women’s football was less competitive as compared to men’s. In the report, the findings stated that women did not possess the necessary skills that would allow them to compete in men’s football. The report was met with criticism from female players such as Rapinoe. This was viewed as misogynistic and degrading to women. For years, the U.S women’s soccer team had been fighting for equal pay in the sport (Brym and Lie, 2012). However, the U.S. Soccer Federation believed that the level at which the women football team played did not warrant equal pay despite their numerous achievements.
Numerous sponsors such as Coca-Cola, Visa, Budweiser, and Deloitte have challenged such ideology rubbishing the claims made by The U.S. Soccer Federation to be in bad taste and discriminatory in nature. The harsh criticism forced U.S. Soccer’s president, Carlos Cordeiro, to perform damage control, offering an apology to the women’s soccer team (Brym and Lie, 2012). Despite the apologies, the damage done between the women soccer team and The U.S. Soccer Federation had created a rift that would impact the hearing of the collective bargaining negotiations.
As part of a protest by the U.S women’s team, they chose to wear their jerseys inside-out in a game between the team and Japan. This obscured The U.S. Soccer Federation and the Nike logo while leaving four stars as a sign of their achievement. This prompted The U.S. Soccer Federation to file a motion challenging the women’s team’s motion for partial summary judgment in the equal pay lawsuit. The base of their argument was that “the job of men’s national team player carries more responsibility within U.S. Soccer than the job of women’s national team player” (Brym and Lie, 2012). However, despite apologizing for such sentiments, the women’s national team still believes that harsh undertones are pointing to gender bias and that the apology was only directed to the fans rather than the team.
Feminist Theory
Feminist theory is a sociological perspective that deepens the experiences of women in today’s society. The model modifies the current attention, the analytical lens, and the demands of perception and experience of men in relation to women. Feminist theory primarily states that various abuses of women in society are deeply rooted in patriarchal and capitalist social systems. In this way, the theory seeks to clarify social problems, trends, and events wrongly identified in society from a male perspective. However, the theory was accepted and rejected almost equally by different factions of society. Opponents of the theory insist that it is specially designed to examine issues of bias (femininity) at the expense of equality. While many people believe that feminist theory focuses exclusively on improving the superiority of women over men, the theory supports equality and justice, focusing on common social problems that are misidentified.
The theory provides a coherent analytical framework that highlights the differences in how men and women experience the social world. According to Allen (2018), some proponents of the theory explain that the position and experience of men and women from different social institutions vary considerably within society. From this point of view, there are no gender differences to create an equality structure for all but to improve discrimination against women. The sexual division of domestic tasks and professional responsibility are examples of dimensions that illustrate the differences between the sexes in sociological contexts. For cultural feminists, femininity and femininity have several positive values that can be used to create a just and just society for men and women. In general, feminist theory has a justifiable protocol derived from general gender differences in developed and developing societies.
Another critical problem that challenges feminist theory is gender inequality. In most cases, inequality is discussed in theory, but small steps are taken to deal with the threat (Elliot 2016). From a gender perspective, inequality remains a major challenge in American society. Feminist theories focused on gender inequality emphasize that women’s experiences in large social institutions are not the same as men’s. This applies when you look closely at patriarchy and capitalism. In the United States, for example, patriarchy created a large gap between the economic results of men and women (Crossman 2020). Among other sociological problems, such as race and class, the economic inequality between women is considerably high. Also, social dynamics are structured in such a way that women are forced to assume domestic roles, which undermines their full potential in other sectors, such as education, governance, and the economy. Therefore, it is just that feminists insist on gender equality.
The structural theory is also based on several principles of feminist theory. According to theories of structural oppression, patriarchy, racism, and capitalism are the main causes of inequality and oppression for women. As Crossman (2020) pointed out, Karl Marx explained that social capitalism extends the exploitation of people not only to the class but also to sex. In other words, in a capitalist system, gender oppression is more practiced, which ends up excluding some people. The gender pay gap is a perfect example of gender oppression in the United States and, therefore, globally. In essence, men tend to earn more money for the same job as women. This trend shows that society has structurally created a system in which women’s efforts are less rewarded. That is why the demands for equality and justice are justified by feminist theory.
Opponents of feminist theory, however, believe that it is structured to promote the superiority of women over men through different principles or beliefs. These perceptions are fueled by the fact that feminists seem to be angry with men and ignore the significant steps that can be taken constructively to resolve existing problems. It should be noted that there are many theories that fall within the scope of a “feminist theory” (Crossman 2020). From this point of view, several feminists express different positions on issues such as gender inequality, oppression, and division. In some cases, feminist theory prefers women to men. For example, the theory shows that women are less likely to commit crimes and often commit other crimes than men. This may not be the case because problems such as gaps are influenced by the interaction between social and individual experiences. In general, the limits of feminist theory have a significant impact on how people perceive the theoretical model.
Application of Feminist Theory to Gender Bias
When it comes to the case of the U.S Women’s National Soccer Team, the cases of gender inequality ties directly to the feminist theory. As noted, the feminist theory takes on the perspective of women in today’s society. The framework of the feminist theory is based on the notion that women in today’s society face more discrimination and gender inequality as compared to men. When factored with the U.S Women’s National Soccer Team, where equal pay is a central motif, it is inherent that women continue to face discrimination as they try to pursue equality in today’s society. Modern society, despite being advanced, favors males more compared to females. For example, the Men’s Soccer team is paid more compared to the women’s soccer team. The central idea is that men are more skilled compared to women, which warrants that women should receive less pay compared to men. This ideology has been central for centuries, where women have been viewed as inferior to men. This has limited their ability to participate actively in society.
Crossman (2020) points out that society has been tailored not to discriminate against people based on their class but also on their gender. In this case, the women are discriminated based on their gender being perceived as inferior as compared to men. In this case, the women have discriminated perceived to be inferior to men, which means that they are not entitled to equal pay. However, the feminist theory challenges this perception based on the notion that women are equal and have the same capabilities as men despite the ideology that has been peddled for centuries that women are incapable of doing what men can do. The article points out how this perception of women continues to exist throughout the world.
Conclusion
While many people believe that feminist theory is primarily intended to make women superior to men, it is trying to promote equality and justice in today’s society. In many cases of gender inequality, oppression, or abuse, the theory is a justified model for those affected to manifest themselves and find lasting solutions. I agree with many theoretical principles, as there is evidence of this in society. However, feminists must use analytical lenses to defend women’s rights, but not at the expense of men. In other words, a more rational approach can be used to promote feminist ideals that are fundamental to society.
References
Allen, A. (2018). The power of feminist theory. Routledge.
Brym, R. J., & Lie, J. (2012). Soc+. Cengage Learning.
Crossman, A. (2020). What is Feminist Theory?. Retrieved 30 March 2020, from https://www.thoughtco.com/feminist-theory-3026624
Draper, K. (2020). U.S. women protest ‘blatant misogyny,’ and U.S. soccer apologizes. Retrieved 30 March 2020, from https://www.thestar.com/sports/soccer/2020/03/12/blatant-misogyny-us-women-protest-and-us-soccer-apologizes.html
Elliot, P. (2016). Debates in transgender, queer, and feminist theory: Contested sites. Routledge.