Rosser/Freedman/Fausto Sterling

Rosser, Freedman’s and Fausto Sterling’s passages all touch upon people view feminism and how the ideology of “gender” has affected us in today’s society. Where Freedman focuses on the workplace and Fausto Sterling on gender roles. Rosser gives a good breakdown on the different types of feminism and how there is an umbrella of things that could be categorized under how these different types of feminists would go about different ways and have different things they prioritize.

Sterling’s piece “Sexing the Body” especially stood out to me because the differentiation between someone’s sex and gender has become more apparent in today’s age. She talks about how someone can be born biologically as a male or female but personally feel another way. People now associate gender as more of a societal thing. Where those who have certain characteristics are automatically given a certain role. I like how Fautso Sterling talks about homosexuality as well and how the idea of it has changed over time. In the past, especially during the time of ancient Greece, homosexuality was quite normal. Older men would often have younger apprentices and take advantage of them. Now however instead of it being only a sexual thing, homosexuality has become more of an identity where it’s not only about sex but also the personality of them person themselves. I think it gives a good insight on how gender has become more of an identity.

In Freedman’s passage when she talks about which woman feminism represents shows us that in the past feminism was not truly for equal rights for all woman but rather equal rights for white wealthy woman. This reminds me of a past article I read that Sojourner Truth wrote and how she talked about how she too was a woman yet she was not receiving the same treatment that other woman were receiving. The beginning of feminism was still very biased. Women were fighting for equal rights yet it was only a certain privileged classed that reaped the benefits in the beginning. Others still had to overcome the issues of class and race. She also talks about how people are less willing to say they are feminists. The definition of what feminism is has become very broad in society and often times people just see it as empowerment of woman yet their main goal is for equal rights for both women and men.