The Globalization of Liberation: Comparing Feminist Movements

Feminist movements differ not just in different countries but in races and different areas within a country and I think it had a lot to do with type of oppression that they were experiencing. For the women in Western Europe and United States, they were focused in establishing their role in the society and also to be free from the expectations of what a typical housewife should be. But the African American women, also from Western Europe and United States, did not feel the need to fight for the same issues and that those issues were really more of something that concerns the white, middle class women. Did they not have any issues with working conditions because they have been and compared to their status when they were slaves, the new working conditions are much better. Being able to live close to their husbands and to become a housewife was also something that they consider as an improvement in the quality of life as a woman. And so when they decided to form their own feminist organizations, they were focused on racism and poverty. The African American feminist movement also had more consideration for cultural traditions such as female circumcision and polygamy. I guess coming from a culture that tries to preserve their traditions, they had better understanding that each culture is different and that as much we would like to move forward, it also good to keep some of cultural traditions with us because it is part of our identity. In the East African country in Kenya, the associations of women became a good source of support for one another during times of need. They achieved a sense of independence by achieving things without having to depend on their family or husband. In Morocco, the feminist movement were able to convince the liberal king to revise the Family Law Code that allowed hem to initiate divorce and claim child custody. In Chile, because were seen as "invisible", they were able to successfully organize as human rights activists fighting for the military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet. They a big role in bringing back democracy in Chile in 1990. Women in South Korea were also able to restore by protesting against the working conditions of young female workers in export industries. Not only were they paid poorly and frequently experienced sexual harassment, they were also housed on company dormitories that resembled a chicken coop. By 1970, not only did they develop many feminist movement, it also initiated class consciousness.

From the first part of the reading, we can the disagreement on different feminist organizations. Each one has different agenda and they didn't really agree on which issue should take precedence even after they gain an official position in the United Nations. Not only were they unable to meet a common ground, their differences even fueled anger, hatred and offensive attitude towards one another. Sometimes, the differences are not just tied with race and culture, it was associated with religion. I guess it's too complicated that its almost impossible to find a resolution.