Patriarchy

This is addressed to feminist.

We do not live in a patriarchy. According to the dictionary a patriarchy is a society that is dominated by men, a society where women are excluded. We have two female candidates running for president and statistics have proven that more women than men vote but still you want to say that we live in a society that is dominated by men. Maybe it's true that less women are in political positions but studies have shown that less women have a desire to be in political positions and maybe that is because of sexism but nothing has proven that.

Now I get that your definition of a patriarchy is different than mine. You don't go by the dictionary definition. You define patriarchy as a sexist society that upholds gender roles and I don't disagree to an extent. But you say that this is the fault of men and that's just not true. This is the fault of all people not just men.

I don't think that the victims of sexism are only women, men can deal with sexism too. I know that you could define sexism as institutionalized and maybe this will come to a surprise to you but men do face institutionalized sexism when they are being mutilated as babies. But sexism is not only institutionalized it can happen in your everyday life. Being discriminated for your sex is sexism. You cannot look me in the eyes and tell me that men do not face that because they do and women do too. Men and women both face sexism and I would argue almost equally.

You would rather ignore women who are sexist and who enforce gender roles and instead you say that men are the ones who perpetrate all of this. The reason why I don't agree with the idea that we live in a patriarchy is because I go by the defintion given to me by the dictionary but it's evident that neither your definition nor mine holds true for our society. We do not live in a patriarchy.

Women Before Feminism (1848)

This is a timeline/list of rights & accomplishments of women as well as other historical facts and milestones for women in the U.S. before the Seneca Falls Convention, in 1848. The Seneca Falls Convention was the first feminist conference and marks the beginning of the feminist movement. This list is incomplete. I've added colonial times as well as the republic of Texas. I will add sources, soon.

• Colonial Times, Women taught Dame Schools in their home; Dames Schools taught both girls and boys

• Colonial Times, for a brief time in certain colonies women were allowed to vote

• 1650, Anne Bradstreet was the first published female author

• 1655 Elizabeth Key, a slave, sues for her freedom in Virginia based on the the
argument that her station in life should be determined by her father, a free white, rather her mother, a slave. She win's the case

• 1707 (South Carolina), Henrietta Johnston begins to work as a portrait artist in Charles Town, making her the first known professional woman artist in America

• 1742, Bethlehem Female Seminary established as a seminary for girls, it eventually became the Moravian Seminary and College for Women and later merged with nearby schools to become the coeducational school, Moravian College

• 1745 (Pennsylvania), frontierswoman and poet Susanna Wright becomes a
prothonotary of the colony, enhancing her stature as a legal counselor to her mostly
illiterate neighbors, for whom she prepares wills, deeds, indentures and other contracts; She also served as an arbitrator in property disputes

• 1756, Lydia Taft, became the first legal woman voter in America

• 1766, Katherine Goddard and her widowed mother become publishers of the Providence Gazette newspaper and the annual West's Almanack

• 1767 (New England), Tax-supported schooling for girls began

• 1767, Anne Catherine Hoof Green ran her husband’s printing business after his death

• 1768, Green was named the official printer of the Maryland Colony

• 1772 (North Carolina), Single Sister's House, originally established as a primary school, it later became an academy and finally a college; Now called Salem College

• 1775, women began working with the army, they nursed the ill and wounded, laundered and mended clothing, and cooked for the troops

• 1775 (Baltimore), Goddard became the first woman postmaster in the country

• 1776 (New Jersey), granted all property-owning citizens the right to vote

• 1784, Deborah Sampson disguises herself as a man and enlists in the Continental Army serving in the Fourth Massachusetts Regiment. She is wounded at a battle near Tarrytown, New York.

• 1789 (Baltimore), Goddard opened a bookstore

• 1794 (Philadelphia), Anne Parrish establishes the House of Industry, the first charitable organization for women in America

• 1803 (Massachusetts), Bradford Academy, first academy in Massachusetts to admit women

• 1809, Mary Kies became the first woman to receive a patent, for a method of weaving straw with silk

• 1814 (Lowell, Massachusetts), Francis Cabot opened the first modern factory and hired women, soon more factories opened hiring women

• 1818 (Mississippi), Elizabeth Female Academy, first female educational institution in Mississippi

• 1821 (Maine), Married women allowed to own and manage property in their own name during the incapacity of their spouse

• 1826, The first public high schools for girls open in New York and Boston

• 1828, Former slave Isabella van Wagener obtains her freedom and later takes the name Sojourner Truth. She begins to preach against slavery throughout New York and New England. In 1851 she made her "Ain't I A Woman?" Speech

• 1831 Maria W. Miller Stewart, an African-American, is the first woman to become a professional orator, she shortly gives up her career. Her topics were abolition, the
education and history of women, and civil rights for African-Americans. Foreshadowing Sojourner Truth, one of Stewart's speeches asks, "What if I am a woman?"

• 1833 (Ohio), The first co-ed university, Oberlin College

• 1835 (Massachusetts), Married women allowed to own and manage property in their own name during the incapacity of their spouse

• 1835 (Tennessee), Married women allowed to own and manage property in their own name during the incapacity of their spouse

• 1839 (Mississippi), The Married Women's Property Act granted married women the right to own property in their own name

• July, 16 1840, Catherine Brewer becomes the first woman to earn a bachelor’s degree, graduating from Wesleyan College in Macon, Ga

• 1840, 10% of women worked outside of home

• 1840 (Republic of Texas), Married women allowed to own property in their own name

• 1840 (Maine), Married women allowed to own property in their own name

• 1841 (Maryland), Married women allowed to own property in their own name

• 1842 (New Hampshire), Married women allowed to own and manage property in their own name during the incapacity of their spouse

• 1843 (Kentucky), Married women allowed to own and manage property in their own name during the incapacity of their spouse

• 1844 (Maine), Married women granted separate economy

• 1844 (Maine), Married women granted trade license

• 1844 (Massachusetts), Married Women granted separate economy

• 1845, 15% of women worked outside the home

• 1845 (New York), Married women granted patent rights

• 1845 (Florida), Married women allowed to own property in their own name

• 1846 (Alabama), Married women allowed to own property in their own name

• 1846 (Kentucky), Married women allowed to own property in their own name

• 1846 (Ohio), Married women allowed to own property in their own name

• 1846 (Michigan), Married women allowed to own and manage property in their own name during the incapacity of their spouse

Types of Feminism:

Liberal feminism is the first wave of feminism, they won the right to vote. They focus on women having the same rights as men, which would be great if men had more rights than women. They believe women have to fight the ‘patriarchy’ through their choices. Liberal feminism is still alive and they’re advocating for things like #freethenipple.

Difference Feminism, a subsect of liberal feminism, asserts the idea that there are differences between men and women that should not be considered equally. They want equality but argue that sameness is not needed for equality.

Radical liberation feminism or second wave feminism is the basis for most modern feminist ideology. Often called the women’s liberation movement. Liberation feminism says that gender is oppressive to women and men. They believe misogyny is deeply rooted in society. These feminist disregard the concept of gender, hence why many seem transphobic. They believe society must change at it’s core to get rid of oppression. They believe reproduction gets in the way of women’s success. They believe the nuclear family is oppressive. They often reject femininity. They created the concept of ‘political lesbianism’. Their whole ideology is based on making women like men. They believe their ideology will help men and women but also reject the notion that feminism is for men.

Now we have cultural feminism or third wave (modern) feminism. Sometimes referred to as radical cultural feminism, despite the fact they hold opposing views to radical liberation feminism. Cultural feminist created the concept of “toxic masculinity”. They believe femininity should be embraced and that masculinity hurts society. Cultural feminist believe reproduction is a power that women hold and that men want to control. They believe the whole porn industry needs to be demolished. They also often reject the notion that feminism is for men.

Both liberation and cultural feminist believe any form of domination of women is oppressive and sometimes this includes sex it self.

Next we have socialist feminism, they are anticapitalist because they believe capitalism is the root of female oppression. They believe capitalism strengths the 'patriarchy’.

Ecofeminism combines feminist ideology with ecology. Ecofeminism believes that 'patriarchy' is built on sexism, racism, class exploitation and environmental destruction.

'White feminism’ is basically any form of feminism that doesn’t believe women of color face sexism differently or they’re racist or they exclude women of color. Any form of feminist can be a 'white feminist’ but it doesn’t mean all white feminist are 'white feminist’. Wow, that is so confusing and racist.

Lastly, we have this new version called 'intersectional feminism’ whom for some reason believe women of color face sexism different than white women. They believe, for some reason, that helping women isn’t good enough to help women. Any form of feminist can be 'intersectional’.