Is Feminism Dead?

DescriptionIn May 2013, The Washington Times reported that, according to a recent study, only
28% of Americans consider themselves feminists, while 72% do not. In fact, 23%
percent of those polled consider it is an insult to call someone a feminist (while just 12%
believed it was a compliment). This data suggests that the feminist movement is dead,
or at least that it is dying. In your paper, take a stand on whether feminism should be
revived or allowed to fade quietly away. The position you take on this question will be
your thesis.
(NOTE: There is a range of positions that you might take on this question. For example,
you might claim that feminism is no longer necessary, perhaps because we have solved
the most serious problems for women (or for some other reasons). Alternatively, you
might claim that feminism is still vital, perhaps because of the many remaining problems
related to sexism and gender inequality that there are to solve. Yet another position you
might take, however, is that although we still need a movement for gender equality,
there are reasons to think that we need to move beyond feminism to something else.)
Whichever way you decide to answer this question, you will need to provide arguments
to support your position. Therefore, using at least two of the articles that weve read in
class, you should come up with the four strongest reasons to believe in your thesis.
(Feel free to give more than four, of course; four is just the minimum number of
arguments that you should give.) You should use examples as much as possible to
illustrate your claims and enliven your argument. Your goal is to convince your reader
that your answer to the question about feminism is the one best supported by the
evidence and arguments.
Finally, you should consider and respond to at least two objections to your position.
So, if you argue that feminism is no longer necessary, you must give at least two
reasons that support the claim that feminism (or a movement like it) is still vital, and
then respond to those reasons in ways that defend (or modify) your position.
Alternatively, if you argue that feminism is still necessary, you must consider two
arguments that someone might give for believing the movement is dead, and then
respond to those arguments in ways that defend (or modify) your position.