Feminism: Socially Constructed?

According to Wikipedia, “Feminism comprises a number of social, cultural and political movements, theories and moral philosophies concerned with gender inequalities and discrimination against women. Feminism is also described as an ideology focusing on equality of the sexes. Some feminists, like Judith Butler, have argued that gendered and sexed identities, such as "man" and "woman", are social constructs.” Social construct, once again, is defined by Wikipedia as “any institutionalized entity or artifact in a social system "invented" or "constructed" by participants in a particular culture or society that exists because people agree to behave as if it exists or follow certain conventional rules.” Hence, we invent ideologies and aspects that seem appropriate and important to us. Who invented Feminism? Why do women have to be treated as the “second sex” (Simone de Beauvoir 41).Why was this “social Construct” created in the first place? Annette Kolodny states that “Robert Scholes, from whom I have been quoting, goes so far as to assert that ‘there is no single “right” reading for any complex literary work’ and following the Russian formalist school, he observes that ‘we do not speak of readings that are simply true or false, but of readings that are more or less rich, strategies that are more or less appropriate” (Kolodny 165). She says that a single literary work can be interpreted in many aspects and that we are susceptible to readings that lack true meaning.

This aspect can be observed with Feminism. Feminism can be viewed through two different lights. According to the interpreter, it can be viewed negatively or positively. It can be viewed as a negative aspect because of its sole existence. Some women might believe that this term was never necessary to begin with. Equal rights should have been established from the beginning of time. The term causes unequal differences amongst the genders. The term’s existence illustrates that we as women are inferior and need this establishment to enhance our rights. Hence, as Annette Kolodny stated, we tend to dwell on the negative and less appropriate aspects. However, at the same time, this term can be perceived positively. Other women might believe that this notion was created in order to demonstrate that women deserve and require equal rights in society, work, and political aspects. Hence, just like there is no “right” reading for any complex work, there is no “right” interpretation of a term that is socially constructed. Kolodny demonstrates this notion by further stating that “Because those who share the term ‘feminist’ nonetheless practice a diversity of critical strategies, leading, in some cases, to quite different readings, we must acknowledge among ourselves that sister critics, having chosen to tell a different story, may in their interpretation identify different aspects of the meanings conveyed by the same passage” (Kolodny 165). This statement illustrates that female critics view feminism differently as stated before and that one passage or in other scenarios , a term, can be interpreted in many different lights.