Woman Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Woman Studies - Essay Example campaigns have the title ‘Violence Against Women’ (Roces and Edwards 15) and are based on two different strategies: a) the promotion of laws for eliminating violence against women, and b) the increase of the public awareness in regard to violence against women (Roces and Edwards 15). The above campaigns are based on the rules of liberal feminism. As for radical feminism, the specific movement is mostly promoted through independent institutions. The National Black Feminist Organization (1973) is an example. It should be noted that the specific groups have been quite popular among African women who considered these groups as the only means for supporting their rights. Many efforts have been developed worldwide for securing the participation of women in leading positions, either in politics or in business. However, these efforts have faced many barriers. The key reason is that the ability of women to respond to the demands of such roles is often doubted. In practice, it has been proved that ‘only in societies where egalitarian practices are highly promoted, women are likely to have equal opportunities with men’ (Doh and Stumpf 362). In other words, simply increasing women’s participation cannot set the basis for an egalitarian future. Such future can be guaranteed only in societies where equality between men and women is clear in all social and economic activities. In 1995 a critical event for global women’s activism occurred: the Beijing Conference. The United Nations arranged this conference for discussing women’s rights (Ledwith 117). The level of participation has been impressive: about 30,000 women participated in the conference, supporting women’s rights (Ledwith 117). The participants have been representatives of organizations, governments, or even individuals (Ledwith 117). The global dimension always needs to be part of feminist activism, because this is the only way for women’s rights to be effectively protected. The Beijing Conference