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Feminism is necessary in modern day United States.

I will start the round with my main points, defending them if necessary, then go on to address my opponents points. I start off with the logic that if there is substantial inequality against women in any of the following grounds, social, political or economic, feminism is inherently necessary to maintain a just nation. This point is logically valid, as any injustice should warrant a people's movement to erect it. I will prove that there is indeed specifically political and economic injustice which warrants feminist movements. Point 1) Women are paid substantially less then men in contemporary US, therefore warranting feminist movements. From the AAUW, in 2014, women working full time are paid 79% of men's average wages. My opponent attacks this claim by stating that men are more likely to pursue STEM jobs, which pay more. I agree with that, but that actually proves my point. Men are more likely to pursue stem jobs. That itself should be changed and is an injustice. Women need to be empowered to take those stem jobs, hence warranting feminist movements. Also, my opponent states that maternity leave accounts for the pay gap. This is another injustice that feminism movements should try to overturn. Childbirth and infancy is a difficult time for women, and the government should offer some form of subsidy to help women instead of cutting pay. Furthermore, my statistic doesn't even account for maternity leave as it only deals with full time working women, therefore, my opponents point is irrelevant. As conclusion, women working full time are paid less then men, this suggests an economic inequality in society that warrants feminist movements to counter it. Point 2) Women are underrepresented in the government. Daily Kos. com states that women account for 51% of population but only 17% of Congress. This is stated in Senator Gillibrand's diary. This percentage of women serving in government is extremely low. In comparison, countries like Burundi, South Africa, Rwanda, Uganda and South Sudan have a higher percentage of women in government. Furthermore, all countries listed above are from Africa, bear that in mind. Also, even Afghanistan has a greater percentage of women in government than the US. This shows that the United States has an unequal representation of women in the government. This form of inequality must be amended by feminist movements. Point 3) Societal norms enforce inequality against women. Boundless.com states that In the U.S., masculine roles are usually associated with strength, aggression, and dominance, while feminine roles are associated with passivity, nurturing, and subordination. These societal expectations enforce stereotyping which in turn leads to sexism. Gender roles are also often reinforced, leading to phenomenon my opponent actually brought up such as women being less likely to pursue STEM jobs. Thus, social norms that stereotype against women must be brought down, and feminism is a means to accomplish this. Thus feminism is necessary in the modern United States. The bulk of my opponents arguments are claims against specific feminists and feminist movements. I agree that certain feminists are taking the movement too far, and that is not beneficial to societal well being, but one cannot take specific instances and generalize them towards a movement as a whole. For example. many instances of unjust violence are associated with the African American suffrage campaign such as the Black panthers, a militant group that depended on violence to enforce black rights. One cannot use a specific group or act such as the Black panthers (Marxists.org) and label the whole act as "unnecessary". I understand that my opponents cites multiple acts and people, but even so, she offers no statistic on exactly what percent of feminists are radical. Since you cannot use specific people to brand an act as necessary or unnecessary, my opponents main offense falls. Furthermore, my opponent states that we should focus our efforts on other countries and that US feminist movements are diverting the attention. But as you look at my statistic, many African countries actually have more women in the government then US and the United States desperately needs to catch up in terms of gender equality. In conclusion, economic, political and social inequality inherently warrants feminism if we are to pursue a just United States. I conclude my arguments with a summary. There are social, political and economic injustices in the American society. Feminism is needed to counteract those injustices. Even though certain feminists were radical and unjust, we cannot brand the entire movement as unnecessary on the basis of those few individuals. Because I feel like gender inequality is prevalent in the modern United States, it is necessary.

Modern Day Feminism Has No Legitimacy.

Much thanks to marxian_ginger for agreeing to this debate. Best of luck to him/her. Let me start by clarifying that I am not a "men's rights activist". I do not believe men or women are oppressed in today's society, contrary to the claims of feminists and anti-feminists. I am just a rational person who looks at the ridiculous claims of modern feminism as grossly over exaggerated. How does hyperbole help women? As of today, there are no laws in the US that unfairly benefit men over women, there is no culture of sexual harassment that supports the harm of women, and, of course, women do not earn less money than men for the same work. Therefore, any debate over feminism will have to revolve around the societal benefits men have over women, and vice versa. I keep hearing this figure that one in five women in college have been raped, even though this claim has been decisively debunked for years. The flawed survey that produced this statistic is the "Campus Sexual Assault Study" commissioned by the DOJ in 2005. The troubles with this study are threefold: it focused on two (that's right, two) four year universities; it had an extraordinarily low turnout rate (about 42%); and it's definition of sexual assault was overly broad- including things like unwanted kissing on a first date. And yet my professors still teach it like it's true! This lie is hurting our capacity to find real statistics. I'd like to know whether or not my opponent believes that a lack of evidence for something means that you can fabricate your own evidence, as this seems to be the case with modern feminism. How about the claim that our nation is run by men? Yes, I will admit that a large number of our politicians, scientists, and business executives are male. I'd like to put forward the radical notion that this does not mean women are oppressed by society. Male politicians were the ones who gave women the right to vote, the right to have a job, the right to attend college, and the right to an abortion. Are you saying that we, as a nation, are more sexist than a bunch of old white guys in the 60s and 70s? Male scientists and doctors provide health services that everyone enjoys, especially women. Are you going to argue that because every gynecologist and obstetrician at your hospital is a man, that means medical employment is sexist? Business executives employ millions of women in this country (many times, simply because they are a woman). Unless my opponent can offer concrete evidence of sexism occurring in these fields, I fail to see how this is any different from saying: "they're all men, so they must be sexist!"; isn't this assuming something without evidence? And even if my opponent could offer said evidence, that wouldn't mean that the system was rigged to disadvantage women! All it would show is one old man in that field happens to be sexist. And really, this doesn't matter, because there are currently more women enrolled in college than men. By the time most of these feminists graduate, these men will be retired or dead, and their jobs will be open for the taking. The claimed objectification of women in the media. I think this one is my favorite. The people who complain about the sexualization of female characters in movies are the same people who go to see an action flick with overly aggressive male characters and say nothing. Isn't feminism about equality? Why don't they protest the objectification of all people in movies? Because it doesn't fit the narrative of oppression. Feminists moan about how Barbie dolls teach girls that skinny means beautiful, but do they care that He-man and GI Joes tell boys that violence makes you "manly"? Not in the least, not even when we know that men are four times more likely to commit suicide than women. Could it be because our culture tells boys that emotions make you weak? How much more psychologically damaging can you get? Where's "gender equality" on that one? At the end of the day, we need to recognize the society in which we live. A society that tells little boys "ladies first" isn't a patriarchy. A society where a woman wins the custody of her children in 84% of divorce cases can't be sexist, nor a society where women can vote without entering the draft. In this country, women are vastly more likely to avoid incarceration than men, and even then, they usually get lower sentences. I'd like to know whether or not my opponent thinks the fact that the vast majority of American prisoners are men is sexist. Men greatly outnumber women in combat and workplace deaths, mental illness per capita, and murders. Is this a part of the "male privilege" I keep hearing about? How about the fact that domestic violence victims are nearly 40% male, and yet they are denied service at most taxpayer funded shelters? Women and girls in the Middle East and Africa are being murdered, raped, and tortured in the name of Islam, and feminists have the arrogance to protest bras and catcalling? Seriously? Thank you.

Feminism Does Not Equal Hate for Me

Sorry about the forefit. Didn't have a computer. Now the thing is each feminist is different. There are also a lot of male feminist. To be a feminist means you are open to the idea of destroying the idea of the patriarchy. In doing this, you are freeing both men and women from the restraints put of them. There are many gender roles that still exist into today's society and a real feminist fights to remove all of them. Not to mention hating men doesn't help the feminist agenda. It merely makes feminists look insane. There are some feminist that think men are evil and of course, this isn't true. Yes, there are male killers and rapists but that doesn't mean every single man is evil. In order to be a feminist, you have to realize that mean suffer under the gender roles and the patriarchy as much as women do. The core of feminism is and should always be to try to abolish hurtful gender roles and pave a new path for the future.

Modern Feminism

As you have presented absolutely no evidence to support any of your claims, I have no choice but to disregard them as fabricated. For the sake of the debate, however, I will provide my final argument and a rebuttal disproving the arguments you have concocted. 1: Women in Government/Capability- The PEW Research Center conducted a study on why there are not more women in government positions, finding that "topping the list of reasons, about four-in-ten Americans point to a double standard for women seeking to climb to the highest levels of either politics or business, where they have to do more than their male counterparts to prove themselves." Women are considered as less intelligent as men, a theory based in a centuries old practice of preventing female education. Time Magazine has found that, contradicting that theory, more women enter the workforce with four years of college or more than men. Men are generally paid more and awarded more prestigious jobs than women as a commanding man is viewed as a confident while a commanding woman is considered a bitch. Naomi Wolff, a feminist activist, found that "Young women, especially, suffer from discrimination in the workplace when they are seen as “too” aesthetically appealing. Many workplaces channel conventionally attractive young women into out-front support, or subordinate, jobs, in which their appearance – as they bring coffee to high-status men in meetings – can add value to the corporate “brand,” though no value is being added to their own careers." A woman's competency is not taken into evaluation nearly as much as her looks, creating a double standard between men and women. This double standard exists in government as well as regular companies. Let me remind you that when Hillary announced her presidential campaign, everyone was up in arms questioning her ability to adequately run with a single grandchild on the way. The very same people were ready and willing to vote for Romney in 2012, despite his litter of grandchildren. The double standard is clearly visible between these two candidates, and exists all throughout government. 2: American Female Objectification Objectification is not an illusion women have created. These advertisements are an objectification, sexualizing women's bodies to sell their product, yes, but to draw the eyes of men. Have you ever noticed how many clothing advertisements exhibit photos of half-naked, or completely naked women? Have you ever noticed how many ads feature women's bodies cutting out the head so the focus is the breasts or the butt? That right there is an example of how women's bodies are used to the appeal of society. I will agree that periodically there are ads containing the same material using a male model, but this ad is much less frequent and often ignored next to it's female counterpart or competitor. Your argument that "As for a 12 year old wearing yoga pants, that is an issue with their parents, parents should not let their daughters walk around dressed like that if they are at all concerned about that," plays into the sexualization of women starting at a very young age. Here you are agreeing that 12 year old girls in yoga pants is too sexy and too revealing, and thus is wrong. You are perpetuating the problem by sexualizing a 12 year old girl. That right there is objectification. The problems my family and friends have had are the result of this same mindset. You proved my point that objectification exists when you said her parents should never have let her out of the house. Using your logic of "but it most likely was you at fault" if the very same 12 year old girl in yoga pants was assaulted by the 50 year old man, would he get off Scot-free? She brought it onto herself by wearing yoga pants right? Your entire argument is worthless as you have proved my point of the existence of objectification. 3: Respect- Contrary to (apparently) popular belief women do not receive "copious" amounts of respect. This argument ties into my previous argument in the existence of objectification and sexualization, as people do not often give adequate respect to things they see as objects. Until women are not objectified and are afforded the same opportunities in the workplace, we will not have equal respect. 4: Rape/Rape Culture- I believe you may have never actually considered the concept of feminism. A feminist is a person who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes. Often, feminists are associated solely with women's rights as that is the main concern. Women are treated far less equally than men, but that does not mean men deserve nothing. We understand male rape exists. Contrary to what you may believe, or what you have heard, but feminists do not exclude or condone male rape. We do not excuse it, or believe it does not exist. Female rape is committed far more often. Using a statistic from the Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs, its known that, "Somewhere in America, a woman is raped every 2 minutes." Male rape, though not less important, occurs much less often according to a statistic from the National Crime Victimization Survey, "In asking 40,000 households about rape and sexual violence, the survey uncovered that 38 percent of incidents were against men." Feminism does not discount these crimes against men. Often, feminist organizations try to help these male victims. This practice is just less prevalent and not as well known as male rape is no where near as common as female rape. According to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, "1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime" as well as the fact that "15% of sexual assault and rape victims are under age 12." These statistics show how prevalent rape is in our culture. Though you may not know it, you more than likely know multiple women who have been raped or assaulted. These rapists, though it does happen, are not always "committed by a criminal, typically in a bad place at a bad time". In fact, about 4/5 rapes are committed by someone the victim knows and about 47% are committed by a friend. This victim blaming, which you have just done, Concerning street harassment, "98% of women surveyed in 2008 reported that they had experienced cat-calling and harassment.” though 2008 was several years ago, this number has not changed much, if at all. this harassment has been shown to cause depression as it weakens self worth and self actualization, a basic human need according to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Cat calling can induce stress, which over a period of time can lead to hypertension, weight gain or loss, nausea, chronic pain, and depression. Predatory stress can cause inflammation of the brain in several different locations. Cat calling can actually lead to physical sickness from fear and stress. 5: Hysterical: I do admit that forced hysterectomies do not occur much in the United States in this century. this does not mean they never happened. This does not mean it is okay because it doesn't happen anymore. The history of the word and its continued use is what perpetuated the idea of violence towards women. Even if the procedure is no longer practiced, the idea is still around. 6: Conclusion- As none of your “facts” have any substance and no backup whatsoever, I have no option to but assume they are fabricated. Please do not throw empty assumptions at your opponent if you have absolutely no fact to base it in. I would like to reiterate the fact that feminism is not an evil, “man-hating” belief. We are a group of people, both men and women, invested in the complete equality of all people. We are not a violent group. We simply believe in equality. 7: Sources- https://rainn.org... http://www.wcsap.org... http://www.huffingtonpost.com... https://thebiocheminist.wordpress.com...

On balance, Feminism is not needed in the US anymore.

Okay, I really do not get the logic behind involving other countries in this debate. The resolution states "On balance, Feminism is not needed in the US anymore." I specifically stated US, because I do realize that feminism is needed in other areas around the world. To say that it isn't is being na"ve and ignorant. You did not explain why the resolution includes other countries, and gave no examples of how the wording includes other countries. Defense: [1] Sex, Domestic Violence and Rape: Numbers that my opponent used: 50,000 women are trafficked into the US each year. This is a global sex trade, and involves other countries that we do not know about, and probably places where feminism is needed. 23 women a week are killed by intimates. The source you list first of all list for this evidence is a blog made in 2010. The year is 2016 which means 6 years have gone by since this has happened. The Washington Post article you also sourced was an opinion article with no evidence to back it up. Between 14,500 and 17,500 people are trafficked into the U.S. each year. https://www.dosomething.org... This proves that your source is outdated, and therefore unreliable to argue with. Con also gone to say that there have been 182,000 sexual assaults committed against women in 2008. Con than says the actual number is 1 million which is a really broad study, and as my opponent has noted. There are different ways to say different things that can mean different things to another. There are 125.9 million women in America. https://en.wikipedia.org... 182,000 women = 0.146% of the women in America. 1 million women=0.8% This debate is about balance. I think these numbers speak for it selves. If 182,000 women are being raped, than that means that 124,818,000 women are not being raped. If 1 million women are being raped, than that means that 124 million women are not being raped. You can clearly see that there is a unstable balance with more women not being raped winning the scales. This resolution specifically states "On balance". I think that 0.8% does not weigh the scales at all. C2. In the Workplace "Many people want to argue that the "Wage Gap" simply doesn"t exist. In fact, it still does. Many people want to argue that the reasoning has to do with degrees, and positions. It has been proven on multiple occasions that Men and Women who have the same degree, and work the same job, Women still earn less." Okay, you still have done nothing to dispute the facts that I listed in the last argument. You have not disputed: Males are far more likely to chose dangerous careers Males are far more likely to work in higher paying jobs Men work longer hours than women Men are likely to pursue high-stress and higher paid areas WOMEN BUSINESS OWNERS make LESS THAN HALF of what male business owners make. Than my opponent moves on to how Iraq has better representation of women which is clearly false. First of all, Iraq is a broken government with terrorist groups such as Al-Quada in it. America has 320 million people, and as I have said men go for higher paying jobs which Con has not disputed. A good representation of this is that only 2 women Hilary Clinton and Carly Fiorina were running in a presidential race dominated by men. Carly Fiorina dropped out leaving Hilary the only one. "Thanks to the pay gap, women struggle to pay off student loan debt even more than men do. The pay gap has barely budged in a decade. At the current rate, the gap won"t close for more than 100 years. Women in every state experience the pay gap, but in some states it"s worse than others" In order for me to believe this, first of all give statistics on what jobs females apply for. All you have proven is that females apply for jobs with less pay. I have actually proven that Males do apply for more dangerous, and higher paying jobs. You also said 15% of women are in Fortune 500 companies which means that 85% of males make up Fortune 500 companies. That is going to make a significant impact on that 70 cent argument. Con also tries to talk about other countries which this resolution does not talk about. I agree feminism is needed in other areas, but not in America.

Feminism is a flawed ideology and has made women much more miserable

Let me clarify that by feminism, I mean modern day feminism. As I said in the comment section, I am a big fan of the feminist movement of the past which advocated for women suffrage. I am against modern day feminism because its ideology is no longer equality for women. It has the ideology of women are better than men. Feminists want equality for everything fun. Why don't feminists talk about the existing benefits they get over men? Why don't they protest for women's rights in Islamic Sharia run countries which have a greater need of women's rights than America, India or Britain? Why don't feminists fight for equality in construction and sewer disposal jobs which is by far the most male-dominated field of work in the world? Why are feminists against the draft of women for the military? Why do feminists advocate that breastfeeding isn't natural for women? Above all, Why do feminists think that males giving them protection are sexist? If you want equality, Then fight for equality in all fields, Stop being a hypocrite and stop putting tailor-made demands forward. Stop being dismissive and argue with an open mind. The ball's in your court.