Instigator / Pro
14
1442
rating
45
debates
56.67%
won
Topic
#5470
Feminism is not needed In the United States.
Status
Finished
The debate is finished. The distribution of the voting points and the winner are presented below.
Winner & statistics
After 2 votes and with 8 points ahead, the winner is...
Americandebater24
Parameters
- Publication date
- Last updated date
- Type
- Standard
- Number of rounds
- 3
- Time for argument
- One week
- Max argument characters
- 30,000
- Voting period
- Two weeks
- Point system
- Multiple criterions
- Voting system
- Open
Contender / Con
6
1497
rating
2
debates
0.0%
won
Description
Many people believe feminism is not needed in the US, while others say they do. Pro takes the position that Feminism is not needed, while Con argues that it is.
Round 1
Greetings everyone. I would like to thank Con for entertaining this debate. I will show everyone why we do not need feminism in the United States.
What is Feminism?
Feminism is a self-proclaimed gender activist group for men and women. Although historically a women's support group, Modern Feminism has gone on to assert they support the rights of both genders.
Why is feminism not needed in the United States?
Feminism is not needed in the United States because it's supposed goal has already been achieved, Equality of the sexes. Men and women are both equal in American society.
Women have the same laws as men, work the same jobs as men, and share the same houses. There is no position from a legal or governmental standpoint that men and women are not on the same level. The only reason feminism is still around today because it has been corrupted by entitled women who seek to use the movement for their own purposes.
For example, Women in Iran are limited in their opportunities for employment despite having over 50% attendance at universities due to discriminatory laws. The Status of Women's Rights in the Middle East • Stimson Center Feminism has done nothing to help or correct this issue. Instead, their focus lies in America, where they focus more on their right to have an abortion.
A group that claims to fight for all genders around the world but instead focuses on itself is not a support group. It is an entitlement group. Feminism is not needed in the United States because gender equality has already been achieved in all things that matter and should instead focus on countries like Iran that do not share the same equality America has.
First and foremost, let me define feminism, for clarity.
Feminism: One who believes in bringing about the social, political, and economical equality of the sexes.
Every group, regardless of size and/or whether they are marginalized or discriminated against, should have some form of representation. Even if you believe that gender equality has been achieved, and whether it has or hasn't, does not matter. Feminists not only advocate for more rights, but also act in protection of existing rights, and against people seeking to limit their existing rights/liberties.
I fail to see how Iranian women’s rights are relevant to whether American feminism is needed. Just because it could be worse, doesn't mean it cannot be better. Whether the movement should focus on other countries has little impact on it's existence in the United States.
“gender equality has already been achieved in all things that matter “
a self-defeating point by adding “all things that matter”.
There are many rights that women still advocate for:
The majority of women (~85%) in the United States support abortion access and legality. If there are no feminists, then there is unlikely to be any advocates for women's issues.
The gender pay gap is 82c to every $1 in the United States. Women have consistently advocated for equal compensation, and have yet to reach absolute equality.
Round 2
The argument put forth by my opponent is that feminism is essential because women deserve to be represented and because they stand to defend preexisting rights. I inquire about Con's truthfulness, though. The liberty of speech is, after all, a well-known and cherished right. Still, feminists were very much in favor of the "Ban the word Bossy campaign." In 2014. Ban Bossy - Wikipedia
How can my opponent continue to say that feminists are in favor of upholding rights if feminism cannot even defend the premise that men have the constitutional right to refer to women as bossy? Remember that feminists also advocated for the imprisonment of men in order to save women from dying. Better men in prison than women in morgues | Julie Bindel | The Critic Magazine
I fail to see how Iranian women’s rights are relevant to whether American feminism is needed. Just because it could be worse, doesn't mean it cannot be better. Whether the movement should focus on other countries has little impact on it's existence in the United States.
Con doesn't seem to get what I'm saying. I used the Iran women's source to illustrate the argument that American women enjoy the same freedoms as any other citizen, unlike women in Iran, for whom feminism purports to advocate. If feminism is genuinely about supporting the preservation of gender rights, then it ought to exist wherever such initiatives are required, which is obviously not the case in America.
To address Con's abortion-related issue and pay grape. I think Con's argument is totally demolished by two excellent points. The first is that the Constitution does not grant women the right to an abortion. Although that would initially appear to be a concession made to my opponent, it isn't. Although abortion is not a right, states and municipal governments nonetheless have the authority to decide whether or not it is permitted. Therefore, even if it might not be a right, women are often not denied the ability to have an abortion. Women can actually determine whether or not abortion is morally acceptable for them by participating in local elections and voting. Feminism is, therefore, unnecessary. In actuality, feminism is detrimental to the right to an abortion since it would legalize it for all women while denying other women who disagree with it the ability to express their opposition as citizens of the United States.
The second fantastic refutation of Con's claim is that the compensation disparity he mentions is only based on statistics. Saying that women are paid less than males for the same work is not accurate nor compliant with the law. Since 1963, women have been entitled to get equal pay in the United States. While it is true that women make 30% less than males, this difference can be explained by age, education, employment history, industry, vocation, or work hours. WB_Brief_Equal_Pay_Salary_History_Bans_03072023.pdf (dol.gov)
Now that it's been shown, feminism is useless and damaging in America. Con, please prove that feminism is necessary in America. because the arguments regarding salary disparities and abortion rights are insufficient.
Forfeited
Round 3
Since my opponent has forfeited, I will leave the last argument for them to make.
Forfeited
Honestly, with abortion rights under siege, the rise of "influencers" like Andrew Tate, and the growing presence of Christian nationalism in our government, I feel like feminism is *more* necessary in the US now than it has been in quite some time.
feminism should always exist but in more friendly ways like women actually advocating and discussing instead of shouting at people and only for logical purposes