Following President Donald Trump’s inauguration, a national event took place that caught the attention of news outlets and the public alike: the Women’s Marches (McCausland “Peace,”). Staggering numbers of people participated in these demonstrations across the country, with an estimated combined total of more than one million participants in cities such as Washington D.C., New York City, and Chicago (“Peace,”). These marches were a manifestation of the continual fight for women’s rights in America (“Peace,”). This social and political fight is one that has lasted throughout the United States’ history, and an important element of this push for equality is the ideology of feminism. As defined by The American Heritage Dictionary, feminism, at its core, is the “belief in or advocacy of women's social, political, and economic rights, especially with regard to equality of the sexes” (“The American…”). As America has progressed in terms of the liberties women now have and the empowerment that many women feel, some believe that feminism is obsolete or “dead” (Reger 9, 56). Many fail to see the relevance this ideology has in modern American society, but as was illustrated by the Women’s Marches, the sentiments that feminism carries are still present and active in American culture. In fact, many American women still consider themselves feminists and agree that this ideology is “empowering,” as was found in a 2016 poll (Cai and Clement “What Americans…”). This continued interest on the part of the American public in the feminist movement is not without cause; occurrences that motivate and maintain the women’s rights movement in this country are prolific. As one Washington Post article says, women in the United States are still underrepresented in politics, the victims a tenacious wage gap, and continue to experience many other injustices (Valenti “For Women…”). Therefore, the need for and relevance of feminism in modern American culture is sustained by the injustices that persist in the social, economic, and political aspects of the typical American woman’s life. 

In the social sector of a woman’s life, a particular threat she faces that undoubtedly fuels the cause for feminism is that of sexual assault. Recent statistics show that for nearly every five women in the United States, one of them will eventually become a victim of sexual assault (Statistics About…). Reports from the U.S. Department of Justice also show that sexual assault and rape are crimes that impact women significantly more than men: more than 90% of victims are women (Statistics About…). The prevalence of physical abuse inflicted upon the female population, while on its own justifies the need for feminism, is also indicative of some social differences between men and women that are embedded into American culture that help foster a social climate that allows sexual assault to be so common. These differences are, frankly, the “very definitions of masculinity and femininity, of men and women” (Dworkin 47-48). As Andrea Dworkin says in her book Our Blood, these definitions deem women as being “submissive-passive” and men as “dominant-active” (48). Dworkin explains that these definitions result in men assuming a dominant position over women, which leads to rape being largely committed by men against women (48). Through the ideology of feminism, which advocates for equality between genders, efforts can be made towards denouncing the implementation of these definitions within individuals. By relentlessly rejecting these stereotypes, perhaps society would see fewer instances in which women are raped or otherwise abused by men.  

One consequence of these stereotypical “definitions” and other societal norms that men and women are often confined to is the phenomenon of victim blaming, yet another indicator of social inequities present between the genders in America. Victim blaming takes place when individuals “blame the victim for their rape, express a disbelief in claims of rape, exonerate the perpetrator and allude that only certain types of women are raped” (Grubb and Turner 445). Examples of victim blaming include questioning whether a sexual assault victim was intoxicated at the time of their assault, questioning the clothing of the victim prior to the assault, and insisting that the victim could have done something differently to prevent their being assaulted (Maxwell “Rape Culture…”). These questions and the attitudes they evoke are directly indicative of gender roles and the beliefs that they instill within us. Gender roles are developed over the course of men and women’s lives, and they greatly affect the ways in which we think and act (Grubb and Turner 446). For example, research indicates that those who hold “traditional attitudes towards women’s roles” are more likely to place blame on a victim of sexual assault (447). This correlation illustrates how default mentalities about the seemingly harmless roles men and women assume in society can play into one’s judgement of a victim of sexual assault, resulting in detrimental backlash for the victim. 

Victim blaming is so pervasive that it also affects the United States’ justice system. In 2013, a woman in Pennsylvania experienced those effects firsthand when a member of the justice department responsible for handling her case reported that she “contributed” to her own rape taking place (Ganim “Pennsylvania…”). Stating that a survivor of a crime as heinous and one-sided as rape somehow incited their own assault is a clear example of victim blaming, an event which only serves to worsen the trauma the victim has already experienced. Along with the possibility of being met with skepticism by members of the justice system, most victims will never see their abusers incarcerated: for every 310 rapes that are filed with a police department, only six of the rapists will serve time in jail (“The Criminal…”). The sheer frequency of crimes involving the abuse of women in American society in combination within the barriers victims are often met with that prevent them from receiving retribution for the wrongs that have been committed against them is an urgent call for feminism.

In addition to the disparities present between men and women in modern America’s social sector, there are also factors that negatively affect women in an economic sense. Perhaps the most well-known and disputed of these factors is the wage gap. This gap is the difference in median pay between men and women who work full time in the United States, and in 2015, that difference was found to be 20 percent (Miller and Benson 4). This figure and others like it are heavily disputed. Christina Hoff Sommers, a writer whose work appeared on Time.com, claims that the roughly 20 percent gap is merely a generic average of all workers’ pay that fails to take into account other important components that affect how much men and women earn (Hoff Sommers “6 Feminist…”). Hoff Sommers is correct. The 20 percent difference in pay between the genders is derived from an average of all full-time workers’ pay (Miller and Benson 4). From this stance, the gander pay gap seems to be hyperbolized. However, a report completed in 2016 illustrates why this issue is much more than a sensationalized statistic. This report, which utilized information from organizations such as the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, explains that even when a woman has the same occupation as a man, the man will still earn more than the woman (18). Also, the pay of men and women who have identical levels of education also differ: the men earn more (14). There are several influences that can be attributed to the wage gap. These influences include the more involved role women typically have in childcare and cases in which women are treated unfairly by employers based on their gender (19). While it may be tempting to credit the wage gap to the choices women make about the occupation they pursue, the fact that even when occupation type is identical men are still paid more than women shows that there are clearly other forces at work, such as discrimination or the traditional role of women in the family unit, that prevent women from earning equal pay.

Other factors that affect the place of women in America’s economic sector are the occurrence of wage theft and the economic repercussions that often come as a result of being sexually assaulted. A survey completed by low-paid Americans in 2008 aimed to gauge how often these employees were being payed less than the legal minimum wage in their state or how often they were being payed less than the legal amount for working overtime (Petrescu-Prahova and Spiller 379-380). After studying the participants’ responses, it was found that women were about 50 percent more likely than men to have been paid less than minimum wage and 14 percent more likely to have been paid below the legal amount for working overtime (380). The findings from this survey along with the 2016 report on the wage gap illustrate that there are aspects of America’s economy that continue to work against women, particularly that women’s work is being devalued by employers, resulting in the hindrance of their economic growth. 

Moreover, societal inequalities that affect American women can also contribute to where they stand economically. A 2014 study conducted on American female victims of sexual assault found that the majority of the victims’ employment was affected negatively because of their assault (Loya 2808). The researcher concluded that most participants felt the “need to take time off from work,” experienced a “decreased performance” at work, or quit or were fired from their jobs as a result of the trauma inflicted upon them from being sexually assaulted (2801-2804). Because women are more likely to be the victims of sexual assault, they are also more likely to have their financial well-being harmed by this occurrence. As is shown by these various studies and reports, there remains underlying factors in American society that are shaping how women fare economically, which induces the need for feminism. 

In regards to the political division of women’s lives, the inequalities that exist in this area of modern American culture are undeniable. The most obvious example of these inequalities is the proportion of men to women in the United States’ political system. Currently, women hold less than 20 percent of the seats in Congress and comprise less than 25 percent of state legislators (“Current Numbers”). Considering the fact that America’s population is nearly equal parts men and women, these statistics are worrying because the percentage of women in political offices is not representative of the composition of the public and its needs. A report completed in 2012 theorized that there are several societal elements that prevent women from increasing their role in the political process (Lawless and Fox ii). One of these elements include the involved role many women still have in tending to “childcare and household tasks” (13-14). The report also found that compared to men, “women are much less likely…to think they are qualified to run for office (9). Both of these explanations for the miniscule number of women in office can be viewed as consequences of the tiresome definitions of men and women that are still perpetrated within society: women are often viewed as being subordinate to men. And, as is illustrated by the 2012 report’s finding that women are less assured than men that they could run for political office, those definitions are so thoroughly ingrained in American society that some women may begin to involuntarily believe them. This cycle, which can be broken through the application of feminist ideals, may be a part of the societal mechanism that allows men to continue to hold the majority of government leadership positions in the United States. 

The socially-driven influences that prevent women from obtaining positions in political office may seem insurmountable. Nevertheless, this issue is one that should be confronted because an increased number of women in politics can have invaluable effects. In 2011, a report that compared the performance of male and female members of the U.S. House of Representations found that “congressional districts receive roughly 9% more high-variation program spending when they are represented by women” (Anzia and Berry 490). This finding illustrates in an unbiased, unaltered manner the benefits that supporting women in their race to political office can have for all members of the American public—both men and women. Some literature also shows that women in government offices can affect the involvement of other women in politics. One questionnaire that was distributed to people in 35 countries to gauge their political engagement relative to the representation of women in their country’s political system found that there was not a positive correlation between the two (Karp and Banducci 113-114). However, a study completed in America by American participants found the opposite: researchers concluded that “women have a greater likelihood of political engagement when a competitive female candidate is present” (Atkeson 1053). Since research indicates both that women in government out-perform men in some ways and that the visibility of American women vying for their position in a political office positively affects how involved other women are in government, efforts should be made to dissolve any barriers between women and their political potential. Because, if more women are in office, they can continue to perform highly while motivating an even larger number of women to also consider a position in government. Efforts dedicated to achieving political equality, which is an evident need in American society, align directly with the purpose of feminism, which once again justifies the relevance of this ideology.

While the inequalities the modern American woman is faced with socially, economically, and politically pose many daunting challenges, they are not impossible to overcome. There are many organizations in the United States that are working towards eradicating these injustices through their embodiment of feminist values and beliefs. One of these organizations is the American Association for University Women, which advocates “promoting equity and education for women and girls” by confronting “the fundamental issues of the day—educational, social, economic and political” (“Who We…”). For over a century, the AAUW has aimed to advance the position of women in American society through research and education (“What We Do” American…). The longevity of a program whose mission statement nearly mirrors the definition of feminism demonstrates both the continual relevance of this ideology in American society and the positive impact that embracing feminism can have on members of a community. The National Organization for Women Foundation is another America-based group that is “devoted to achieving full equality for women through education and litigation” (“About the…”). The NOW Foundation manages several programs that each strive to provide women with equality, including a body positivity campaign and an organized effort to “raise awareness of the importance of women’s participation in the political process” (“What We Do” National…). As with the AAUW, the NOW Foundation is an example of the applicability of feminism in the United States. Both of these organizations are devoted to providing American women with equality, and in doing so, they implement fundamental feminist values in a manner that benefits members of American society. 

Countries other than the United States are also answering the call of feminism by working towards leveling the playing field between men and women. In some respects, these countries are surpassing the efforts of America in their fight for equal rights and are setting precedents that America can follow. For example, as of this year, Iceland is in the process of developing a law that would “require companies to show they pay men and women the same salary for the same work” by completing a “certification every three years” (Chappell “Iceland…”). Iceland’s endeavors to enact this law show that feminist ideals can play a constructive role in government and that these ideals are pertinent, even in today’s society. Through the continual support of its organizations and a willingness to look to the work of other countries, America can adhere to feminist beliefs in the most productive manner possible. 

As has been shown by recent studies and research, the United States continues to struggle to provide each of its citizens with an equal opportunity for success in the social, economic, and political aspects of its framework. Women are overwhelming more likely to be sexually assaulted than men, they continue to grapple with a persistent wage gap, and they are unrepresented in the American political system. Many of these injustices can be tied back to deeply-seated perceptions about the roles men and women have in society. The inequalities present between genders in modern America and the societal influences that sustain them justify the need for and applicability of the ideology of feminism. While the relevance of feminism in modern times has been critiqued, as long as women continue to experience lesser levels of acceptance and respect in all aspects of their lives, “feminism will continue to be a force everywhere in society” (Reger 194). By embracing and executing the principles of feminism, an institution that calls for true equal rights for women, the United States can address and combat elements of its society that place women at a disadvantage to men. If this is not realized, the inequalities that plague American women will go unacknowledged and feminism will remain a necessity.
