Date of Award

6-15-2024

Document Type

Undergraduate Honors Thesis

Degree Name

B.A. in Sociology

Organizational Unit

College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences, Sociology and Criminology

First Advisor

Hava Gordon

Second Advisor

Jared Del Rosso

Third Advisor

Lisa Pasko

Keywords

Taylor Swift, Feminism

Abstract

The United States finds itself at a historical moment in which feminism is perhaps more polarizing than ever before. On the one hand, it is no longer taboo to identify as feminist; in fact, men and women alike are embracing feminist perspectives. A recent Pew Research survey found that 61% of American women identified as feminists, with this proportion even higher among Democrats and those who had received higher education (Barroso, 2020). At the same time, women are faced with more opportunities and fewer barriers to achieving success than ever before. Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and the 2020 election of Kamala Harris to the vice presidential seat saw women launched into the apical political sphere. Likewise, the worldwide influence of superstar Beyoncé and the media-savvy Kardashian clan showcase the ability of women to reach the pinnacle of visibility.

However, the same Pew poll shows that 45% of Americans think feminism is not inclusive (Barroso, 2020). And a majority (61%) of men belonging to Generation Z do not identify as feminists, signaling an expanding gap between young men and women (Cox, 2023). While feminism may be more “hip” than it once was, it has not altogether lost its controversial nature. Feminists must navigate pushback from the American public as they attempt to disseminate their messages on a large scale.

Copyright Date

6-13-2024

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved.

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Juliet Eklund

Provenance

Received from author

File Format

application/pdf

Language

English (eng)

Extent

49 pgs

File Size

300 KB

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