The sexual revolution was a movement in the United States that challenged traditional ways of thinking about sexuality. The heart of the revolution was the "radical" idea that women, just like men, had sexual needs and were able to enjoy sex. In the name of the revolution, feminists demanded women’s right to the same sexual freedom as men had been given. The revolution led to the normalization and increased acceptance of sex outside of marriage, as well as birth control. However, despite these achievements, some feminists believed that the achievements occurred at the expense of women. Although the sexual revolution was intended to lead to female liberation, some people argue that the revolution instead resulted in other forms of female oppression. To investigate this further, this study analyzed three different works of feminists with different views on the revolution and its consequences. This study will discuss the following topics: pornography and sexualization. These have been analyzed in relation to various theories of autonomy. Finally, this study will discuss how the subjects affects women's rights contained in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The questions in this study are answered throughout by using the method of critique of ideas. The method is based on the ideology that the authors themselves claim to defend as their own, in this essay it is the values of feminism. The critique is thus internal in the sense that no other values, other than those already stated in the material, are used in the assessment. Products that are marketed using the female body are often packaged with feminist messages, which is a well-known paradox in feminism. Women today have achieved some success by being able to represent themselves as sexual subjects, but that does not mean that the sexualization that permeates the culture should be mixed with "girl power" or other feminist slogans. It is time to stop accepting objectification as a symbol of liberation and instead acknowledge it for what it really is, a contradiction. A culture where women are constantly and in various ways being sexualized should be considered a threat to her ability to choose her preferences in an autonomous way. In the same way, a society that is strongly influenced by pornography's notions of male dominance should be considered a threat towards women’s autonomy. States that have ratified CEDAW are required by Article 2 to pursue policies to eliminate discrimination against women and to take measures to promote gender equality. Thus, the affiliated states should take appropriate action in all sectors of society where women are discriminated.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-444168 |
| Date | January 2021 |
| Creators | Wasell, Clara |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Teologiska institutionen |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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