Feminism has reached a point where it is now more harmful than good.

The assertion that feminism has reached a point that it causes more harm than good is false. There are many logical fallacies why this claim might be made, but they do not hold up under scrutiny. Much circumstantial and anecdotal evidence might be given to support such claims, but they beg the question as to whether feminism is the cause of the evidence. The facts will show that equality of the sexes has not been reached in this country, let alone much of the rest of the world. That this lofty goal has not been met does not imply that feminism failed, nor does it imply that feminism succeeded but that this is as close as we can get to equality. The facts only show we have far to go; not as far as we once did, of course, but still miles to go before we sleep. A June 2010 report by the U.S. Department of Labor(1) read that, in 2009, women who were full time salary or wage employees earned only 80% of their male counterparts. Though the gap is less than in 1979 (where they earned 62% of males), it can in no way be considered the best we can do. Of course economic earnings are hardly the only factor to determine equality, and was not the prime cause that gave rise to the feminist movement. The prime cause, the overarching grievance of the movement, is oppression. Feminism is grounded on the belief that women are oppressed or disadvantaged by comparison with men, and that their oppression is in some way illegitimate or unjustified. (2) So it is not the equality of incomes that will signify the success of the feminist movement, but the eradication of all oppression against women. Oppression is the flipside of liberty, and liberty can be gaged by choices. Women today have many more choices than they did even twenty years ago, and so I concede that the yoke of oppression is lighter, but it has not been thrown off. The roots of sexism go back thousands of years. The patriarchal societies in which women have sought to thrive can point to their holy books to give ‘proof’ of the subservient role that women are supposed to assume. Men who were comfortable with their role as breadwinners and protectors were taken aback by women who asserted their authority and power. Many men lost their identity as a direct result of women redefining theirs, but that is not a failure of the movement, it is a failure of the men. Women struggled mightily to define themselves apart from their traditional roles, because it was those roles, in part, that were keeping them shackled to the past. Women shattered the notion that they could be only housewives or secretaries. Then they shattered the notion that there were any jobs that could only be fulfilled by males. It wasn’t inferiority that made it difficult for women to break into the military, the police, the firefighters, et al. It was the stubborn refusal of the male mindset to change. We came very close already to running a female for the Presidency, and I anticipate we will have a First Husband in my lifetime. But having women in such places of power does not mean that there is no more sexism any more than having a black President means there is no more racism. It means we have come far, but the race is not run just because you can see the finish line. Though there is much good yet for the feminist movement to accomplish, my opponent will also argue that the movement does more harm than good. The hardships and failures that inevitably result from any evolutionary process in no way indicate that the struggle is not worth it. It is always difficult when someone in power has to give up some of that power. Many women, perhaps, have abused their newly claimed power but, considering the thousands of year of oppression, there is no indication that more harm is being caused than good. (1)U.S. Department of Labor, 2010, Highlights of Women's Earnings in 2009, 1/25/2012, Meridianville, AL, www.bls.gov/cps/cpswom2009.pdf (2)James, Susan. 1998. “Feminism.” In Edward Craig (ed.), Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Vol. 10. London: Routledge, p. 576.