The Impact of Contemporary Feminism on the Debate on Human Rights

The Impact of Contemporary Feminism on the Debate on Human Rights
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The Impact of Contemporary Feminism on the Debate on Human Rights
Contemporary feminism encompasses both the political movement and intellectual commitment to achieve justice for all women. The focus of this form of feminism is to resist and end all forms of sexism, which is believed to the basis upon which women are oppressed and marginalized in society.
The impact of contemporary feminism on the human rights debate is visible in the way it has transformed the intellectual and political conception of what constitutes "human rights." Whereas traditionally the application of the concept was limited to political freedoms, respect for human life and other non-gender-oriented issues, its meaning today has expanded to include women's rights. The idea of human rights is no longer a political or liberty issue only, but also a gender issue. At the same time, the understanding of human rights has adopted a universal aspect, particularly in light of radical feminism, which rejects liberal feminism's tolerance of the cultural and societal values that promote patriarchal domination of women in some societies (Bauer, 2003). For instance, men are regarde...