In March of 1776, Abigail Adams wrote her husband a letter urging him to “remember the ladies.” In drafting a new code of law for our emerging nation, John Adams had to consider the words of his wife, “...in the new Code of Laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make I desire you would remember the ladies, and be more generous and favourable to them than your ancestors. Do not push such unlimited power into the hands of husbands. Remember all men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice, or representation,” (Adams, 1776). This famous piece shows that feminism has been a part of American culture since the dawn of our nation. In the centuries since Abigail Adams’ moving words, many changes have come to pass in the benefit of women’s equality, safety, and treatment in American society. However, this and the hard work of many American women and feminist advocates of the past have not been enough to fully protect our women of the current day. Despite decades of empowerment and progress regarding women’s issues, feminism is still a very necessary movement in the United States of America.
It seems easy enough to understand, but what truly is feminism? There are many complexities and subcategories to this movement, but simply put, “Feminism is the set of beliefs and ideas that belong to the broad social and political movement to achieve greater equality for women,” (Fiss, 1994). The main idea of feminism is gaining equality for women, and this has stood across time. As I mentioned, feminism can include subcategories such as trans-inclusive feminism, radical feminism, feminist theory, and queer feminist theory, for example. One may wonder what makes feminist theory different from feminism. The simple answer is that the two are almost the same, but execution and practice are what make them different. Feminist theory is the study and academic analysis of feminism and women’s fight for equality. Feminism itself is the actual movement and ideology. As seen by Abigail Adams’ quote above, feminism has existed in the United States since the very beginning. However, the popularity and reception of feminism in the United States did not quite take off until the sub-movement, the suffrage movement, took foot among the nation in what is known as the first wave of feminism. There were a total of four “waves” of feminism in the United States, spanning from 1848 to the present day. Each wave of feminism brought about new leaders, new ideas, and new methods for achieving equality. Another important idea to keep in mind is the intersectionality of feminism, often simply called intersectional feminism. “Intersectionality refers to the interconnected nature of certain social categories such as gender, race, and class. Intersectionality occurs when these social categories overlap and create interdependent systems of discrimination,” (Zara, 2021). As one would probably be able to understand, all these different aspects of feminism is why it has an academic discipline of its own, as there is plenty of history to study and learn from.
With these definitions and a brief history in mind, considering the United States has undergone four waves of feminism and spent over a century fighting for women’s rights, one may begin to wonder why feminism is still necessary. If the people of the United States have spent so long fighting and advocating, not to mention all the rights and benefits that have already been won for women, surely feminism should be a thing of the past? In my argument for feminism still being a necessity in the United States, I would like to propose three claims that prove feminism is not and should not be a thing of the past.
Of every five women you meet in the United States, one of them has experienced attempted or completed rape, 81% of women in the United States have reported experiencing sexual harassment, and nearly one in four women in an undergraduate program experienced sexual assault at 33 of the nation's major universities. (National Sexual Violence Resource Center, n.d.). Statistics like these are no doubt disturbing but easily overlooked in most of American society. What is sexual harassment? Sexual harassment can include things such as “unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature,” (EEOC, n.d.) This idea goes even further when you consider that “Harassment does not have to be of a sexual nature, however, and can include offensive remarks about a person’s sex,” (EEOC, n.d.). This means that sexual harassment encompasses physical and verbal assaults, as well as offensive remarks about women. When it comes to pregnancy, one might think that the leading cause of death in pregnant women is birth complications. This is false, as intimate partner violence, also known as domestic violence, is the leading cause of death in pregnant women. That is right, abuse from their partner, not complications. Homicide. Not only this, “It is estimated that up to 20% of pregnant women experience violence during their pregnancy, making it more common than gestational diabetes or preeclampsia...” (NCADV, 2004). With issues of rape, sexual harassment, and domestic violence in mind, it is horrifyingly clear that this country has a problem with the way we treat our women. Women are at a disproportionately higher risk of experiencing violence in the United States (FBI, 2026). When looking at this situation through an analytical lens, it is easy to see that the factor at hand is gender and a pointed assault on the female population. This is why the United States needs strong advocates for feminism to help stand for better protections for women, harsher sentencing for assailants, and better support resources for women who are victims of these issues. With feminism and advocates for the movement, change is possible for these awful statistics that women face.
When one goes to their primary care physician, it is easy to assume that person expects nothing but the best quality of care. For women, that is not always the case. “One of the most consequential effects of gender bias within the medical field, where women are more likely than men to experience dismissal of their symptoms, obstacles to quality care, and misunderstandings by their providers. Despite composing 50% of the population, women are grossly underrepresented in medical studies. Historically, they have often been absent from clinical research and have only recently gained access to large-scale clinical trials,” (Verdi & Eranki, 2024). Have you ever wondered why there has been so much research and success in the treatment of things such as male pattern baldness or erectile dysfunction over many years, but when it comes to female-specific conditions such as endometriosis or PMOS, there is hardly any substantial research, or research that has only begun taking off within the past several years? “Until the early 1990s, women were excluded from most clinical trials and the limited research including women focused primarily on diseases affecting fertility and reproduction. For these reasons, the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of chronic diseases in women continue to be based primarily on historical findings in men, and sex-specific clinical guidelines are often lacking. Many illnesses, ranging from cardiovascular disease to cancer to mental health issues, for example, differ by sex in terms of prevalence and adverse effects,” (Regensteiner et al., 2025). Not only is research on women’s health outdated and lacking, but most of the medical knowledge there happens to be is taken from men and applied to a population that is physically different from the male sex. When it comes to intersectional feminism, even more issues get added to this situation. “Notably, the lack of inclusion of women in biomedical research is even more acute in Black, Asian, and Latina women, as well as those in other race and ethnic subgroups, as is also true for many other aspects of women’s health. Additional challenges in serving these women include barriers such as bias and lack of recognition of the needs of diverse women, all contributing to suboptimal care. While pervasive, this is exemplified by the well-recognized racial and ethnic disparities in severe maternal morbidity and mortality,” (Regensteiner et al., 2025). Women of minority populations face even greater challenges when it comes to simply trying to access quality medical care. Medical neglect is something that, at best, causes inconveniences, and at worst, can cost someone their life. Gender bias in medical treatment must be addressed for the sake of keeping our population of women safe and so that women no longer have to worry about being misdiagnosed, having medical concerns dismissed, or even experiencing medical abuse. Feminism and advocacy can help reshape the system and fight for better medical access and treatment for women.
In the male sphere, what is said among men stays among men— that is the general code for locker-room talk, right? As Rachel Moss from the History Workshop explains, “I would argue that there are lots of locker rooms in the world, both real and virtual. If we interpret ‘locker rooms’ in conceptual terms, they are self-selecting spaces that offer men companionship based on common interests. Locker room talk is thus talk which can be expected to be communicated between members and which is not open to the outside group. We might expect that such talk would reflect the values and priorities of the group in a setting where the members feel safe to express opinions without concern about being overheard,” (Moss, 2019). Boys will be boys is a popular saying, but where is the line between harmless talk and concerning rhetoric? When Moss references that these metaphorical locker rooms can be virtual, she brings up an important point. The manosphere, as it is called, refers to online spaces such as forums, video channels, social media groups, and more that act as a sort of echo chamber for sexist talk, misogyny, and hostility toward women (Greater London Authority, n.d.). These manosphere environments online create a sense of belonging for men and young boys, as it creates an “us versus them” mentality. When men come together in either a physical or virtual setting, they may feel that it is appropriate to use hostile or discriminatory language against women. Not all men, of course, feel this way and openly speak harmful things about women, but even those men who may not agree remain silent in these situations and do not confront their male friends and peers when that sort of discriminatory language is used around them. This shows an example of the bystander effect and how the silent man can still be complicit in misogynistic ideology and in protecting sexism. The words that men use in private against women are still a reflection of how they believe women should be treated, and it is a dangerous mindset to have, even if kept private. Many men who spout hateful ideology often identify themselves as “incels” which are heterosexual males who “...view a lack of romantic and sexual gratification by women as a form of oppression against men. Incels rally around shared negative sentiments on celibacy, which are tied to misogynistic worldviews and lead to the encouragement of violence against women,” (Chan, 2023). This is a form of extremist ideology that truly puts women at risk for real-world harm. When private snide comments and sexist talk among men gain traction, it can have serious public outcomes. “In Canada, public attention towards incels grew when Alek Minassian, a self-declared incel, drove a van through downtown Toronto targeting women to hit and kill, ultimately murdering 10 individuals,” (Chan, 2023). As you can see, what seems like locker-room talk can lead to cases of violence and extremism with the intent to harm and even kill women. Words and rhetoric have the power to snowball into bigger issues, especially when it comes to incel ideology. When spreading feminist theory and educational concepts surrounding the historical treatment of women and the negative impacts of sexism, people of any gender identity are able to learn and gain compassion for a population that had been denied basic rights and decent treatment for centuries under patriarchal societies. Feminism has the power to create compassion through education, and hopefully, such educated thought among the male population can reduce sexist talk and speech that has the potential to incite violence.
Overall, the fact that sexual harassment and abuse, medical gender bias, and casual discriminatory language are still major issues afflicting women today is proof that feminism is a needed movement in the United States. Anyone of any gender can be a feminist. Women still need advocates and allies to support them through these struggles and voices who are ready to speak out for them and challenge the sexist narrative that is still rampant in this country.
References
American Association for Women in Science. (n.d.). Addressing gender bias in medical care. https://awis.org/resource/addressing-gender-bias-medical-care/
Archives.gov. (n.d.). Woman suffrage and the 19th amendment. National Archives. https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/woman-suffrage
Adams, A. (1776, March 31). Abigail Adams to John Adams: “Remember the ladies”. Hanover College History Department. https://history.hanover.edu/courses/excerpts/165adams-rtl.html
Chan, E. (2023, January 12). Offline and online gender-based violence: Extremism risk assessment tools and the rise of the incel rebellion. Global Network on Extremism and Technology (GNET). https://gnet-research.org/2023/01/12/offline-and-online- gender-based-violence-extremism-risk-assessment-tools-and-the-rise-of-the-incel- rebellion/
Connolly, A. (n.d.). Intersectional feminism. In Introduction to feminist theory. Connecticut College. https://openpress.digital.conncoll.edu/feministtheory/chapter/intersectional-feminism/
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (n.d.). Sexual harassment. https://www.eeoc.gov/sexual-harassment
Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2026). Domestic relationships and violent crimes, 2020–2024. U.S. Department of Justice. https://cde.ucr.cjis.gov/LATEST/resources/reports/Domestic%20Relationships%20and% 20Violent%20Crimes%202020-2024.pdf
History Workshop. (2022, October 11). “Locker room talk”: Men discussing women in the Middle Ages and now. https://www.historyworkshop.org.uk/gender/locker-room- talk- men-discussing-women-in-the-middle-ages-and-now/
London Assembly. (n.d.). Conversation guide. Greater London Authority. https://www.london.gov.uk/ignore-the-noise/trusted-adults/conversation-guide
Lumen Learning. (n.d.). The women’s movement. In Introduction to sociology. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-introductiontosociology/chapter/the-womens- movement/
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. (2004, September). Fact sheet: Domestic violence and pregnancy. VAWnet. https://vawnet.org/material/fact-sheet-domestic- violence-and-pregnancy
National Sexual Violence Resource Center. (n.d.). Statistics. https://www.nsvrc.org/statistics/
Regensteiner, J. G., McNeil, M., Faubion, S. S., Bairey-Merz, C. N., Gulati, M., Joffe, H., Redberg, R. F., Rosen, S. E., Reusch, J. E. B., & Klein, W. (2025). Barriers and solutions in women's health research and clinical care: A call to action. The Lancet Regional Health – Americas, 44, Article 101037. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lana.2025.101037
West,R. (1988). What is feminism? Yale Law School. https://law.yale.edu/sites/default/files/documents/faculty/papers/What_Feminism.pdf
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