Confuzzled
I'm writing an opinion piece on whether Elizabeth I of England can be called a feminist or not. I figured I should clearly define feminism. And here's where the confusion sets in. Google finds this definition from Nelson.com:
feminism: The belief that society is disadvantageous to women, systematically depriving them of individual choice, political power, economic opportunity and intellectual recognition.
O-kay. So then I check my dandy Oxford Canadian which gives me this:
the advocacy of equality of the sexes, esp. through the establishment of the political, social and economic rights of women
which sounds a little more like what I'm familiar with. Merriam-Webster's is similar:
1 : the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes
2 : organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests
as is WordNet ® 2.0:
1: a doctrine that advocates equal rights for women 2: the movement aimed at equal rights for women
So first: Why does Nelson.com use such a different phrasing? Oh, and second: What is feminism, anyway?
feminism: The belief that society is disadvantageous to women, systematically depriving them of individual choice, political power, economic opportunity and intellectual recognition.
O-kay. So then I check my dandy Oxford Canadian which gives me this:
the advocacy of equality of the sexes, esp. through the establishment of the political, social and economic rights of women
which sounds a little more like what I'm familiar with. Merriam-Webster's is similar:
1 : the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes
2 : organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests
as is WordNet ® 2.0:
1: a doctrine that advocates equal rights for women 2: the movement aimed at equal rights for women
So first: Why does Nelson.com use such a different phrasing? Oh, and second: What is feminism, anyway?