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end oppression. Aldoory and Toth (2001) suggested feminism is “the theoretical study of
women’s oppression and the strategical and political ways that all of us, building on that
theoretical and historical knowledge, can work to end that oppression” (p. 346). Since
then, Foss, Foss, and Griffin (2004) modified the definition of feminism. In their book
entitled Readings in Feminist Rhetorical Theory, they referred to feminism not as a term,
but as an ideology. They state:
Feminism, then, is a commitment to eliminate relations of oppression and
domination in general, whether of women, African Americans, old people,
lesbians, gay men, family members, friends, acquaintances, or co-workers. What
we and other feminists are trying to do is to transform relationships and the larger
culture so that they reflect more humane and enriching ways to live (p. 3).
Due to the inherent personal nature of the term feminism, the definitions of the term
greatly differ. However, as both Foss, Foss, and Trapp (1991), and Foss, Foss, and
Griffin (2004) explain, at the root of the every definition of the word feminism is the
knowledge that equal opportunities do not exist between women and men in the areas of
politics, society, economics, or self-expression.
Many feminist theorists attribute the inequality between men and women to
gender roles, not sex roles. According to Cooper, Friedley, Stewart, and Stewart (1996),
the term sex refers to the biological physiological characteristics that make a person male
or female. There are many biological differences between women and men including, a
woman’s ability to bear children and greater development of the right hemisphere of the
brain- the center of the relation, intuitive, and artistic capacities (Foss, 1989).