The four waves of feminism
Equality
The feminist movement is one of the oldest movements in history.
Many scholars and activists believe that there are 3 distinct 'waves' of feminism, with the '#MeToo Movement' marking a contemporary fourth wave.
The metaphor of 'waves' began in 1968, when Martha Weinman Lear published an article in the NYT called 'The Second Feminist Wave'. Her article connected the suffrage movement of the 19th century in the US with the women's movements during the 1960s.
The first wave (late 19th century)
The first wave is mainly characterized by women's suffrage movement and championing of women's right to vote, including addressing of their reproductive and economic issues.
This was the first such political movement in the Western world. New Zealand had already become the first country to grant women the right to vote, almost 30 years ago.
While many celebrate this movement, some believe that it left out women of colour, who were given the right to vote only 45 years after white women.
The second wave (1960 - 1970)
This wave is perceived to be more radical and focused on sexual and reproductive issues. The second wave also came in the backdrop of the civil rights movement and the Vietnam war, and was thus seen as less pressing, and was often overlooked, making the efforts more and more radical.
Efforts were focused toward understanding and abolishing the broader institutions which repressed women. Traditional gender and family roles were questioned, and queer theory became more established.
The third wave (1990 - early 2000)
The third wave of feminism became more inclusive and welcomed individuality. Women reclaimed aspects of feminine representation (such as high heels, lipsticks, cleavage, etc.) that were earlier seen as signs of male oppression. This mystified the 2nd-gen feminists, most of whom resisted traditional femininity.
Third-wave feminism also became more conscious of race, leading to the coining of the phrase “intersectionality” in 1989. The term refers to how different kinds of oppression – like those based on gender and race – intersect with each other.
The fourth wave (late 2000s - present)
While many people believe that we are still in the advanced version of the third wave, the '#MeToo Movement' along with social media activism in the technological age is accounted for as the fourth wave by many. This wave has also seen an increased focus on intersectionality, expanding it from race to beyond the gender binary.
"Some people who wish to ride this new fourth wave have trouble with the word 'feminism', not just because of its older connotations of radicalism, but because the word feels like it is underpinned by assumptions of a gender binary and an exclusionary subtext: 'for women only'" - Martha Rampton
Feminism as a concept has been complex since its very inception. Every wave has seen a difference in opinion, ideologies, and exclusions of minority groups. What seems to be constant, however, is growth; issues faced in the older waves are accounted for in the upcoming waves.
With the intervention of technology and fleeting social activism, opposing ideologies have now started to gain bigger platforms. Despite the more prevalent differences in opinions, it is interesting to see how the youth, and especially the men, are embracing the concept of feminism - even if they are wary of the word itself.
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