FEMINISM: THREE WAVES & TYPES
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1. Introduction:
We are living in a male dominated
society. Men are unanimously considered as stronger – physically and
psychologically – across the whole universe. But it is a wrong belief and
understanding. Men and women are equal and must be given equal rights and privileges.
“Men are from Earth, women are from Earth. Deal with it.”
―
Let’s do an exercise:
Think of a Mountain and give a name
of any human being you know.
Think of a Nurse and give a name of
any human being you know.
We consider women as a weaker class.
Women continue to struggle at every moment and still seek their rights. This is
precisely why a movement of Feminism started in all branches of knowledge. This
movement of Feminism has opened up many debates around the world with a view to
solve women's problems give them justice.
2. Origin & Definition of Feminism:
“I myself have never been able to find out precisely what
feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express
sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat.”
―
“A feminist is anyone who recognizes the equality and full
humanity of women and men.”
―
Many researchers and scholars have
used the term "feminism" and tried to formulate and explain it
differently. Some refer to historical political movements in the United States
and Europe. While others claim that women live unjustly without rights and
equality, Zara Huda Faris explained:
"Women need feminism because
there are women who suffer injustice"
The word feminism comes from French
word féminisme and according to the Cambridge online dictionary feminism is
“the belief that women should be allowed the same rights, power, and
opportunities as men and be treated in the same way, or the set of activities
intended to achieve this state.” 3 The term ‘feminism’ itself is used to
describe a cultural, political or economic movement aiming for equal rights for
both women and men. Nonetheless, the terms ‘feminism’ and ‘feminist’ did not
gain widespread meaning use until the 1970s when they started to be used in the
public parlance more frequently.
In short, feminism is an attempt to
criticize male domination and demand women's rights.
3. History of Feminism:
A brief historical background Britain
as well as France were among the first countries where women started fighting
for their rights, education, and above all respect. Simone de Beauvoir wrote
that “the first time we see a woman take up her pen in defense of her sex was
when Christine de Pizan wrote Epitre au Dieud' Amour (Epistle to the God of
Love) in the 15th century.”
However, it was not until the early
19th century when women began to achieve changes in society, it was Mary
Wollstonecraft, author of the commanding Vindication of the Rights of Woman,
who received the lion’s share of attention. Wollstonecraft was a woman who, as
Arianne Chernock says in her book Men and the Making of Modern British
Feminism, “spoke up, quite loudly, for what had been until then a largely silent
section of the human race.” Scholars, even today, consider Mary Wollstonecraft
to be a founding mother of British feminism and her Vindication of the Rights
of Woman can be considered as a first unambiguous feminist work.
4. Three Waves of Feminism:
Feminists and scholars have divided
the movement into three separate waves and each of the waves is significant for
the movement in achieving different goals.
· The First Wave of Feminism:
The first wave refers mainly to the
women’s suffrage movement in the 19th and early 20th centuries in the United
Kingdom and in the United States, focusing on women gaining the right to vote.
Originally, the first wave focused on the promotion of equality and property
rights for women and the opposition to chattel marriage and ownership of
married women and their children by their husbands. As Margaret Waters claims
in her book called Feminism: A Very Short Introduction, “for a married woman,
her home becomes a prison-house. The house itself, as well as everything in it,
belongs to the husband, and of all fixtures the most abject is his breeding
machine, the wife. Married women are in fact slaves, their situation no better
than that of Negroes in the West Indies.”
· Second Wave of Feminism:
The second wave of feminism emerged
after the World War II and can be described as the women’s liberation movement,
which focused on gaining legal and social equality for women, and most
importantly on ending discrimination. This period was also understood as a
continuation of the first wave of feminism, in fact, the term ‘first wave’ was
coined after the second wave emerged. Since the second wave had slightly
different goal it needed a new term. Second wave feminists saw women’s cultural
and political inequalities as “inextricably linked and encouraged women to
understand aspects of their personal lives as deeply politicized and as
reflecting sexist power structures.” 18 One of the most influential feminists
of the early 20th century was Simone de Beauvoir, who is also the author of The
Second Sex and of the very famous statement “one is not born, but rather
becomes, a woman.”
· Third Wave of Feminism:
The third wave feminism or sometimes
also called the post-feminism begins in the 1990s and continues up to present.
Post-feminism refers to the perceived failures of the second wave feminism and
it continues in fighting for the same beliefs as in the previous waves.
However, the movement’s focus has slightly shifted; it is less focused on
political processes and on laws but more on the individual self. Also, the
feminists are more diverse now, the first and the second wave feminists were
mostly Westers, middle-class, white women, whereas the third wave feminists are
women from different ethnicities, colours, religions and social backgrounds.
Since 1990s women are more recognized in society and not only in the United
Kingdom but also in other countries all over the world. In Britain women have
the same opportunities for education and can have the same occupations as men
and most importantly their opinions are valued and respected.
4. Types of Feminism
a). Liberal Feminism
b). Radical Feminism
c). Socialist Feminism
5. Conclusion:
As the whole feminist movement has
developed over the centuries, the style of writing has changed as well, and the
need to address new themes; for example sexuality, homosexuality, the
importance of freedom, became more apparent. During the 19th century writers
have started addressing the topic of importance of independence for women,
their need for acknowledgement and freedom. Whereas in the 20th century, when
women finally gained their right to vote, became respected in society and were
more equal to men, writers wrote about new topics more openly which is also one
of the main differences in the development of literature
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