Feminism And The First Wave Feminism

In the 19th century, first wave feminists had a significant impact on women’s entitlement for the Australian suffragette movement. Feminism can be defined as “the advocacy of women’s rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes” (Oxford Dictionaries, 2016, online).

Feminism is the advocacy of the rights of women based on the theory of equality of the sexes (Oxford English Dictionary). It is built on the principle that women have innate worth, inalienable rights, and valuable ideas and talents to contribute to society. Feminists fight for equality in every dimension of society, for both equal rights with men and equal respect.

The definition of feminism is very elusive. Maybe because of its ever-changing historical meaning, it’s not for certain whether there is any coherence to the term feminism or if there is a definition that will live up to the movement’s variety of adherents and ideas. In the book “No Turning Back,” author Estelle Freedman gives an accurate four-part definition of the very active movement: “Feminism is a belief that women and men are inherently part of equal worth. Because most societies privilege men as a group, social movements are necessary to achieve equality between women and men, with the understanding that gender always intersects with other social hierarchies” (Freedman 7).

Throughout the first-wave feminist movement, it was a goal of feminists to have laws that sought to subordinate women to men overturned. The marital exemption to rape is just one example of a law at the time that feminists viewed to subject women to the sexual desires of men. During the Victorian Era, when first-wave feminism emerged, conversations about sex in general were taboo, and the discussion of sex by a woman in a public space was especially taboo. However, this did not stop first wave feminist activists from campaigning for these rights. The campaigns against marital rape focused on a woman’s right to control sex with their husband, and they argued for self ownership over their own bodies (Hasday, 2000, p. 1417). Prominent feminists such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton made arguments that marriage did not guarantee that a husband could have sex with his wife under all circumstances. At a temperance convention, she warned of the consequences of having sex with a husband who is an alcoholic, advising to “live with him as a friend...but for woman’s sake, be not his wife” (Hasday, 2000, p. 1418). There were qualities in a man that the women did not want to procreate with, and to ensure the safety of their children, they wanted protection against having sex with certain types of men. One example of this is seen in the disdain of the alcoholic husband – to live with him, be his friend, but never to have sex or reproduce with him. Stanton was firm in the belief that “woman’s

Feminism is a range of political movements, ideologies, and social movements that share a common goal: to define, establish and achieve political, economic, personal, and social equality of sexes. This includes seeking to establish educational and professional opportunities for women that are equal to those for men. The lens in which I am focusing on is feminism. Feminism is a broad topic with many topics beneath the main topic.

“You cannot be a humanist unless you are a feminist. You either advocate equality for all or you are a misanthrope” (Michael A. Sherlock). From women’s suffrage to abortion laws feminism has evolved with contemporary battles and a variety of approaches. The

Feminism is a body of social theory and political movement primarily based on and motivated by the experiences of women. While generally providing a critique of social relations, many proponents of feminism also focus on analyzing gender inequality and the promotion of women's rights, interests, and issues.

There were more than three waves of feminism. The first wave occurred during the 19th and 20th century. The first wave was about women’s suffrage movement. In addition, it involved issues with inequality. For example, women’s right to vote. The second wave began in the 1960’s. It concentrated on social independence as well as equality within the workplace and educational rights. In addition, the second wave included protection from both sexual and domestic abuse. The third wave occurred in the 1990’s. It focused on multiracial and socioeconomic groups. It helped inspire women to become more opinionated to address abuse, rape, and sexuality openly.

Feminism, the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men (Webster’s Thesaurus Dictionary). Feminist seek to find impartiality between the genders, in not only the work force, but many different aspects of their lives. Feminist are spectated to be individuals who believe in female domination, and that is not precise. Feminist believe that women and men should be treated equal to each other, neither sex defines who they are or makes them superior to the other.

Feminism is a movement that advocates for Women’s rights in a society dominated primarily by men. Feminism arises from the inequality of gender and power; feminist activists

Feminism has been a prominent part in American literature since the late Nineteenth century. In almost every form of media today, there are female characters who are leaders, independent, and do not conform to the submissive image some individuals have of women. The first authors to introduce heroines of independent nature were Gilman, Chopin, and Wharton. They wrote stories about heroines who had their own ideas and wanted their own voice, expressed their own sexuality, and established their independence through re-marrying.

Feminism is the movement that promotes equality for men and women in political, economic and social issues. Feminists believe that women are oppressed due to their sex based on the dominant ideology of patriarchy. Going against social norms of patriarchy will result in liberation for women, men, minorities, and gays. There are many different types of Feminism, which includes Liberal, Radical, and Social Feminism. Liberal feminism is reformist who believes in the viability of the present system, which includes education and employment. These types of feminists believe that oppression exists because of the way in which men and women are socialized, which supports patriarchy and keeps men in power

The closest working definition feminism holds states: feminism is a social and political movement that seeks equality of opportunity for all people, regardless of gender; and when there is no equality of outcome, feminists wonder why. However, not everyone is aware of

The main goal of the first wave of feminism was to get women the right to vote. There were a few reason why this was so important to them. The first was that they wanted to be represented because it was a basic right. They were upset that they never got any say in who the president was and what issues were dealt with. Another reason they wanted the vote was to help workers safety. They often worked in sweatshops and needed a way to make sure they would be better protected by the law. They also wanted to help mine safety because so many of their husbands worked in very dangerous conditions there. Ending child labor was important to them as well.

In 1776, the then First Lady of the United States was the first to raise her about women’s rights, telling her husband to “remember the ladies” in his drafting of new laws, yet it took more than 100 years for men like John Adams to actually do so. With the help of half a dozen determined, and in this case white upper-middle-class, women the first-wave feminism, which spans from the 19th century to the early 20th century, finally led to their goal after 72 years of protesting. The Nineteenth Amendment, which secured the rights for women to vote finally passed in 1920. This grand victory brought other reforms along, including reforms in the educational system,