Feminism And Third Wave Feminism

Feminism can have a different meaning depending on who you are and what time of history you are speaking of. Most people think of the second-wave of feminism in the 20th century when women fought for their rights for equality not just in the workplace but also their right to vote. The movement for gender equality was originally viewed as a great effort by women for women. Today feminism is a subtitle of equality. Giving us the new definition of feminism called third-wave feminism or gender equality.

This essay examines the question, “To what extent was the second wave of feminism (in the 1960’s and 1970’s) successful in achieving equality for women?” The essay is introduced by describing why the second wave of feminism developed and the aims of this second wave of feminist. The essay is broken into two parts. The first part of the essay discusses the impact of women 's rights activist on legislation. It is argued that the second wave feminist were unsuccessful in gaining equality in terms of obtaining equal wages and opportunities for women in the workplace. They however were successful in obtaining equal rights laws and reproductive laws for women. The feminist of the 1960’s and 70’s were victorious in securing for many american women the right to have easy access to contraceptives and abortion. The second part of the essay focuses on the extent that the second wave feminist were successful in changing the mindset of Americans. These feminist wanted the view of women to be one that portrayed women less as only a housewife and more as a women who can lead a life that could involve a career in any field. Success ranged in this area. On one side there was women becoming more independent and free as they embarked the sexual revolution while in other regards such as film and music women still held an inferior role to men. The second wave of feminism achieved great success in attaining equality for women however this success was not as far ranging as these mid 20th century

As Third Wave feminism is currently unfolding before us, and its aims encompass a wide array of complex issues, it is often hard to describe what Third Wave feminism is. The feminist theories, mainly associated with First and Second Wave feminism attempt to describe the power imbalances that are found in society, and while doing so expose other oppressions, such as discrimination based on race or sexual orientation. As this essay attempts to place a clear definition to Third Wave feminism, feminists are concurrently trying to deconstruct old definitions and open it up for women to determine what feminism means to them. In other words, no clear definition on what is meant to be a feminist is sufficient, as the Third Wave is about

at the time. Friedan sparked a fervor in women that is unparalleled in the realm of women’s rights. In a society dominated by men and their age old ideals, Friedan was their voice, campaigning for women to stop

As stated, “The third wave was made possible by the greater economic and professional power and status achieved by women of the second wave…” (Brunell & Burkett, 2016). The third wave of the women’s movement started in the 1990s and it continues until now, the present, it all began with a mixture of already feminist and feminist being born. As read, “Proponents of third-wave feminism claim that it allows women to define feminism for themselves by incorporating their own identities into their belief system of what feminism is and what it can become” (Fisher, 2013). The second wave that started 30 years before the 90s, the feminist back then focused on laws but not today’s feminist, who focus on their identities. Today, the women's movement occurs daily, everywhere. Recently a march on Washington, on January 21 - 22, 2017, hundreds of women gathered and walked in Washington. The march came to be after a post a Hawaiian grandmother made on how she felt after Donald J. Trump had move. It states, “...led by hundreds of thousands who overwhelmed the nation's capital, protested the first full day of President Trump's tenure Saturday” (Przybyla & Schouten, 2017). Not only do women today march one day, but every day through social media they continue the movement, the women encourage other women to join them and allow them to become a stronger group. As read, “By removing the barriers of distance and geography, sites like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram have made activism easier than ever, facilitating public dialogues and creating a platform for awareness and change”(Chittal, 2015). The social media now is allowing the women’s movement to grow rapidly by, announcing marches, organizations. (Fisher, 2013) (Przybyla & Schouten,

How has feminism developed in America, and how have these developments changed its public perception? Considering these perceptions and the divisions between feminists, how can feminism be unified as a cohesive movement again?

Intersectionality underscores that it is impossible to consider gender in isolation from other forms of difference. Critically discuss the significance of this, including its implications for feminism. Refer to at least 3 readings in the unit read from weeks 1-6.

The women’s movement has been going on for at least the last two centuries. The first wave of feminism focused on voting rights, property rights, equal education, and recognition under the law for women. It started in the United States with Elizabeth Cady Stanton. She was an American social activist and abolitionist. In 1848 at the Seneca Falls Convention a declaration of Sentiments was composed that focused on important issues for women at the time. The declaration demanded women’s voting rights, the right divorce, property rights, the right to birth control, and many others important issues of the time. Stanton believed that women were equal to men and deserved equal political rights. The convention at Seneca Falls was one of the first steps towards women’s rights.

“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

"[Stella] backs out of sight. He advances and disappears. There is the sound of a blow. Stella cries out."(Williams 3.165-8) To Stella, this is attractive. Williams ' A Streetcar Named Desire, published 1947 between the first wave of feminism and the second wave of feminism, portrays two polar opposite ideologies regarding feminism and masculinity. Stanley represents what a man was supposed to be prior to the re-evaluation of masculinity by the first wave of feminism; men were supposed to be assertive, aggressive, and the kings of their homes. Stella, his wife, is meant to serve as an example of how women were supposed to act and ignore the behavior of their husbands. Mitch is the polar opposite of Stanley 's type of masculinity; he is

Black Feminism Black feminism is a concept developed from the idea of white feminism and the existence of sexism and classism within the groups of women involved. When discussing feminism it mostly consists of white women fighting for their rights as women and equality for them, however it doesn’t occur to them the place of privilege they come from in the ability to have spoken about such a subject and earn recognition. Black feminism became a thing in the ‘60s, in response to the sexism of the Civil Rights Movement and racism of the feminist movement. From the 70s to 80s, black feminists formed multiple different groups which addressed the role of black women in black nationalism, gay liberation, and second-wave feminism.

The Second Wave of Feminism took place in the 1960s and 70s, a time of political and social activism in the United States. Up until the late 1950s and early 1960s, the quintessential American woman was a homemaker, a wife, and a mother (Gorman 6). “For her, success was seen as having a husband with a good job who could provide for his wife and family” (6). As stated by Jacqueline Laks Gorman, the frustration of the societal limits faced by American women of the mid-twentieth century caused women to unite to fight for equality and women’s rights (5).

According to Kinser, while Second wave feminism inculcated women the gender equality and their liberations as citizens and individual human beings, Third wave feminism focused on more subjects related to social change. For example, more women of color stood up for changing of cultural and political separations. The first and second wave feminist fought, third wave and post feminists are living the present where women are treating “almost” equal to men. Equality for women was not given as how young generations are believing. I was also a young woman uneducated about feminism who had stereotypes for being feminist. I misunderstood that feminists are women who are arguing women superiority until I learned about it because I never questioned about

When referring to the history of feminism in the manner of the first, second, or third wave, one is undermining the experiences that were ongoing during, in middle of, and before those waves that history defines. What ideologies of oppression were being spoken of to raise awareness and whose experience was being excluded/diminished? The articulation of feminism in using the metaphor of waves to describe how the ideologies peaked and rescinded, is incorrect because it focuses only on the voices of those who were able to bring their problems to the surface and excludes those who had a different experience or may have brought awareness in a quieter manner. There are many feminisms and each interpretation is defined by the collective oppression, rather than looking at the situation in an individual perception, which is what creates disagreements and division between feminists. Many definitions of feminism, feminisms, exist simultaneously because it is evolving as fast (or, well, as slow) as the world is changing and if one group of people are to speak of others experience of oppression (or lack of) in place of them, the result can be the glossing over of experiences and therefore, undermine experiences of others.

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,