The Historical Development Of Feminism

What is feminism? The definition is often argued over by feminists and anti-feminists. Feminists believe that the expectations for women are far too high to be attainable for most—they are expected to be the perfect weight, the perfect height, the perfect everything in the eyes of society in order to be seen as worth anything. Feminists believe that women are seen by society as less powerful, less smart, simply less than men. Feminists also believe that feminism promotes gender equality, not misandry. They aim to fix this. Anti-feminists, on the other hand believe that feminism is women being obnoxious and putting themselves above men. They think feminism in 2015 in unnecessary. Women already have the right to vote, what more could they possibly want? This oppression is just one reason why feminism exists and—in my opinion—is extremely important in today’s world.

What exactly is Feminism? Feminism is all about women's liberation; the liberation in a world where men are not only looked as superior, but also run the world and tell women what we can or cannot do. Feminists dream of a world where we can be treated equally as men. We do not care

Feminism, according to Merriam-Webster (2016) is defined as "the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men." Though this is the definition of the term,

When thinking about feminism in today’s society we tend to direct our minds and thoughts to a more radical and powerful train of thought. Feminism has been going on for centuries, with two main ideologies at the forefront; liberal and cultural feminism. Someone who identifies as a liberal feminist is someone who believes that women and men are a like and equal in most respects and deserve equal roles and opportunities (Wood & Fixmer-Oraiz, 2017, p. 58). And cultural feminism is someone who identifies as someone who believes that men and women are fundamentally differently; you have different rights, role and opportunities (Wood & Fixmer-Oraiz, 2017, p. 58). The women’s rights movement can be understood and broken down into three “waves”.

What is feminism? According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary the standard definition defines feminism as “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.” I believe the word feminism means a woman who is capable of doing the exact things a man can do. Both men and women are equal regardless the gender. There are many misconceptions when it comes to the word feminism such as, women having hatred towards men, women thinking they're above men, or only women can be feminist, and the gender stereotype. On the other hand, feminism is gender equality, acknowledging that any kind of violence is unacceptable regardless the gender, and realizing that women and men are not the same and recognizing that gender and sex are

Feminism is about empowering women and achieving equality in all aspects. There have been several waves of feminism throughout American history. These periods of time are now referred to as waves because a majority of women could be seen protesting and fighting for specific rights over consecutive years. The First Wave of feminism laid the groundwork for all the rights women have today. During this time period, women changed how they could dress and also fought for their right to vote in general elections. Before the First Wave, women were treated as property and had to obey their husbands or other male leaders of their families. Consequently, women grew tired of not having a voice or a say about their own lives. Much of what the women in

Feminism is the fight for equality. But there are still some women who think that it serves for impairment of men’s rights. What is feminism? Feminism is the belief that both sexes should have equal rights and opportunities. Janie is a mixed-race girl looking for true love; Jane marries Logan, as planned by her grandmother.

According to dictionary.com, feminism is the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men. Throughout history and even in present time, women have been subject to unequal treatment by their male counterparts. For example, in the biblical story of Adam and Eve, Eve is born from Adam’s rib, showing that Adam is the dominant figure in the narrative. Even today, there exists in certain professions a gender pay gap. Similarly, the way in which women are depicted in Beloved by Toni Morrison and the short story The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Stetson indicates that women are able to thrive independently and take on masculine roles, while men are able to experience feminine attributes.

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).

For the record, feminism by definition is: ‘the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.’ It is the theory of the political, economic and social equality of the sexes. (Watson 1)

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.

The textbook definition of feminism is “a doctrine that advocates equal rights for women” (WordNet, 2010). While this is correct, there is much more to it than that.

The word feminism originated in the 1800’s from the French word “feminisme”. So what is feminism exactly? Feminism is usually defined as an active desire to change women’s position in society (Kolmar pg.27). There are many ways that feminism can be described as it is a number of theories, social movements, cultural and political movements. These movements are shedding light to the inequalities and equal rights for women and also equality for everyone. Feminism is a way for women to be heard and to fight for their right for equality. “It is feminism that recognizes individual diversity, and freedom, and equality, defined through and beyond north/ west and south / east dialogues” (Hooks pg.47). There are considered two waves of feminism or three according to who you talk to. The first-wave feminism focuses on power and women’s suffrage this wave of feminism also puts the focus on absolute rights. The second-wave feminism developed its own epistemological practices in the process of consciousness raising, a model for generating knowledge from the authority of individual women’s experience (Tong pg.55). Women in the second-wave also used their academic knowledge when discussing feminism to bring more knowledge about the topic of inequality. With the third-wave feminism I start to see more openness to allowing more women in these movements. I start to see how more lesbian women and women of color are more active in this wave. I however believe that third-wave

Feminism has been defined as the advocacy of social equality for men and women, in opposition to patriarchy and sexism.