Definition and Core Concepts
Feminism: Political movement and analytical framework advocating for women's equality and challenging gender-based oppression.
Gender: Social construction of roles, behaviors, and relationships based on sex (not same as sex).
Key insight: Gender inequality is not natural or inevitable but socially constructed and can be changed.
Waves of Feminism
First Wave (Late 1800s - Early 1900s)
Focus: Political and legal equality (voting rights, property rights, education)
Key demands:
- Right to vote (suffrage)
- Equal property rights
- Access to education
- Equal legal status
Major figures: Emmeline Pankhurst, Susan B. Anthony, Mary Wollstonecraft
Achievement: Universal suffrage in most countries by mid-20th century
Limitations: Focused on elite women, ignored class/race differences
Second Wave (1960s-1980s)
Focus: Broader social and cultural equality
Key demands:
- Reproductive rights (contraception, abortion)
- Equal pay for equal work
- End to workplace discrimination
- End domestic violence
- Sexual harassment recognition
- Childcare and care work recognition
Major figures: Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, Simone de Beauvoir
Achievements:
- Equal pay legislation
- Workplace anti-discrimination laws
- Reproductive rights recognition
- Domestic violence laws
Limitations: Still predominantly white, middle-class focus; ignored intersecting oppressions
Third Wave (1990s-2000s)
Focus: Intersectionality and diversity
Key developments:
- Recognition of multiple oppressions (gender + race + class + sexuality)
- Different experiences of women
- Power within feminist movement questioned
- Postmodern approach to identity
Key figures: bell hooks, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Patricia Hill Collins
Emphasis: No monolithic "woman's experience"; multiple feminisms
Fourth Wave (2010s-Present)
Focus: Digital activism, global issues, workplace harassment
Characteristics:
- Social media activism (#MeToo, #TimesUp)
- Global hashtag campaigns
- Intersectionality central
- Body autonomy and consent emphasized
- Workplace harassment exposed
- Paid/unpaid labor recognition
- Environmental feminism
Issues: Global sisterhood, but tensions on class/geography
Types of Feminism
Liberal Feminism
Goal: Equal rights and opportunities within existing system
Approach:
- Reform laws to ensure equal treatment
- Remove discriminatory barriers
- Equal education and employment
- Democratic participation
Criticism: Doesn't address structural inequality; accepts capitalism
Radical Feminism
Goal: Fundamental transformation of gender relations
Analysis: Patriarchy is fundamental system of oppression
Approach:
- Challenge male dominance
- Revolutionize family structure
- Reimagine sexuality and reproduction
- Separate from patriarchal institutions