Feminist movement

The "We Can Do It!" war-propaganda poster from 1943 was re-appropriated as a symbol of the feminist movement in the 1980s.

The feminist movement, also known as the women's movement, refers to a series of social movements and political campaigns for radical and liberal reforms on women's issues created by the inequality between men and women.[1] Such issues are women's liberation, reproductive rights, domestic violence, maternity leave, equal pay, women's suffrage, sexual harassment, and sexual violence. The movement's priorities have expanded since its beginning in the 1800s, and vary among nations and communities. Priorities range from opposition to female genital mutilation in one country, to opposition to the glass ceiling in another.

Feminism in parts of the Western world has been an ongoing movement since the turn of the century. During its inception, feminism has gone through a series of four high moments termed Waves. First-wave feminism was oriented around the station of middle- or upper-class white women and involved suffrage and political equality, education, right to property, organizational leadership, and marital freedoms.[2] Second-wave feminism attempted to further combat social and cultural inequalities. Although the first wave of feminism involved mainly middle class white women, the second wave brought in women of different social classes, women of color, and women from other developing nations that were seeking solidarity.[3] Third-wave feminism continued to address the financial, social, and cultural inequalities of women in business and in their home lives, and included renewed campaigning for greater influence of women in politics and media. In reaction to political activism, feminists have also had to maintain focus on women's reproductive rights, such as the right to abortion.[4] Fourth-wave feminism examines the interlocking systems of power that contribute to the social stratification of traditionally marginalized groups, as well as the world around them.[5]

  1. ^ Young, Stacey (2 January 2014). Changing the Wor(l)d. doi:10.4324/9781315022079. ISBN 978-1-136-66407-6.
  2. ^ "First Wave Feminism", The Routledge Companion to Feminism and Postfeminism, Routledge, pp. 26–35, 23 November 2004, doi:10.4324/9780203011010-10, ISBN 978-0-203-01101-0, retrieved 10 July 2021
  3. ^ Mambrol, Nasrullah (28 October 2017). "Second Wave Feminism". Literary Theory and Criticism. Archived from the original on 10 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  4. ^ Mambrol, Nasrullah (29 October 2017). "Third Wave Feminism". Literary Theory and Criticism. Archived from the original on 10 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  5. ^ "Four Waves of Feminism". Pacific University. 25 October 2015. Archived from the original on 26 April 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2021.

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