Feminism 101

Based on that quiz, one would think that feminism is simply believing that women deserve equal rights. It's more than just about belief though. At its heart, though, feminism is the movement to secure equal rights for women. There have been strong women since the beginning of time who have argued for women's rights. Mary Wollstonecraft wrote a treatise entitled A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, in which she argues that although women appear inferior to men, it is only because they lack the education that men receive. In the late 14th and 15th century, a woman named Christine de Pizan wrote many thing, among which there was a collection of stories of women's contributions to society (albeit some are not technically true) entitled The Book of the City of Ladies.

However, feminism as a clear movement did not come about until the 19th century. The first wave of feminism is seen to officially have begun in 1848 at the Seneca Falls Convention. At this convention, a document was drafted entitled Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions. It is modeled after the Declaration of Independence, and therefore argues for gender equality. The main goal of the first wave of feminism was suffrage, which was gained in 1920 with the passage of the 19th Amendment.

The second wave of feminism began in the 1960s alongside the civil rights movement. Women such as Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan lead this wave of the movement, which fought for things that passed (Roe v. Wade), and things that did not pass (Equal Rights Amendment). I learned from Female Chauvinist Pigs that this wave seemed to fall apart when it broke apart over pornography. Some feminist were sex-positive and thought that pornography was empowering, and some bonded with the right-wing movement trying to limit the advancement of pornography.

The third wave of feminism began in the 1980s or 90s. Ariel Levy focuses on this wave, and calls it the "raunch girl" movement. One thing that is different about this wave is that it doesn't seem to be as unified as the other two, and it doesn't seem to have a clear goal in mind other than sexual empowerment. I'll post my thoughts on this movement, and on Levy's book, in another post.