History of Feminism.docx

History of Feminism.docx

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HistoryofFeminism

HistoryofFeminism

Thehistoryoffeministmovementshasbeendividedintothree"waves"byfeministscholars.[1][2]Eachisdescribedasdealingwithdifferentaspectsofthesamefeministissues.Thefirstwavereferstothefeminismmovementofthe18ththroughearly20thcenturies,whichdealtmainlywiththeSuffragemovement.WriterssuchasVirginiaWoolfareassociatedwiththeideasoftheFirstWaveoffeminism.InherbookARoomofOne’sOwn（book）,Woolf“describeshowmensociallyandpsychicallydominatewomen".Theargumentofthebookisthat“womenaresimultaneouslyvictimsofthemselvesaswellasvictimsofmenandareupholdersofsocietybyactingasmirrorstomen”[1]Sherecognizesthesocialconstructsthatrestrictwomeninsocietyandusesliteraturetocontextualizeitforotherwomen.

Thesecondwave（1960s-1980s）dealtgenderinequalityinlawsandculture.ItbuiltupontheestablishedgoalsoftheFirstWaveandbegantoadapttheideastoAmericanculture.SimoneDeBeauvoirisverymuchassociatedwiththiswavebecauseofherideaofwomenas“theother”.ThisideawastoucheduponinthewritingofVirginiaWoolfandwasadaptedtoapplynotonlytothegenderrolesofwomeninthehouseholdoratwork,buttheirsexualityaswell.BeauvoirsetthetoneforlaterFeministtheory（[1]TheThirdwaveofFeminism（1990s-current）,isseenasbothacontinuationandaresponsetotheperceivedfailuresoftheSecond-wave.[3]

Inadditionto“responding”totheSecondWave,theThirdWavewaslessofareactiontocurrenteventsandmoreafocusondevelopingthedifferentachievementsofwomeninAmerica.TheFeministMovementgrewduringtheThirdWaveoffeminismtoincorporateagreaternumberofwomenwhomaynothavepreviouslyidentifiedwiththedynamicandgoalsthatwereestablishedatthestartofthemovement.AlthoughcriticizedaspurelyanadditiontotheSecondWave,theThirdWaveverymuchholdsitsownadditionstotheFeministMovementasawhole.Inordertoexplorethehistory,events,andstructureoftheFeministmovementitisimperativetoexploredifferentfigures,specificprotestsanddemonstrations,aswellasthetransformationinAmericancultureasawhole.ThefeministmovementisessentiallyonethathasworkedandcontinuestoworkagainstthestatusquoinAmericansociety.Accordingtobellhook,“Feminismisastruggleagainstsexistoppression.Therefore,itisnecessarilyastruggletoeradicatetheideologyofdominationthatpermeatesWesterncultureonvariouslevels,aswellasacommitmenttoreorganizingsocietysothattheself-developmentofpeoplecantakeprecedenceoverimperialism,economicexpansionandmaterialdesires.”[4]

America’scultureisonethatismeasuredonapatriarchalscale.CounteringthesestandardsispartoftheFeministMovement’sagendaand,althoughdifferingduringtheprogressionofwaves,itwasamovementstartedtoalsochallengethepoliticalstructure.Inthinkingofasocialmovementasacollective,organized,sustained,non-institutionalchallengetoauthorities,powerholders,orculturebeliefsorpracticesitcanbesaidtheFeministMovementinallaspectsalargeandlonglastingsocialmovement.ThisisassumingthatasocialmovementmustexistwithmorethanonepersonandbyallmeanstheFeministMovementisonethatismultifacetedincorporatingtheeffortsofindividualswhomaynothaveaffiliatedthemselveswiththemovementyethelpedthegoalsofthemovementbecomeattainable.ThereareexamplesofdifferentgroupswhowerepartofthemovementthatrejectedtheinstitutionoftheAmericansystemofcapitalism,however,theagendaoftheFirstandSecondwavesworkedwiththeAmericanpoliticalsysteminordertogainmorerights.

Thefeministmovementreachesfarbackbeforethe18thcentury,feministmovementwereplantedduringthelatepartofthatcentury.ChristinedePizan,alatemedievalwriter,waspossiblytheearliestfeministinthewesterntradition.Sheisbelievedtobethefirstwomantomakeabeautifulpieceofwriting.FeministthoughtbegantotakeamoresubstantialshapeduringTheEnlightenmentwithsuchthinkersasLadyMaryWortleyMontaguandtheMarquisdeCondorcetchampioningwomen'seducation.ThefirstscientificsocietyforwomenwasfoundedinMiddelburg,acityinthesouthoftheDutchrepublic,in1785.Journalsforwomenwhichfocusedonissueslikesciencebecamepopularduringthisperiodaswell.[citationneeded]

TheperiodoffeministactivityduringthenineteenthcenturyandearlytwentiethcenturyintheUnitedKingdomandtheUnitedStatesisreferredtoasthefirstwaveoffeminism.Itwassometimeinthe1920'swhenfeminismdiedintheUS.Itfocusedprimarilyongainingtherightofwomen'ssuffrage.Theterm,"first-wave,"wascoinedretrospectivelyafterthetermsecond-wavefeminismbegantobeusedtodescribeanewerfeministmovementthatfocusedasmuchonfightingsocialandculturalinequalitiesasfurtherpoliticalinequalities.[5]

InBritain,theSuffragettescampaignedforthewomen'svote,whichwaseventuallygranted−tosomewomenin1918andtoallin1928−asmuchbecauseofthepartplayedbyBritishwomenduringtheFirstWorldWar,asoftheeffortsoftheSuffragists.IntheUnitedStatesleadersofthismovementincludeElizabethCadyStantonandSusanB.Anthony,whoeachcampaignedfortheabolitionofslaverypriortochampioningwomen'srighttovote.OtherimportantleadersincludeLucyStone,OlympiaBrown,andHelenPitts.Americanfirst-wavefeminisminvolvedawiderangeofwomen,somebelongingtoconservativeChristiangroups（suchasFrancesWillardandtheWoman'sChristianTemperanceUnion）,othersresemblingthediversityandradicalismofmuchofsecond-wavefeminism（suchasStanton,Anthony,MatildaJoslynGageandtheNationalWomanSuffrageAssociation,ofwhichStantonwaspresident）.IntheUnitedStatesfirst-wavefeminismisconsideredtohaveendedwiththepassageoftheNineteenthAmendmenttotheUnitedStatesConstitution（1919）,grantingwomentherighttovote.[citationneeded]

Thewomenwhomadethefirsteffortstowardswomen’ssuffragewerethosewhocamefromthemorestableandprivilegedbackgrounds.Inordertocreatechangeonemustbeinapositiontodedicatetimeandenergyintomakingchange.Thewomenpreviouslymentionedworkedveryhardtoattainthepersonalandcollectivegoals.TheirintentionsbenefitedwomeninAmerica,butnotallwomen.ThedevelopmentsmadeforwomenwereforthosewhobelongedtothemiddleandupperclassandwerepartoftheWhiterace.ThiswasthedynamicofthebeginningoftheFeministMovementinAmerica.Itwasaspecificagendaforacertaingroupofwomen.

Thesecondwaveoffeministactivitybeganintheearly1960sandlastedthroughthelate1980s.WhathelpedtriggerthissecondwavewasthebookwrittenbyBettyFriedan."ThekeyeventthatmarkedthereemergenceofthismovementinthepostwarerawasthesurprisepopularityofBettyFriedan's1963bookTheFeminineMystique.Writingasahousewifeandmother（thoughshehadhadalongstoryofpoliticalactivism,aswell）,Friedandescribedtheproblemwithnonamethedissatisfactionofeducated,middleclasswivesandmotherslikeherselfwholookingattheirnicehomesandfamilieswonderedguiltilyifthatwasalltherewastolifewasnotnew;thevaguesenseofdissatisfactionplaguinghousewiveswasastapletopicforwomen’smagazinesinthe1950s.ButFriedan,insteadofblamingindividualwomenforfailingtoadapttowomen'sproperrole,blamedtheroleitselfandthesocietythatcreatedit"（Norton,MaryBeth,ApeopleANationpg865.2005HoughtonMifflinCompanyNewYork.）Duringthistimefeministscampaignedagainstculturalandpoliticalinequalities.Themovementencouragedwomentounderstandaspectsoftheirownpersonallivesasdeeplypoliticized,andreflectiveofasexiststructureofpower.Iffirst-wavefeminismfocuseduponabsoluterightssuchassuffrage,second-wavefeminismwaslargelyconcernedwithotherissuesofequality,suchastheendtodiscrimination.[5]Thefeministactivistandauthor,CarolHanischcoinedtheslogan"ThePersonalisPolitical"whichbecamesynonymouswiththesecondwave.[6][7]Second-wavefeministssawwomen'sculturalandpoliticalinequalitiesasinextricablylinkedandencouragedwomentounderstandaspectsoftheirpersonallivesasdeeplypoliticizedandasreflectingsexistpowerstructures.

Intheearly1990s,amovementaroseinresponsestotheperceivedthefailuresofsecondwavefeminism,ithasbeentermedthe"thirdwave".Itisalsodescribedasaresponsetothebacklashagainstinitiativesandmovementscreatedbysecond-wavefeminism.FeministleadersrootedinthesecondwavelikeGloriaAnzaldua,bellhooks,ChelaSandoval,CherrieMoraga,AudreLorde,MaxineHongKingston,andmanyotherfeministsofcolor,calledforanewsubjectivityinfeministvoice.Theysoughttonegotiateprominentspacewithinfeministthoughtforconsiderationofracerelatedsubjectivities.ThisfocusontheintersectionbetweenraceandgenderremainedprominentthroughtheHill-Thomashearings,butbegantoshiftwiththeFreedomRide1992.Thisdrivetoregistervotersinpoorminoritycommunitieswassurroundedwithrhetoricthatfocusedonrallyingyoungfeminists.Formany,therallyingoftheyoungistheemphasisthathasstuckwithinthirdwavefeminism.[5][8]ThedifferentwavesoffeminismarenotonlyreflectiveoftheculturalevolutioninAmericansincethe1920sbutitisalsothewayinwhichtheFeministMovementuseddifferentsocialmovementtacticstoencouragewomeninAmericatobecomeactiveandmotivateindividualstomakechangeforthewholeofwomen