FEMINISM

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Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male point of view and that women are treated unjustly in these societies.

Who started Feminism ?

Mary Wollstonecraft is seen by many as a founder of feminism due to her 1792 book titled A Vindication of the Rights of Woman in which she argues for women’s education. Charles Fourier, a utopian socialist and French philosopher are credited with having coined the word “féminisme” in 1837.

The important aspect of feminism:

1. Feminism is defined as the belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes.

2. The goal of feminism is to challenge the systemic inequalities women face daily.

3. Contrary to popular belief feminism has nothing to do with belittling men feminism does support sexism against either gender. Feminism works towards equality, not female superiority.

4. Feminists respect individual, informed choices and believe there shouldn’t be a double standard in judging a person. Everyone has the right to sexual autonomy and the ability to make decisions about when, how, and with whom to conduct their sexual life.

5. There isn’t just one type of feminism, there are a variety of feminist groups including girlie feminists, third-wave feminists, pro-sex feminists, and so on. All these groups aim to deal with different types of discrimination women, and sometimes men, face.

6. Women earn 78 cents for every dollar a man makes.

7. Only 17% of the seats in Congress are held by women.

8. Although 48% of law school graduates and 45% of law firm associates are female, women make up only 22% of federal-level and 26% of state-level judgeships.

9. Even in the 10 top paying jobs for women, females earn less than men; only one career, speech pathology, pays the same regardless of gender.

10. Despite previous attempts to ratify a UN treaty guaranteeing the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, the U.S. refuses to support an international bill of rights for women signed by nearly every other nation on the planet.

11. What feminists want the world to know, or at least acknowledge is the different ways men and women are treated, and although there have been great strides towards equality, women and men are far from playing on the same field.

The First Wave of Feminism:

This first wave of feminism activism included mass demonstrations, the publishing of newspapers, organized debates, and the establishment of international women’s organizations. At around the same time, women became more active in communist, socialist and social democratic parties because increasing numbers of women began to work outside the home in factories and offices. Women were first allowed to go to university in the early 20th century, having both a career and a family. In certain countries, when fascist parties gained power the feminist movement was banned. Women started organizing again after the end of the Second World War, and they soon gained equal political rights in most European countries, with women’s emancipation becoming an important aim and most women being allowed to take on full-time jobs, divorce their husbands and go to university.

The Second Wave of Feminism:

The second wave of feminism aimed to achieve ‘women’s liberation, different groups had different ideas about how this should be done. Liberal feminists wanted better equality laws and reform of institutions such as schools, churches, and the media. Radical feminists argued that the root cause of women’s inequality is patriarchy: men, as a group, oppress women. They also focused on violence against women by men and started to talk about violence in the family, and rape. Socialist feminists argued that it is a combination of patriarchy and capitalism that causes women’s oppression. The second wave of feminism also resulted in new areas of science: women’s studies became a discipline to be studied at university, and books began to be published about women’s achievements in literature, music, and science and recording women’s previously unwritten history.

The women’s movement played an important role in the drafting of international documents about women’s rights, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW, 1979).

The Third Wave of Feminism:

The third wave of feminism mainly refers to the American movement in the 1990s, and was a reaction to the backlash of conservative media and politicians announcing the end of feminism or referring to ‘post-feminism’.t the third wave of feminism can be characterized by increased awareness of overlapping categories, such as race, class, gender, sexual orientation. More emphasis was also placed on racial issues, including the status of women in other parts of the world (global feminism). This was also a moment when several feminist non-governmental organizations were established, but focused on specific feminist issues, rather than claiming to represent general feminist ideas. Third-wave feminism actively uses media and pop culture to promote its ideas and to run activities, for example by publishing blogs or e-zines. It focuses on bringing feminism closer to people’s daily lives. The main issues that third-wave feminists are concerned about include: sexual harassment, domestic violence, the pay gap between men and women, eating disorders and body image, sexual and reproductive rights, honor crimes, and female genital mutilation.

The Fourth Wave of Feminism:

The term cyberfeminism is used to describe the work of feminists interested in theorizing, critiquing, and making use of the Internet, cyberspace, and new media technologies in general. The term and movement grew out of ‘third-wave’ feminism. Cyberfeminism is considered to be a predecessor of ‘networked feminism’, which refers generally to feminism on the Internet: for example, mobilizing people to take action against sexism, misogyny, or gender-based violence against women. One example is the online movement #metoo in 2017, which was a response on social networks from women all over the world to the case of Harvey Weinstein, a Hollywood producer who was accused of sexually harassing female staff in the movie industry.

Feminism Activists in India:

1. Aranya Johar. 2. Kamla Bhasin. 3. Aruna Roy. 4. Vandana Shiva. 5. Medha Patkar. 6. Manasi Pradhan. 7. Urvashi Butalia. 8. Laxmi Agarwal. 9. Deepa Malik. 10. Swati Maliwal

Conclusion:

Feminism can be seen as a movement to put an end to sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression and to achieve full gender equality in law and practice. The women’s movement is made up of women and men who work and fight to achieve gender equality and to improve the lives of women as a social group.