How many times have you heard someone say: “I’m not a feminist, I just want equality.”? I’ve heard it so many times, no matter how ridiculous that is. That’s like saying: “I’m a married bachelor” or “this is a glass cup made of plastic.” The definition of feminism is the advocacy of gender equality. You, assuming that you want all genders to have equal rights, are a feminist. And the reason why we as women can vote, buy houses, get birth control, and get an abortion is because of the feminists that have paved the way to where we are today. Take a look at the different waves of feminism, each one with its own schools of thought and priorities.
- First-wave feminism.
-
The beginning of an acknowledged feminist movement! This wave happened around the late 19th century to early 20th century. It’s mostly known as the movement that pushed for women’s suffrage (the right to vote). Even though like most feminist movements, suffragettes were mostly made up of white women, there were activist groups that focused on black women’s rights as well.
- Second-wave feminism.
-
Remember learning about Gloria Steinem? She, and many other strong women, were a part of the second-wave feminist movement that began in the early 1960s. This wave branched out beyond women’s suffrage and focused on reproductive rights, divorce, and women’s shelters (especially for victims of domestic violence). They also fought the expectation that women were supposed to be housewives and secretaries. This movement was still made up of mostly white, upper-middle-class women.
- Third-wave feminism.
-
Time for intersectionality! Feminists in this wave realized how problematic it was to only fight for white women’s rights. They realized that not every woman had the same experience – women of color, different classes, and LGBTQIA+ people’s experiences had to be taken into consideration as well.
- Fourth-wave feminism.
-
Is there a fourth wave? This wave is controversial because some feminists believe that we’re still in the third-wave. I personally haven’t heard of the fourth-wave outside of feminist circles. Some argue that we’re in a fourth-wave, which started around 2006-2012. This wave focuses even more on intersectionality, as well as the pay gap. And just in case you forgot about the #metoo movement, the use of the internet, and speaking out against sexual assault are emphasized as well.
Looking back at the history of feminism is important. Women have fought for the right to vote, get an abortion, speak out against rape, and we need to realize how far we’ve come. But just to be clear – we aren’t done. This is only the beginning.