The Three Waves of Feminism

Activism has fought for gender equality in America. The woman suffrage movement gave the opportunity of gender equality in America. It began in the 1850s but was lost focused of until after the Civil War ended. The movement was formed by women activist and some men too. The movement’s goal was to gain equality of gender, that women would be able to vote, gain the same responsibilities that came with citizenship and end woman suffrage. The movement included parades, speeches, protests. Many people disagreed that women should have rights to vote and be a full citizen so there were many arguments. The Women’s Movement accomplish to win the right to vote as a women. FRom the movement, new women cafe, newspapers, and bookstores were opened. Not only that but, clinics and refuge for women and help for those in the presence of domestic violence and sexual abuse.

These influential women are most widely known suffragist of their generation and has become icons of the women suffrage movement. These independent, bold, and intelligent female pioneers paved the way for so many women different races, and nationalities to come together as one for a common cause. These women are known today as idols, icons, and activists. Those women that took a stand when no one else would be: Susan B. Anthony, Alice Paul, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Lucy Stone. These women believed that all American women, just like men, deserve the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

One of the repercussions that the NOW had fought for were the Equal Rights Act and Title VII that was included in the Civil Rights Act. The Equal Rights Act was signed in 1963 and was the first federal law against sex-discrimination. Title VII prohibited discrimination in the workforce based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. These two important pieces of documents were the most significant laws for women equality.

The women’s rights movement became organized and gained numerous rights from 1830 to 1860 but their goals were greater achieved with time. The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, the Equal Pay Act of 1963, and the Nineteenth Amendment achieved during Progressive Era all made significant contributions and progress toward the women’s rights, however these were achieved after the movement itself. Most concrete change occurred after this period, however these

There were many political changes arising and women wanted to have a voice and take part of the process. Women wanted to be considered equal with the same opportunities as men.

Looking back with a historical lens, it’s evident that the fight for women’s rights has progressed in a step wise process. The nineteenth amendment opened a new door of opportunities for women to take advantage of. In modern times, the continued push for equal rights is evident through the fight for reproductive rights and equal pay. Even with the right to vote, women are still being under represented and out of control when it comes to their reproductive rights and in the workplace. Opposing beliefs regarding feminism have prevented the progression of more gender equality in the United States. What originally started as a plea for a political voice helped to shape the history of the nation. Women’s suffrage paved the way for countless groups and further feminist

Women, during this time, undeniably desired a larger political voice and consequently formed several groups, organizations, and clubs, as well as workers unions, with the aim of empowering women in this regard. From this reform emerged the formation of groups such as the national association of colored women, and the Women’s Suffrage Movement. Many of these groups held marches, gatherings, meetings and demonstrations, all for the purpose of uplifting and dignifying women from their current status and identity given to them by society. These groups raised awareness on and encouraged consideration of social issues by the government, including violence against women from intoxicated men, the lack of educational and vocational opportunities afforded to women and the mistreatment of women in the workplace. Many of these women intended for others to garner a sense of urgency toward such

With this newly found voice, women intended to make a change. Small changes were no longer enough, they wanted more, and so the women’s rights movement began. They had already had to prove themselves to the men in their lives, and these women were not going to do this again just so society could respect them. Fed up with being portrayed as helpless and useless beings, these women fought hard for equal rights. Double standards, inequalities, and stereotypes were things, with which, women would no longer stand for.

In 1920 the 19th Amendment was passed giving women voting rights. There was political equality for American women after they had fought for a long time. “There was a distinct gap between women of 1920s and the other women in previous generations. Feminists always thought women could not take both a career and family matters successfully (Out of Many, p. 608). This perception began to take another different direction as more women desired successful careers but also

There are three waves of feminism. The first wave (1830’s–early 1900’s) emphasized on legal issues and gaining political power including the right to vote to bring gender equality. The second wave (1960’s–1980’s) stressed on broadening the discussions to a wider range. They focused on the work place, sexuality, family, reproductive rights, domestic violence and marital rape issues. The third wave (1900’s–present) expands the topic of feminism to include women with varied identities and a response to the failures of movements by second wave feminism. Rebecca Walker coined the term ‘third-wave feminism’ in an essay Becoming the Third Wave (1992). In the introduction to idea of third-wave feminism in Manifesta authors Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards suggest that feminism can change with every generation and individual.

Throughout history, America has often distinguished men as primary leaders who have the utmost dominance. Whether it is the political, economical, or social status of a person, men have persistently controlled –with few rights given to women. For centuries, women were treated as their husband’s property; they did not have legal rights of any kind when it came to money and did not have management over their earnings (History-World). With men being the superior power, women had less access to employment, property ownership, and medical care –and as recent as the 1960’s women were expected to devote their life to being a housewife (History-World). This all changed with the start of the Feminist Movement. The Feminist Movement came into action in the late 60’s and throughout the 70’s. Feminism is a collection of ideologies and movements that promote the social, political, and economic equality of both genders –being most prominent throughout the 1970’s (Facts on File). The feminist movement in America consists of men and women from all over voicing their ideas on equality to make for a better society, and to broaden perspectives on how impactful women can be when they are able to contribute more to the world. The influence of feminism through the 1970’s was a necessary movement which helped the United States progress as a society by standing up against patriarchy, empowering women to face sexist oppression,

New waves of feminism has been spreading across all states with each varying due to the political and cultural climate of said states. One example of this interaction between a state, its people, and the game that is social advancement is Iran. Despite Iran attempting to equalize men and women in socioeconomic and educational aspects (and, sometimes, not even that), the continuation of protests for women’s rights proves that some rights are more valuable to the advancement of gender equality than others. However, there is no specific area that should be targeted for this change as doing so does not promote complete equality. However, the area that seems to be most important is the political one. By limiting the woman’s voice in the political process, there has been a constant tug-of-war with the rights of women. Furthermore, this has caused great backlash from the women of Iran who protested for the inclusion of more women on the recently elected President’s cabinet. If more women were represented within the political process, then perhaps sustainable and constant change would be happening within the nation of Iran as it has in other countries. In putting up this political barricade, women are forced to only have their voices heard in unofficial protests with demands that, typically, fall on deaf or uninterested ears.

The Feminist Movement in the 1960s was caused by the demand for women’s rights. When the ERA was passed by the Senate on the 22nd of March, 1972, women pushed on to convince states to ratify the amendment and accept equal rights. According to Linda Napikoski’s “1970s Feminism Timeline”, feminists pushed through acknowledging many ideas in the government, including legalizing abortion in New York in November of 1792, then on more parts of the U.S. on 1793. The next year, The Fair Housing Act of 1968 was adapted to prevent discrimination of sex, race, color, religion, and ethnicity. Women acknowledged these ideas through holding marches and conferences such as the International Feminist Planning Conference in Massachusetts as well as publishing books such as Beyond God the Father: Toward A Philosophy of Women’s Liberation (Napikoski 2017). Basically, feminists had the ideology of preventing discrimination and endorse women’s rights, and according to The Learning Networks, the ERA was ratified by thirty states out of its required thirty-eight within its first year out of the seven years it was granted (The Learning Network, 2012). Later on, feminists lobbied and demanded an extension to the deadline and were granted three years by President Carter (White House Photographers, 1978). The reason for this is because despite the protests that feminists conducted, including NOW advertising the boycott of unratified states, the rise of the Stop-ERA campaign, led by Phyllis Schlafly, worked to oppose feminists by protesting on their own (The Learning Network, 2012).

The 1970s is a key period in the history of feminism. Many laws were created to protect

During the late 1960s and 1970s, in what is considered the “Second Wave of Feminism’, the fight for Women's Equality was seen by most as a secondary concern to racial equality. This led the Women's Movement to combine the fight for racial equality with gender equality, seeking to bring a more diverse group of women together to achieve the goals of the movement. Whether this approach led to accomplishing these goals is questionable. The Women's Movement struggled due to the very diversity it sought to capitalize on, as evidenced by its lack of consistent objectives, continued division among its members, and the varying approaches to obtaining equality.