...The first-wave of feminism, which is also known as “The Suffragettes”, began in the United Kingdom and the United States around the nineteenth century and lasted until the early twentieth century (Writer, M. 2007). This wave was centered around women wanting to denounce gender inequalities and demand the right to vote, therefore making them official citizens. However it is important to recognise that in Australia aboriginal women were not among those who were granted the right to vote and become involved in political activity (Seibert, A & Roslaniec, D. 1998). The wave formally began at the Secna Falls Convention in 1848, which is where the first women’s rights convention in history was held (Lewis, J. 2001). In 1840, two women; Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stranton were attending a convention in London as delegates with their husbands. It was here that the credentials committee ruled that women were “constitutionally unfit for public business meetings.” (Lewis, J. 2001). The men were permitted to speak, the women were not and there was a curtain that separated the women from the men in the building (Lewis, J. 2001). These two women decided to hold a mass meeting to address the rights of women, which over 300 women and men attended on the first day to rally to the cause of equality for women. Elizabeth Cady Stanton drafted the Seneca Falls Declaration outlining the new movement's ideology and political strategies (Rampton, Martha. 2008). This was only the beginning...
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...Activist Groups of the First Feminism Wave The first wave of feminism took place from 1830 to 1920 and the birth of this first wave was the Abolitionist Movement that ended slavery. During the first feminism wave, the idea of “The New Woman” took place and it implemented new thoughts about women. For example, women became self-reliant, independent, and placed a greater focus on becoming educated. The National American Women’s Suffrage Association and The Women’s Party were two activist groups that advocated for women’s rights to vote in the late 1800’s up to the mid 1900’s. These two feminist organizations took place during the first wave of feminism history and the central focus of both these activist organizations were to make it so women had the right to vote. Many first wave feminists focused on advocating for all women’s right to vote. According to Bromley, “one critically important part of the first wave of women’s movement was concerned with issues of political citizenship for women” (Bromley 134). The National American Women’s Suffrage Association focused on using institutionalized practices when advocating for women’s right to vote. Due to their institutionalized practices, the women of the NAWSA wrote letters, met with state...
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...Feminism can be defined as a series of political movements originating in the USA to abolish gender inequity and gain equal rights and opportunities for women (Ritzer and Ryan, 224). The women’s movement is broken down into three consecutive waves of feminism. The first wave of feminism began in the early eighteenth century, with it’s main objective to gain women’s suffrage (Ritzer and Ryan, 224). Much of the first wave was characterized by women breaking societal norms and roles imposed upon them and redefining the stigma attached to the perceptions of what women ought to be. As a result of the first wave, the second wave of feminism began in 1972 and provided new information about feminism, as books, such as The Feminine Mystique, began publication (Ritzer and Ryan, 225). The highlights of the second wave consisted of legislative victories over sexism in education and the right to an abortion. The second wave, however, consequently noted the interaction between race oppression and gender oppression, also known as ‘intersectionality’ (Ritzer and Ryan, 225). The third wave of feminism was influenced by the first and second, with it’s existence being debatable. Scholars argue that the movement has changed forms and has indeed continued into the twenty-first century. In actuality, this generation is educated about feminism. Their knowledge derives from the first two waves, with which they draw their own political views to live their lives by, thus the creation of...
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...Feminism in Canada has been shifting, reforming and reinventing itself since its inception in the late nineteenth century in an effort to bring a genuine sense of equality to both men and women across the country. Though feminism takes many different forms – classical feminism, liberal feminism, post-modern feminism etc. – each definition maintains commonalities which attempt to shed light on issues related specifically to the historical disadvantages of women and the goal of egalitarianism. In Canada, feminism has unfolded in three distinct stages often referred to as the three waves of feminism: (i) the first wave started in the late nineteenth century characterized by basic demands for equality via suffrage and recognition as persons; (ii) the second wave originated during World War II taking a more proactive approach to women’s workforce and reproductive rights; and (iii) the third wave began in the 1990’s challenging broader issues of equality such as racism, capitalism and colonialism. The following essay will analyse each wave based on their chronological time frame, ideological foundation and the social movements which emerged as a by product. First wave feminism started the general movement and, even though its goals and fundamental ideology may seem drastically different from second and third wave feminism, it should be credited with forming the foundation in which the fight for gender equality originated. First wave feminists were primarily driven by maternal feminism...
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...How does contemporary ‘post-feminism’ or ‘third wave feminism’ contribute to the furtherance of women’s rights and gender equality? Research and discuss There is a good deal of controversy over the role of so-called Third Wave feminism in the quest for gender equality. Third Wave feminism emerged in the late 1980’s and 1990’s among a cohort of women who had grown up taking for granted the gains made in the first wave of feminism (suffrage) and the second wave (the 1970’s emergence of feminist activism) (Arneil, 1999; Henry, 2004). These are young women who experience feminism almost like “’flouride. We scarcely notice that we have it—it’s simply in the water” (Henry, 2004: 70, quoting Baumgardner and Richards). The controversy stems not so much from their tacit reliance on previous gains, but on the focus of Third Wave feminism, which is undeniably on self-expression, freedom of experience, and sexual flexibility. Henry (2004) writes about the American television series Sex and the City as emblematic of Third Wave feminist sensibilities. This might be a bitter pill to swallow for those who identify feminism with more stalwart causes, including combating idealised and sexualised images of women in the media and embracing women’s diversity. After all, the four heroines of Sex and the City are all white, wealthy, thin, glamorous, obsessed with fashion and arguably obsessed with men. Nevertheless there are story lines and sensibilities in Sex and the City which reveal feminist...
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...and the Future of Third Wave Feminism Crime committed by women is on the rise, especially in the area of violent crimes such as murder (Balfour’ 739). This has produced a new form of feminist studies in an area called feminist criminology. What hasn’t been studied as extensively is the question of why women kill. I argue that by using the individuality concept of third wave feminism and doing more research in the field of feminist criminology, patterns of criminal behavior may be established which may prevent severe female crime such as murder. This paper seeks to explain how advancing the study of feminist criminology is good for the U.S. legal system and could have changed the outcome for Aileen Wuornos. In this paper I will discuss what third wave feminism is, then I will discuss what feminist criminology is and how it applies to the Aileen Wuornos case, and lastly I will show that with advanced studies into the field of feminist criminology, odds of severe crimes committed by women could decrease. The third wave of feminism is not easily describable. However, it can be framed by saying that it is a movement that continues to advance the women’s rights agenda of the second wave (Zimmerman et al. 77). Unlike the second wave which was intended to give a voice to all women, the third wave tends to reflect more on the individual. By focusing on personal narratives, responsible choices, and by individual level political activism, the third wave gives us the idea that anyone...
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...The development of feminism Feminists argue that gender inequalities form the major division in society. Most feminists also see gender relationships as being based on conflict and exploitation of women by men. They believe that much of the culture has been shaped by men and neglects the contribution that women have made in society. First wave The first wave of feminism emerged in the mide-1800s aiming to change the social and legal inequalities effecting women to achieve universal female suffrage, which is the right to vote for all women. It was led by middle-class women, known as the suffragettes. As well as campaigning for the right to vote, they were also worried about the poor education opportunities available for girls they fought for better secondary education and access to high education. The suffragettes also wanted to change the law which sated that once they were married, their wealth and income became their husbands. Also, women could not divorce their husband without their husband agreeing. By the early 1900s, the first wave of feminism achieved a number of their goals, the right to vote was granted to women in 1928, in the UK. Greater access to higher education and greater access to some professions were achieved, such as medicine. These issues gave a rise to the development of the next phase of feminist activity. Second wave The second wave of feminism grew in the 1960s and 1970s, which was focused on the person problems that women would experience due to...
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...Feminism Feminism is a controversial topic among society, it is a movement that helps and supports women to have equal rights as men. Throughout the years the definition has changed, many women are taking advantage and accusing people of discrimination. In today's society the roles have reversed, some women in some cases discriminate men and take advantage just because they are women. There are many people in today’s society that agree, disagree, or do not care for feminism, but that does not mean we have the right to offended or even put down anyone for having a different point of views on any matter in what others believe in. Many can say that after reading Rebecca Rubins’ article, “The Farce of Feminism”, can agree that women nowadays do not need any support groups. I strongly believe that women do need support groups in today’s society. Rubin’s talks about how she does not consider herself a feminist but she does support women. Society has changed feminism throughout the years, but I believe that the definition remains the same. I believe that Rubin proves a point, but she is confused because feminism is supporting women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. I do not agree nor disagree with Rubin’s thoughts and point of views. I strongly believe that people, in general, alter the definition of feminism and makes it their own. Rubins stated, “Women in this country are now on an entirely equal footing with men and are sometimes...
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...I assumed since the first wave, feminist issues had really improved and I was surprised to learn they had not. According to the Gender Gap Report, Canadians have fallen from a previous rank of seven all the way down into the twentieth position, which is below the United States. After watching the video, I wondered what exactly was the purpose of this documentary? I understood the goal of the film was to look at women in three areas: in the home, in the workplace and in politics. The film made a concentrated effort to show us why feminism was necessary in Canada. It was meant to inspire young women, specifically young, white women, who view feminists as elderly women rejecting beauty. It then challenged them to make a change in their generation by following in previous feminists footsteps and taking action. I am not sure this inspired outcome has been reached. I noticed that all of the women who spoke in this video were white, middle class, mature, and liberal and conservative feminists. As much as I respect and acknowledge the work previous feminists have done in the second and third wave, I do believe the idea behind the film was to improve today’s society and look at what is happening with women here and now. A huge question that arose for me was: Who wants to be a feminist? As far as I can tell, a few seniors and average, non-radical, academic white ladies are the main people interested in this idea. I wonder, who thought these people were qualified to talk about this issue...
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...Change is the act or instance of making or becoming different. Women had being through changes over the past years in regards to concern to woman's role, concern about equality, and feminist consciousness. Women have now become self conscious about themselves and have come to understand their place in religious communities and their relationship to scripture. However, this new women change is known as "feminist critical consciousness". First and foremost, when it comes to concern for woman's role, prior to early nineteenth century, women were not known in society as compared to men. It was all about men as a man's world. Women were not recognized with their roles as men but were just part of men as an attachment. They were seen as unclean and the source to sin. When they realized in understanding how unfair they've been addressed and inferior to men, some opponents started to use what's said in the bible against them on their wishes. Women however continue to realize how they were limited to many aspects of life but they were still undervalued and even the bible says and support it in a way that the head of a woman is her husband. This makes women less equal than men. Moreover, concern about equality was another issue women experienced then in the early centuries. Feminist began to promote "women studies" as women's experience was important. Women were seen as secondary while men had to lead everything in society. They were treated as minority in society and didn't have...
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...Girl Power: Patriarchy in Sheep’s Clothing Welcome to Harvard Law School Graduation: a pert, slender blonde wearing bright pink lipstick and a mortarboard is giving the graduation address; her classmates leap up to applaud her as the camera focuses on her darkly handsome boyfriend. Beautiful! Fabulous! What, you wonder, is this girl’s story? Her story lies in the plot of the 2001 movie Legally Blonde, a pink and fluffy spectacular starring Reese Witherspoon. Reese plays Elle Woods, who decides to follow her ex-boyfriend to Harvard Law after their breakup. A fashion design major, Elle hits the books pretty hard to get decent scores on her LSATS, even missing parties – and then hires a professional to film her in a soft-core porn admissions video, focusing on Elle floating in a cool blue pool wearing a tiny pink bikini. Lo and behold, it wows the white, middle-aged male admissions board, and Elle goes on to take campus by storm. And there’s good reason Elle makes such a splash: she turns out to be he only beautiful girl at Harvard. All the rest of the girls there spend their time studying and doing nothing else; they are dull, boring, and above all, unpretty. These smart women do anything but have fun. Most of them blur into one bespectacled, intellectual image, but there’s one young woman among them who is even worse than dull – our token Feminist. She has dreadlocks and a defensive attitude, talks about nothing but political rallies and is, of course, a...
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...Winnie Wong Writing 140 Maggie Flynn 4th October 2012 Assignment #2 Most Effective Essay: “SlutWalks and the Future of Feminism.” by Jessica Valenti Slut. This attention-grabbing noun is used throughout the world in the continuing feminist protest that has started since May 2011: Slutwalks. It all began when Michael Sanguinetti, a Toronto police constable, made a statement on how women should not “dress like sluts” in order to be safe from being sexually assaulted at a safety forum in Osgoode Hall Law School on January 24th 2011. His words infuriated many, and Sonya Barnett and Heather Jarvis, Co-founders of Slutwalk Toronto, decided to take action to disaffirm the victim-blaming claim. Originally expected to be a small-scale protest, Slutwalk drew attention and became a worldwide phenomenon, which also triggered both positive and negative responses; Jessica Valenti, Gail Dines, Wendy J Murphy and Keli Goff all published articles to express their opinions. Valenti supported Slutwalk in her essay, “Slutwalks and the Future of Feminism,” whereas Dines and Murphy’s “SlutWalk is not sexual liberation” and Goff ‘s “Dear feminists, Will You Also Be Marching In N***erwalk? Because I Won’t.” opposed it. These writers are all famous feminists; Dines is a seasoned professor and author, while Valenti and Goff are new feminist bloggers who are described as “the pioneer in bringing feminist action online” and “a breath of fresh air,” respectively. Although all of these writers...
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...Effects of Language Communication is an extremely complex idea, we have many different languages each with their own linguistic touch, yet we are somehow supposed to communicate? An absurd thought. In today’s world language alone alienates people, but what can make a situation worse is the words spoken itself. Some example of how language can effect us, is how learning a language different from the one spoken at home separated a close-knit family. Also, how a single word can have so many different interpretations surrounding it that cause controversy. Language and communicating seem like such simple concepts, but in reality there is so much more to them. Richard Rodriguez shares many experiences he had when learning a new language. At first he was very quiet because could not understand what people were saying or how to respond. He talks about how his father experienced similar trouble when faced with casual English conversation. In fact his father became quiet, just like his son, because of his shame. Rodriguez talks about how his mother became the voice of the family which is unheard of in Spanish culture. An example he gives of how his father’s personality changed when he spoke in Spanish: “his voice would spark, flicker, flare alive with sounds… he conveyed confidence and authority English would never allow him” (Rodriguez 16). This language barrier changed his father’s life forever. Language has much more power than many realize; it can give confidence or destroy it. Relating...
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...women is natural matter which is unchangeable. People tried to find the reason why this belief occurred and has still endured for a long time. In addition, there is a social movement which tried to change this belief, including the condition of the inequality between men and women. This social movement is called feminism. This social phenomenon began, in 19th century, in the western side of the world, because women didn’t accept the original culture, their role in society, the inequality of gender, and the oppression of men. However, this contradiction in terms of gender has been argued up to the beginning of 20th century. Feminism has rapidly grown since the last forty years of 20th century. People become awakened to study about women in several measurements, especially in the study of the relationship between men and women, by using the idea of gender to be the equipment of the analysis. The inconsistency of gender causes the movement which people demand the equality between men and women. Moreover, there are many studies, explanations and ideas about the secondary status of women in many terms, in the last for decades. Almost explanations and ideas of feminism develop from main...
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...active in China: "One of the most striking manifestations of social change and awakening which has accompanied the Revolution in China has been the emergence of a vigorous and active Woman's Movement." Beginning in the 70s and continuing in the 80s, however, many Chinese feminists began arguing that the Communist government had been "consistently willing to treat women's liberation as something to be achieved later, after class inequalities had been taken care of."[9] Some feminists claim that part of the problem is a tendency on the government's part to interpret "equality" as sameness, and then to treat women according to an unexamined standard of male normalcy.[10] Chapter two: definition, development, and categories of feminism 1. Definition of feminism Throughout history, women have always struggled to obtain equality, respect, and the same rights as men. This has been difficult because of patriarchy, an ideology in which men are superior to women and have the right to control women. This ideology has spread...
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