Premium Essay

First Wave Feminist Analysis

Submitted By
Words 983
Pages 4
First wave feminists attempted to focus on the various existing women’s issues, generating arguments regarding inclusiveness (Taylor, 1983, as cited in Ewig & Ferree, 2013, p. 439). Some groups wished for cross-class, cross-race, and cross-cultural comprehension, but inclusion represented still a dilemma because of the high extent of stratification in societies (Rupp, 1996; Offen, 2010, as cited in Ewig & Ferree, 2013, p. 439). Additionally, some early struggles underlined the distressed relation among gender relations, sexuality, and reproduction (Ewig & Ferree, 2013, p. 440). In certain countries as well as classes, suffragists engaged in radical sexual reform movements, which demanded women’s sexual citizenship (ibid.). Some suffragists embodied the belief that women’s sexual morality is somewhat higher than men’s (ibid.). When it comes to …show more content…
441). According to several feminists, unity signified organising women as women to support themselves, their families, and one another (ibid.). For instance, some self-restrained feminists intended to safeguard mothers and wives by raising the rank of domestic work as well as by strengthening men’s sexual devotion (Laslett & Brenner, 1989, as cited in Ewig & Ferree, 2013, p. 440). Some suffragists succeeded occasionally when accepting and taking advantage of domesticity, as for example by claiming moral elevation and local housekeeping (Gullett, 2000; McCammon, Hewitt, & Smith, 2004, as cited in Ewig & Ferree, 2013, p. 440). Feminist demands to acknowledge maternal contributions to the public prosperity encouraged the development of welfare states (Skocpol, 1992; Koven & Michel, 1993; Guy, 2009, as cited in Ewig & Ferree, 2013, p. 440), but involvement in state projects was constantly disputed by feminists (Cott, 1987, as cited in Ewig & Ferree, 2013, p.

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Feminism

...objective of this study is to describe what the condition of feminism in Bangladesh and what is the thinking of our varsity girl about feminism. Total 21 respondents were selected based on age class of 18-22. Feminism is a belief in the right of women to have political, social, and economic equality with men. It is a discourse that involves various movements, theories, and philosophies which are concerned with the issue of gender difference, advocate equality for women, and campaign for women’s rights and interests. According to some, the history of feminism can be divided into three waves. The first wave was in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the second was in the 1960s and 1970s and the third extends from the 1990s to the present. Feminist theory emerged from these feminist movements. It is manifest in a variety of disciplines such as feminist geography, feminist history and feminist literary criticism. Although feminism has emerged in nineteenth in the world, it is yet unknown to women of our country. The concept of feminism in Bangladesh has been rising since last 20th years and women got some equal right such as voting right, politics right, education right, job right, decision making right, child raring right etc. But, they got some right constitutionally, not practically yet. But, it is hopeful that we will be able to establish equal right within next 20th year. Key words: Equal rights, Secure Society, Establishing women...

Words: 6113 - Pages: 25

Free Essay

English Essay

...equally despite the gender. Feminism has evolved from the years. The current generation, Generation Y has a different perspective of females than the former generations. There have been three major waves of feminism evolution. The first wave was in the 1800s, women were not allowed to vote or participate in any public or political opinions. During this time, women demanded their right to vote. The second wave of feminism developed in the 1960s where females of certain marginalized groups (working class women, blacks and prisoners) felt they weren't being treated equally and fairly like men and upper-class women. The civil rights activist fought very much for their rights during this time. However, not a lot resulted during this wave which led to the third wave of feminism evolution. The third wave developed to improve the second wave short comings. This is the new generation of feminists who know their rights and what gender equality is. Society generally favored men hence the need for social movements towards females rights to be heard. Feminism and Criminology Feminist criminology evolved during the time women were being judged on their gender rather than the type they committed. Gender inequality is basically due to men trying to control women and their sexuality. Feminists insist that sexism is the most common form of human oppression (Harrison, Wendy 2006). For many decades, different cultures have categorized women into 'either/or/ roles. In the 1960s women were...

Words: 1865 - Pages: 8

Free Essay

Women and Communications

...Matt Klaus Professor Firestone Com 4030 4 March 2012 Feminist Criminology, Aileen Wuornos, 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...

Words: 1769 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Feminist Movement

...Feminist Movement Firstly, we would like to talk about the causes and the beginning of feminist movement. the About two centuries ago, human society has many changes and movements; the occurrence of human right and its acceptability, the attention of the importance of democracy, the change of production to industry, instead of agriculture, and the advance of technology. These changes and movements cause some women getting the chance of education as same as almost men, and make women working outdoor instead of doing household work. These phenomena cause people questioning about the original belief that proposes women are inferior to men, and the difference between men and 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...

Words: 3199 - Pages: 13

Premium Essay

African American

... When the Black Feminist movement was developed, it was a revolution for black women. It gave them power, liberation, and a voice to overcome the emasculating efforts of white male power (Harrold, Hine, and Hine, 2009). When I first began this research, I discovered that Black Feminism is too broad of a topic to elaborate on as a whole. This paper defines the term “Black Feminism. It will explore two published articles that report on the theory and practice of how black feminism is making waves and what role of education in the development of the Black Feminist Thought from 1860 to 1920. This paper will examine when the National Black Feminist Organization was founded and lastly, how two outstanding women who made an impact in the Black Feminist Movement. According to Encyclo (n.d.) online encyclopedia the definition of black feminism is “A strand of feminist thought which highlights the multiple disadvantages of gender, class and race that shape the experiences of nonwhite women. Black feminists reject the idea of a single unified gender oppression that is experienced evenly by all women, and argue that early feminist analysis reflected the specific concerns of white, middle-class women.” In other words, black feminist argue that the liberation of black women entails freedom for all people since it would require the end of racism, sexism and class oppression. This brings me to the theory and practice of black feminism and how it is making waves. According to...

Words: 1725 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Feminism in the 1970s

...1970’s, the second wave feminist movement was attempting to create wide spread social change. Its leading organization, the National Organization for Women (NOW), was focused on dismantling workplace inequality, such as denial of access to better jobs and salary inequity, and protecting women’s rights, such as stopping domestic violence. They attempted to do this through creating legislation and changing public opinion. The media’s representation of women overall at this time counteracted these goals. By creating a derogatory picture of the “feminist”, the media made her unsympathetic to the public. Rather than creating support for the core goals of the feminist movement, the media focused on more controversial topics, specifically gay rights. This negative media coverage of the women’s movement hurt its ability to implement meaningful legislation, such as the Equal Rights Amendment. The way in which print media degraded women, demonized feminists, and connected feminism to controversial topics damaged the progress of second wave feminism in the 1970’s. The definition of a feminist is a person who believes in the social, economic, and political equality of the sexes (Miriam Webster Dictionary). While people who believe in the equality of the sexes have been around for centuries, the first organized feminist movement in the United States was the 1920’s first wave feminism, which focused on achieving women’s voting rights (The Women’s Rights Movement). The feminist movement of the...

Words: 2871 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

50 Key Concepts in Gender Studies

...any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission in writing from the Publishers. SAGE Publications Ltd 1 Oliver’s Yard 55 City Road London EC1Y 1SP SAGE Publications Inc 2455 Teller Road Thousand Oaks, California 91320 SAGE Publications India Pvt Ltd B-42 Panchsheel Enclave Post Box 4109 New Delhi 100 017 British Library Cataloguing in Publication data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 0 7619 7035 5 ISBN 0 7619 7036 3 Library of Congress control number available Typeset by M Rules Printed in Great Britain by The Cromwell Press Ltd, Trowbridge, Wiltshire contents Acknowledgements Introduction: Everywhere and Somewhere: Gender Studies, Feminist Perspectives and...

Words: 86432 - Pages: 346

Premium Essay

First Wave Feminist Movemnt

...First Wave Feminist Movement Introduction Feminism is considered a political concept. It is an analysis of why and how women are oppressed. It is a vision of a society where women are liberated and sex role stereotypes are no more. It is also a conviction that oppression of women is a contradiction in society. Women feminists fought for their right to not be property, rights to their inheritance, rights to an education and to a religion that was not patriarchal. Even though feminism had been seen for quite some time, the actual term "feminist" was not first used until 1912. "The modern feminist movement began a as result of sweeping social, political and industrial changes in Europe and the United States" (Conger). Many suffragists did not refer to themselves as feminists. They advocated only for voting rights, not complete equality. Oppression as an Obstacle for Women Women advocated against a mindset, an entire system of socialization. "Women were socialized, both in their minds and in the minds of men, that their sole role in society was reproduction" (Fisher). "The average married female gave birth to seven children" (Conger). If a woman was engaging in public activities then "she was ignoring her biological weaknesses - a smaller brain and a more fragile physique - which she was supposed to protect in order to ensure her reproductive abilities" (Krolokke, 5). Women had little control over their life. Women were considered...

Words: 2207 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Sexism

...understanding of crime and the criminal justice system. Gender plays a significant role in understanding who commits what types of crimes, why they do so, who is most often victimized, and how the criminal justice system responds to these victims and offenders. In order to understand the current state of women and the way in which gender relates to crime and criminal justice, it is first necessary to provide a comprehensive analysis of the historical evolution of women in the criminal justice system and the affect that the different waves of feminism have had on policies and practices towards women in this system. I plan to argue that the criminal justice system is another form of patriarchal control, a sexist organization which creates conflict between the private sphere of a woman's life and the public. This control extends far beyond the just incarcerated women, it affects all women. Despite the fact that there have been changes to certain policies and prison regulations, though made with resistance, none of the changes have been for the better. By looking at past and present situations as well as the differing feminist perspectives on the justice system, I hope to offer ways and opinions on how to improve this system and allow women to equally balance their life in the public sphere as well as their life in the private sphere.  Before I begin, however, I would like to explain the reasons for which I had to write about this topic. I have always been very interested in criminal...

Words: 3618 - Pages: 15

Premium Essay

Sociolo of Family

...The role of men and women in a family are not explicitly defined and vary vastly from across many countries. In Iran for example, men’s roles are normally more valued and rewarded than women’s roles. This research report will outline the basic assumptions about families prior to any feminist changes and explain the rationale for this. It will then discuss the initiation of the feminist movement and the way in which it affected the roles within a family and the structure of a family. The report will analyse the implications of feminism and discuss the types of feminism, which have affected the basic assumptions of families. In order to fully understand the challenges feminist have posed, the report will consider the importance of feminism in today’s society, assessing our assumptions about families and to what degree it is considered a priority. As a matter of interest, there will also be a discussion on the effect of feminism on families on an international scale. This research report will seek to conclude concisely the ways in which feminists have challenged the basic foundation and ideas in relation to families. In the seventeenth and eighteenth century Cheal cites that the term nuclear family emerged describing a couple who are legally married and have their own children residing in a permanent home. (Cheal, D. 2002) Talcott Parsons (1956) has suggested a possible rational justifying why the basic assumption of families exists. Parson’s view was based on the facts...

Words: 2959 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Media Studies

...1. Introduction It is highly believed that fashion magazines contain various portrayals of women not only because fashion magazines target women as their biggest readers, but also become the facilitator to teach women how they view themselves in feminine elegant ways just like most women want them to be. Nonetheless, those views are more likely shaped by how the society views a woman. As such, if fashion magazines are indeed in the means of shaping women's view as well as society's view of a woman, then the representation of women in the magazines becomes very important in order to explore how women are portrayed according to those two views. Reading a fashion magazine on the surface simply contains fashion-related articles in thick glossy pages. On deeper surface, on the other hand, those articles actively are where women as well as society see how a woman should be. It is also implied that they become the source of stereotypes of women which many of them are always about marginalising women. Amongst many high fashion magazines, Elle is strongly believed to be one of the most leading high fashion magazines in regards to the fact that this French origin magazine widely spreads its international editions published in over 60 countries which one of those includes Indonesia. Like other Elle editions worldwide and other mainstream high fashion magazines, many ultra expensive bags, clothes, perfumes, and the sorts appear in Elle Indonesia in two forms: articles and advertisements...

Words: 2798 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Health and Social Challenging Behaviour

...Sociological perspectives Sociological perspectives is a perspective on human behaviour and its connection to society as a whole. It invites us to look for the connections between the behaviour of individual people and the structures of the society in which they live. The structures are functionalism, Marxism, Feminist, Interactionism, Collectivism, Postmodernism and New right. Functionalism Functionalism is a perspective created by Emile Durkheim. He believed society was made up of inter-connected institutions for an example education, family and government which depended on each other to function. Functionalists see society as being similar to the human body. In the same way the body relies on the heart to pump blood round to other vital organs like the lungs and brain. Functionalists see society as being constructed of different inter-dependent components like the family and education system. So in the same way the human body would fail if the heart stopped, functionalists’ argue society would stop working properly if the family stopped functioning properly. Functionalists say this would happen because the family is an institution in which primary socialisation occurs. Primary socialisation is where younger members of a family are taught societies norms, values, roles and beliefs, By having the same values which we all share, a value consensus is establish. Therefore we can see the family has a function in the social system. This perspective of society differed...

Words: 4602 - Pages: 19

Premium Essay

Second Wave Feminist Movement

...Section 1: Identification and Evaluation of Sources This investigation will explore the question: To what extent was the Second Wave Feminism Movement inspired by the Civil Rights Movement and serve as a continuation of its ideals? The Civil Rights of the 1950s and the feminism of the 1960s will be explored to show how the two bled together and were not entirely separate. The first source to be evaluated is The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan. There is value in this source because it provides a comparison point for the rest of the investigation. Since many historians look to Friedan’s book as the beginning of the feminist movement in the 1960s, it provides helpful insight into the initial goals for the movement. As a journalist, she was...

Words: 2124 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Suffragette Research Paper

...Indeed, the political and personal context of each historian may determine their representation of the Suffragette’s more so than their gender. Hence, to accurately answer this question, I will explore the dynamics between gender and context to discern both the similarities and differences that exist between male and female renditions. In the first chapter, I will be conducting a close analysis of Sylvia Pankhurst’s 1931 autobiography, ‘The Suffragette Movement’, and George Dangerfield’s 1935 novel, ‘The Strange Death of Liberal England’ as the foundational texts of Suffragette historiography, in creating an archetype that filtered through generations of historians. The minor impact of gender upon their history is revealed through the parallels that transpire between each text in spite of their differing genders. The second chapter will examine the reverberations of this archetype through a myriad of predominantly male historians between the 1950s-70s. The revival of the feminist consciousness prompted by second wave feminism arguably provokes the subsequent ‘masculinist’...

Words: 407 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Feminist

...stereotypes and assumptions about females in the criminal justice system, saw feminist perspectives challenge the theories, concepts and assumptions of those involved in the study of crime (Bryant, 2014). This essay begins by firstly providing a brief description and its origins, how feminist theories causes crime, how its theory defines crime, the multiple feminist perspectives within feminism and how feminist criminology attempts to combat crime. It will then discuss the relevance and how feminist theory influences the criminal justice system, such as women’s role as professionals, as well as women as offenders and victims (Schram & Tibbetts 2013, p. 285). Finally, this essay will examine the applicability to Australian society by exploring if the suggested causes of crime apply to Australian society. It will lastly draw on the criticisms of feminist criminology and how the different types of feminist perspectives lessons the relevance of this theory in Australian society. Outlining the theory Feminist criminology first developed in the 1960’s and 1970’s which was closely associated with the emergence of the Second Wave of Feminism (White, Haines & Asquith 2012, p. 143). The Second Wave of Feminism saw the advent of many issues such as social, political and material inequalities (White, Haines & Asquith 2012, p. 143). Because men were mostly privileged as a group by society, the development of feminist criminology emphasised and raised concerns of the problem of discrimination...

Words: 2292 - Pages: 10