Feminism Issue Historical Background

The word feminism comes from the French word “feminisme” which literally means feminism the belief defined as women “should be allowed the rights, power, and opportunities as men and be treated”. The term is coined with a combination of ‘femme’, as a root word for women, and 'is me', which refers to a social movement or political ideology. "feminism" must be used to describe a cultural, political, or economic movement that aims at equal rights for both.

The feminist movement includes social and political ideologies with gender differences

?A Brief Historical Background

Britain and France were among the first countries where women started fighting for rights, education, and dignity. As Aryan Chernak writes in his book? Man and the formation of modern British feminism, "what it was up to then, spoke quite loudly.?Then a silent class of the human race. "

Simon de Beauvoir writes:

"It's the first time we've seen a woman pick up her pen in defense of her gender"

Achieving change in society was Mary Wollstonecraft, who spoke out about women's rights, which garnered the most attention.?Scholars still consider Mary Willston Craft to become the British founding mother of feminist rights and its vindication of Feminism can be considered the first minor task. Florence Nightingale was also a social reformer in the early 19th century. Was Convicted that woman have "all the abilities of men but none of them seek any Opportunities, "

He also advocated for the importance of nursing schools for the better education for women and also for women to establish equality.

An English philosopher?John Stuart Mill, a political economist, and feminist, was impressed by his wife's qualities. Women's rights lawyer Harriet Taylor Mill. Who declared: "The principle that? Organizes existing social relations between the two sexes. Sex from one sex to another is itself wrong and is now the biggest obstacle for men. Improvements And that it should be replaced by the principle of perfect equality, No power or privilege on the one hand, nor recognition of disability on the other.?"She was the first British Member of Parliament who introduce a bill calling for women to receive vote

?First wave of feminism

Women kept on facing subordination, discrimination, and oppression. They face such circumstances?because of an age-old view that women are by nature weak and irrational.

Aristotle defines?

"The relation of male to female is by nature a relation of superior to inferior and of the ruler to ruled".

Thomas Jefferson (third president of the USA) defines?

"women's position in the house not in politics and public office."

Charles Darwin states

"Man is intellectually superior to women."

Such views regarding women claim unchallenged till the 18th century. Assumptions of society for women mentioned above were firstly challenged by Mary Woodstone's craft. In his book titled "Vindication of rights of women" in 1792.?In this book, he maintained that women are equally capable as men.

The publication of this book was basically an informal beginning of first-wave feminism. The publication of this book is birth to the demand for equality and discrimination was focused in this book. In the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848, the demand for equality and the end of discrimination got the shape of an organized movement in 1848 when a convention was held in America. A number of women participated in it. Declaration of sentiments of women" was passed in which it was said that men and women are equal. First-wave feminism started with Seneca Falls Convention in 1848.

The period of women's movement between 1848 to 1920 is called first-wave feminism. The situation was about to change because of social and economic and political change in America and Europe Liberal ideas like liberty, equality, and dignity spread in the USA and Europe. European establishment play a remarkable role in this regard the issue of women's suffering was also raised in American Revolution and the French revolution. When democratic norms were established in US and UK. Monarchy was being challenged. The absolute authority of the king was challenged People were given citizenship rights and political rights.

All rights were limited to men only. Women were not given the right to citizenship. They were called second-rate citizens. They were not given political rights. They kept on facing social, political, and economical discrimination. The divine right of the king had been challenged, but the divine right of the father and/or husband has still not challenged the main demand of the first wave was to grant full citizenship like men. Because women were considered second-rate citizens at that time. So, women demanded legal and political equality. Another demand was suffrage or the right to vote. Those feminists were of the view that the right to vote would solve all women's problems.

National Women's suffrage Association was established in America in 1869. The main purpose of this association was to fight for the right to vote for women. In the UK, J.S Mill put a proposal in the House of Commons for giving women the right to vote. But he was defeated. Later on, the Women's social and political union was established in 1903 for fighting for the right to vote for women in the UK. First-wave feminism was ended when the right to vote was granted to women in the west. New Zealand gave the right to vote to its women in 1893. The UK gave this right to women in 1918, followed by the US in 1920. First-wave feminism ended when women of the USA were granted the right to vote

Second wave of feminism

?First-wave feminists were of the view that political equality will bring social, economic, and educational equality also. But this assumption was proven wrong later on. Because the women had achieved the quality in the political fair. but they found that there was no equality on another side like education economic although women started getting jobs after the first wave. but they got jobs only in those sectors only which was considered an extension of their nature only.

There were economic and educational inequalities. Therefore, the need for second-wave feminism was felt. First-wave feminism was launched by the women who?were united on one page or group. But the second wave of feminism was launched by two different groups of women.

? i) Liberal Approach

? ii) Radical Approach

The liberal approach was basically a revival of the demands of first-wave feminists. But, the scope of demands was expanded to social, economic, and educational equality. This approach was begun with the publication of Betty Frieden's landmark book "The feminine mystique". published in 1963.

She said in this group public life is almost chase for women there is no participation for women in public life. She proposed that public spaces should be opened for women. There should be equal educational and economic opportunities. Betty Frieden established National Organization for Women NOW in 1966.

The main target and demand of this organization were to end social and economic discrimination on the basis of sex. This organization launched a movement "Equal Rights Amendment" in the US constitution (this provision is still missing in the USA constitution). The radical approach starts in 1968 and continued till the 1980s.?This approach began from a protest against the Miss America Beauty contest held in 1968. Protesters claimed that such contests objectify women. Radical approach feminists shifted the focus from discrimination to oppression.

They mentioned that contest pottery women as senseless and emotional less. They said that women are given an unaffecting political and essive roles as objects fiction freedom crash. The second-wave feminists were of the view that there are various structures in the society that were resulting in oppression against women. New theories and tools of explanation were required for dismantling these structures. The process of bringing new tools and theories began with the academic study of feminism. The second sex was the book by Simon de Beauvoir published in 1949.

This book first time argued that the problem of women is deep-rooted. Problem is rooted in the culture and institutions of society. News terms, theories, and concepts should be developed to understand the real problem. The work of Simon was further developed in the 1970s by Kate Millet's "Sexual Politics" and Shulamite Firestone's "The Dialectics of sex".

?Third wave of feminism

Third-wave feminism is basically a rejection of second-wave feminism It rejects the core idea of second-wave feminism. the core idea of second-wave feminism is that gendered oppression is common to all women. the proponents of feminism are where the view that women all over the world are facing gender-based oppression. As second-wave feminism represents the common grievance of women worldwide? if it represents the interest of all women?

?Third-wave feminists found the problems in second-wave feminism that second-wave feminism put women of the whole world under one group by showing that they all have the same grievances. But the reality is that these women don't have some grievances. The new thing which was found by third-wave feminists was that women face oppression not just on the basis of gender but also on the basis of race, class, caste, and ethnicity.

Focusing on one universal category of women is undemocratic. Postmodernism is a theory that basically rejects modernism and says that there should be no generalization. There are no universal categories like second-wave feminism had put women of the whole world under one category. Third-wave postmodern feminism rejects the universal category of women. According to third-wave postmodern feminism, the man-made categories like men and women, sex/gender, masculine and feminine, etc. don't have any value. Different cultures have different practices a tradition.

?One cannot make judgments about other cultures without experiencing them. So, it is not true to make judgments regarding Women's oppression worldwide by analyzing just one western culture. Being different does not mean being abnormal. A diverse voice and diverse position should be accepted. If someone is neither male nor female then it does not mean that he or she is abnormal.

?Black women don't face discrimination on the basis of sex only. But, also due to race. It maintained that the experiences of black women are different from white women. When colonialism was ended then this form of feminism was witnessed. The nonwhite women were affected by the long-lasting political, economic, and cultural impacts of colonialism Third-wave feminism broadened the concept of feminism and various types of feminism flourished so it basically rejected the unity approach.

?After third-wave feminism, women of the world were divided into various groups according to their different grievances. Post-modern feminism is all about what we have studied above. But post-feminism is not about the 3rd wave feminism. Postmortem was an idea that arose in America during the 1980s. The proponents of this idea were of the view that society has achieved gender equality, and feminism has achieved its goal. So, it is time to move away from feminism.