Three Waves of Feminism Essay Example

Feminism is a movement that has many goals, ideas, and aspects that have helped the movement push on throughout the years. Feminism can be described as a movement that works to increase the living conditions and rights of women in all parts of the world. This movement has many beliefs combined within it and has a lot of history. There are periods within this movement that are broken into what is called a wave of feminism. The waves mark parts in the movement where new ideas and goals become the driving force of feminism. There are generally three waves of feminism but many people believe that there is a fourth. Others argue that the fourth is a continuation of the third. The first three are the main ones of the movement. The first, second, and third waves of feminism are the most talked about and recognizable throughout history. Feminism is an ongoing movement with many ideas and beliefs rolled into one. The different waves each had important ideas and beliefs that were unique to themselves. I believe that certain aspects stick out from each of these waves and are the most important part of the movement as a whole.  

The first wave of feminism describes the origins of feminism in the nineteenth and the early twentieth century (Anand, Tara. Feminisminidia.com). This wave marks the beginning of the movement and the end when its goals and visions were met. The goal of the wave was to win basic rights for women and break into the male-dominant fields of politics and business. Women had little to no rights during this time and were treated as property. They couldn’t divorce their husbands, nor could they claim custody over their children (source). Women were not treated as individuals or people in general. Due to this horrific treatment of women, the first wave of feminism surged and gained momentum. First-wave feminism went hand and hand with the abolitionist movement in the United States. The goals of the first wave were social reformation and liberation from the oppression both groups faced. Feminists sought to free themselves from the patriarchy of the time. The official beginning of the first wave can be traced to the signing of the Declaration of Sentiments. This signing took place at the Seneca Falls Convention, which was the first woman's rights convention. The main goal of this movement was the right to vote, also known as women’s suffrage. Other goals of this wave were the upliftment of women in society and higher education for women. Groups and organizations were formed to try to achieve the goals of the movement. The different organizations had slightly different goals from each other but the main goal was still giving women basic legal rights.

The second wave of feminism began around the start of World War ll, during the 1960s and ’70s. The wave was inspired by the civil rights movement. The goal of the movement during this wave was equality and justice. Women of different ages, circumstances, and races joined in on the movement. They sought to fight against segregated job openings, no access to contraceptives, gender inequality, and discrimination. Second-wave feminism wanted to make changes in society, such as bringing to light undocumented and dismissed rape and domestic violence cases. There were multiple methods by feminists to try to bring change to society. Those methods included organized sit-ins, marches, legal equity campaigns, rape crisis centers, health collective, and more. The actions of those involved provoked discussions about the origin of women’s oppression, the nature of gender, and the role of family (Burkett, Elinor. Encyclopedia Britannica). Unfortunately, due to the competing ideas within the movement, there was a divide between feminists. The discourse among them caused the movement to split into different groups with different beliefs. The three main groups were liberal feminism, radical feminism, and cultural feminism. Liberal feminists believed in change at a government or institutional level. Their goal was to put women in power and give them equal access to male-dominated positions. The idea of strict equality was the best way to go in their opinion. Radical feminists believed they needed to reshape society as a whole, not just certain parts of it. Their goal was to break stereotypes, destroy male bias, and get women out of the submissive and compliant role that they were pushed into. They wanted to bring down the patriarchy in their society. Radical feminists believed that they needed all of society to change for their goals to succeed. Cultural feminism celebrated the qualities of women, that only women had. This group rejected the idea that men and women are essentially the same. Cultural feminists did not want to enter the male sphere and believed in creating a women’s sphere. They did not want to make women like men. Instead, they wanted to give women their own roles to play in society. The three different types of feminism defined second-wave feminism and lead to what would happen in the future of feminism. 

Third-wave feminism began during the 1990s. The wave was led by women of Generation X. Feminists in this period of the movement had benefitted from the rights and protections that were obtained by the first and second-wave feminists. Third-wave feminism did not approve of the unfinished work and stance of the women of the second wave. They wanted to tear down the movement and rebuild it as one that was inclusive and meaningful. The third wave of feminism was a generational movement since many of the third wave feminists were raised by women of the second wave. These feminists were raised to be self-aware, empowered, and successful women that were aware of the barriers caused by racism, sexism, and classism. They were raised to fight patriarchy and take any necessary steps for change. Third-wave feminism shifted the way society viewed gender and gender identity. The characteristics that were defined as strictly male and strictly female were put into question. Feminists of this wave wanted all people to be free to express their gender identity in their own way and not be restricted by the views of the current society. Third-wave feminists adopted an ironic and double entendre way of speaking. They reclaimed sexist and derogatory slang and played on sexist images and symbols. The women of this movement used humor and honesty to get their point across. “The third wave was much more inclusive of women and girls of color than the first or second waves had been (Brunell, Lauren. Encyclopedia Britannica).” The previous waves of feminism were inspired by movements that fought for the rights of people of color, yet the struggles highlighted in the movement always focused on the right of white women. Third-wave feminism gave voices to many important groups of women. The third wave made sure to be inclusive of women all across the world, regardless of race. The feminists in this movement redefined women as powerful and in control of themselves.

The three waves of feminism each had goals and ideas that made them unique and special in their own way. There are certain aspects of each wave that make the feminist movement great overall. From the first wave of feminism, we have the goal of uplifting women in society. Society would not be where it is without the help of women. There would be no men to speak of without women giving them life. To have women be the lowest people in society was ridiculous and insulting. Women needed to have an equal opportunity to be great, just as the men did. There needed to be more than one perspective when it came to the government, family, property, and rights of all people. Uplifting women in society gave the world a new point of view and gave voices to an important group of people. The most significant aspect of the second wave was the branching out of the different types of feminism. The three different types of feminism are the things that made feminism what it is currently. The different ideas and points of view are very influential in the changes made in today’s society. If there was only one point of view that all feminists followed, the movement would be stuck and wouldn’t make any progress. The idea that sticks out the most from third-wave feminism is inclusiveness. The idea of inclusiveness is important in all things in life. An individual needs to be able to include and respect others regardless of their race, gender, sexuality, or age. Different peoples' perspectives and ideas need to be valued and respected. There is still a struggle within the movement of feminism to be inclusive of all people. If feminism can include everyone, it will allow for the movement to grow and change even more than it has over the years. The movement will be able to bring about more change and progress for today’s society. These three parts from each of the three waves of feminism are the backbone of what makes the feminist movement important.

There are certain aspects of the feminist movement that stick out from each of these waves and are the most important parts of the movement as a whole. The aspect from the first wave is the goal of the upliftment of women in society. Society would not be where it is today without the help of a woman. Uplifting women would make the most sense if society was going to change and progress. The aspect from the second wave was the split of the feminist movement. The divide of the movement is the thing that made the movement progressive and meaningful. It showed that the movement was capable of change and was able to incorporate different perspectives within it. Finally, the most important aspect from the third wave was inclusiveness. The ability to be inclusive is extremely important within a big movement. A movement that fights for women, must include all women. When you combine these aspects together, you get the most important parts of the feminist movement.