Feminism, the belief in the political, economic and cultural equality of women, has its roots in the earliest eras of human civilization. It is generally divided into three waves: the first feminist wave, dealing with property rights and voting rights; second-wave feminism, focused on equality and anti-discrimination, and third-wave feminism, which began in the 1990s as a reaction to perceived second-wave privilege for white, heterosexual women.
From ancient Greece to the fight for women’s suffrage, women’s marches and the #MeToo movement, the history of feminism is as long as it is fascinating.
The first feminists
In his classic Republic, Plato advocated that women possess “natural abilities” equal to those of men to govern and defend ancient Greece. Not everyone agreed with Plato; when the women of Ancient Rome organized a massive demonstration against the Oppien law, which restricted women’s access to gold and other goods, the Roman consul said Marcus Porcius Cato » argued: “As soon as they start being your equals, they will have become your superiors! (Despite Cato’s fears, the law was repealed.)
In THE Book of the City of Ladiesthe 15th century writer Christine de Pizan protested against misogyny and the role of women in the world. Middle Ages. Years later, during the Clarificationwriters and philosophers like Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and Marie Wollstonecraftauthor of A demand for women’s rightsvigorously advocated for greater equality for women.
LEARN MORE: Milestones in American Women’s History
Abigail Adams, first lady to President John Adams, specifically viewed access to education, property, and the vote as essential to women’s equality. In letters to her husband John Adams, Abigail Adams warned: “If special care and attention is not given to the ladies, we are determined to foment rebellion and will not hold ourselves bound by laws in which we have no say. »
The “rebellion” that Adams threatened began in the 19th century, as calls for greater freedom for women joined voices demanding an end to slavery. slavery. Indeed, many women leaders of the abolitionist movement found a disturbing irony in the defense of rights for African Americans that they themselves could not enjoy.
The Seneca Falls Convention
First Wave of Feminism: Women’s Suffrage and the Seneca Falls Convention
In 1848 Seneca Falls Congressabolitionists love Elizabeth Cady Stanton And Lucretia Mott boldly proclaimed in their now famous Declaration of Sentiments: “We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men and women are created equal. Controversially, feminists claimed “their sacred right to the franchise”, or the right to vote.
Many participants thought women’s right to vote was out of reach, but they were swayed when Frederic Douglass He argued that he could not accept the right to vote as a black man if women could not also claim that right. When the resolution was adopted, the women’s suffrage The movement began in earnest and dominated much of feminism for several decades.
LEARN MORE: In the United States, women’s right to vote came down to one man’s vote
The 19th Amendment: Women’s Right to Suffrage
Gradually, the suffragettes began to achieve some success: in 1893, New Zealand became the first sovereign state to grant women the right to vote, followed by Australia in 1902 and Finland in 1906. In a limited victory, the United Kingdom granted the right to vote to women over 30. in 1918.
Women’s Vote After Passage of the 19th Amendment
In the United States, women’s participation in First World War have proven to many that they deserve equal representation. By 1920, thanks in large part to the work of suffragists like Susan B. Anthony and Carrie Chapman CattTHE 19th amendment pass. American women finally won the right to vote. Once these rights were guaranteed, feminists embarked on what some scholars call the “second wave” of feminism.
Women and work
Women began to enter the labor market in greater numbers after the Great Depressionwhen many male breadwinners lost their jobs, forcing women to find “women’s work» in lower-paid but more stable careers such as housework, teaching and secretarial work.
During The Second World Warmany women actively participated in the military or found work in sectors previously reserved for men, which Rosie the Riveter a feminist icon. Following the civil rights movementwomen sought greater participation in the workplace, with equal pay at the forefront of their efforts
THE Equal Pay Act of 1963 was among the first efforts to confront this still-relevant question.
Second wave of feminism: women’s liberation
But cultural obstacles remained and, with the publication in 1963 of The feminine mystique, Betty Friedan-who later co-founded the National Women’s Organization– claimed that women were still relegated to unfulfilling roles in housework and childcare. Around this time, many people began to refer to feminism as “women’s liberation.” In 1971, feminist Gloria Steinem joined Betty Friedan and Bella Abzug in the creation of the National Women’s Political Caucus. Steinem Ms. Magazine became the first magazine to feature feminism as a topic on its cover in 1976.
THE Equal Rights Amendment, which sought legal equality for women and prohibited discrimination on the basis of sex, was passed by Congress in 1972 (but, following a conservative backlash, it was never ratified by enough voters). ‘States to become a law). A year later, feminists celebrated the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wadethe historic decision that guarantees a woman’s right to choose abortion.
LEARN MORE: Why the Fight for the Equal Rights Amendment Lasted Nearly a Century
Third wave feminism: who benefits from the feminist movement?
Critics have argued that the benefits of feminist movement, especially the second wave, are largely limited to college-educated white women, and that feminism has failed to address the concerns of women of color, lesbians, immigrants, and religious minorities. Even in the 19th century, Truth of the stay deplored racial distinctions in the status of women in a speech before the Ohio Women’s Rights Convention of 1851. She later reportedly said:
In fact, contemporary reports of Truth’s speech did not include the words “Am I not a woman?” and quoted the Truth in standard English. The distortion of Truth’s lyrics in later years reflected the false belief that, as a former slave, Truth would have had a Southern accent. Truth was, in fact, a New Yorker.
#MeToo and women’s marches
In the 2010s, feminists pointed to landmark cases of sexual assault and “rape culture” as emblematic of the work still to be done to combat misogyny and ensure equal rights for women. THE #Me too The movement took on new importance in October 2017, when the New York Times has released a damning investigation into sexual harassment allegations made against influential film producer Harvey Weinstein. Many other women have filed complaints against other powerful men, including President Donald Trump.
On January 21, 2017, the first full day of the Trump presidency, hundreds of thousands of people joined the movement. Women’s March in Washington, DC, a massive protest aimed at the new administration and the perceived threat it poses to reproductive, civil and human rights. This wasn’t limited to Washington: more than 3 million people in cities around the world held simultaneous protests, giving feminists a high-profile platform to advocate for the full rights of all women around the world.
Sources
Women in World History Studies Program
Women’s history, feminist history, Make historyThe Institute of Historical Research
A brief history of feminism, Oxford Dictionaries
Four waves of feminism, Pacific Magazine, University of the Pacific
