The different waves of feminism

Feminism is one of the oldest and most important movements in global history. It is omnipresent in modern day society. It is very deep and complex; there is no one single definition or set practice of feminism, it’s ever-changing as politics progresses. But feminism in a simple sense seeks to end gender discrimination and bring about gender equality, going against societal norms and political advances. Within this goal there are many types of feminism. Each period of feminism can be divided into “waves.”

First wave

Started in late 19th century, this was not the first existence of feminism but the first notable and real political based feminism movement in the modern western world. It coincided with the womens suffragette movement. The goal of first wave feminism was to have society recognize that women are humans, not property. While the leaders of first wave feminism were abolitionists, their focus was on white women’s rights – which would later create an exclusionist problem for feminists in years to come.

Second wave

Second wave feminism was built on the fundamental goals of first wave, from roughly the 60s to the 90s. It challenged what women’s role in society should be and how they could express themselves. It encompassed far more issues such as pay equality, reproductive rights, female sexuality, and domestic violence. It progressed from first wave feminism and made some attempts to encompass racial injustice, including women (and men) of all backgrounds to join the movement. Inspired by the Civil Rights Movement and protests against the Vietnam War, activists focused on the institutions that held women back. This meant taking a closer look at why women were oppressed. It was at a time where gender and identity were becoming more prevalent in society. Queer theory was being established and cultural feminism had put out to the world that there’s a “female essence” that’s distinct from men.

Third wave

Due to the institutional victories of second-wave feminism, women enjoyed more rights and power going into the 1990s. It rejected many feminine stereotypes and celebrated differences across race, class and sexual orientations. They were able to think about other aspects of their identity, welcoming individuality and rebellion. This was an era of reclaiming and re identifying oneself. It played heavily off the fact that gender is performative or ‘a construct’. While many ideas and sub-movements swirled around in this time, the one “rule” was that there weren’t rules.

Fourth wave

It is argued we haven’t really moved on much from the third wave of feminism, as there is yet to be a big historical event or protest. However, with the MeToo movement and a resurgence of attacks on women’s rights many believe we’re living in a new wave and this is the start of something yet to come. We now have the power of social media, a very useful platform to spread the word of any political and social injustice. It builds on the third wave’s emphasis on inclusivity and asks hard questions about what empowerment, equality, and freedom really mean.

Trans rights plays a big role in modern day feminism, as more trans voices are speaking up about their injustice and inequality. Feminism has often been an unwelcoming and hostile place for trans women and others who reject the gender binary. Many fourth-wave feminists are working to combat this exclusion.

Fourth wave feminism looks to break the fourth wall, pun intended, and completely destroy every gender, racial, sexual, identity binary out there and rewrite society. It seeks to further deconstruct gender norms. It is queer, sex-positive and digitally driven.

Neo-liberal feminism (a sub category of fourth wave)

The neo-liberal model of feminism argues that inequality is a state that can be overcome in corporate environments without over-hauling the system, it centralises the individual and their personal choices. It is argued it is prevalent in all waves of feminism but has only really been given a term for this practice.

Footnote

Separating feminist history into waves often erases the splintered nature of feminist struggles, neglecting the existence of dividing lines across race and class. For example when white middle class Suffaragettes fought for the right to vote in the late nineteenth century and the early twentieth century, they did not consider the women under colonial control subjected to inordinate amounts of violence.