Feminism has been viewed as having four waves, each wave having a slightly different goal/fight. The first wave began towards the end of the nineteenth century. The focus of the true first wave was to gain women more opportunities, specifically suffrage; women wanted to gain the right to vote.
The second wave happened in the 1960’s to 1990’s. During this time, feminists channeled their efforts to sexuality and reproductive rights, along with passing the Equal Rights Amendment. Intersectionality became a stronger part of the feminist movement during this time. As defined by Merriam-Webster, intersectionality is “the complex, cumulative way in which the effects of multiple forms of discrimination (such as racism, sexism, and classism) combine, overlap, or intersect especially in the experiences of marginalized individuals or groups.” Essentially, it is the idea that all parts of one’s identity (things like race, class, religion, gender, sexual orientation, ability, etc.) all work together in terms of oppression. It’s not possible to look at how a person is treated through one of these lenses because they are all intertwined.
Beginning in the mid 1990’s, third wave feminism took over. This wave is when we start to see the most similarities between what feminism looks like today. The third wave was a bit different; feminists focused a lot on individual empowerment, “taking back” terms, and rethinking things like “universal womanhood.” A lot of feminists in the third wave didn’t actually use the term “feminist” to describe themselves. This was a time of change and breaking boundaries.
Currently, we are living in the fourth wave of feminism. Today, feminists are diving into issues like body image, rape, violence, unequal pay, along with other things. Conversations about these topics are becoming more normalized and common. Fourth wavers are working to break through heteronormativity and the binary, trying to get to a place of inclusion. Feminism isn’t just about women anymore, which is a large reason why some feminists are moving away from the term.
Today, we have some incredible improvements. Don’t get me wrong, there is still an incredibly long way to go in terms of feminism, equal rights, inclusion of all people, etc. But thankfully, we are seeing more people from minorities in leadership positions, there are more educational opportunities in the field of women and gender studies, more organizations and movements are active today, better acceptance of people outside the traditonal binary and heterosexual norm, among other things. All of these things are steps in the right direction.
Insights gathered from “Four Waves of Feminism” by Martha Rampton.
The Real F Word 