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Digvijay Pandya, Lovely Professional University Unit 23: The Nineteenth Century (Feminist Movement)

Unit 23: The Nineteenth Century (Feminist Movement) Notes

CONTENTS

Objectives
Introduction
23.1 First Wave
23.2 Second Wave
23.3 Third Wave
23.4 Scope
23.5 Cultural Dynamics
23.6 Summary
23.7 Keywords
23.8 Review Questions
23.9 Further Readings

Objectives
After studying this unit, you will be able to:
Describe first, second and third wave.
Define scope.
Explain cultural dynamics.

Introduction

The feminist movement (also known as the Women’s Movement, Women’s Liberation, or Women’s
Lib) refers to a series of campaigns for reforms on issues such as reproductive rights, domestic
violence, maternity leave, equal pay, women’s suffrage, sexual harassment and sexual violence.
The movement’s priorities vary among nations and communities and range from opposition to
female genital mutilation in one country or to the glass ceiling in another.
The movement began in the western world in the late 18th century and has gone through three
waves: the first wave was oriented around the station of middle or upper-class white women, and
involved suffrage and political equality. Second-wave feminism attempted to further combat
social and cultural inequalities.

Did u know? Third-wave feminism, includes renewed campaigning for women’s greater
influence in politics.
The history of feminist movements has been divided into three “waves” by feminist scholars. Each
deals with different aspects of the same feminist issues.
The history, events, and structure of the feminist movement is closely related to the individuals at
the time, specific protests that took place, and the broader transformations taking place in American
culture. The feminist movement worked and continues to work against the status quo in American
society. According to bell hooks, “Feminism is a struggle against sexist oppression. Therefore, it
is necessarily a struggle to eradicate the ideology of domination that permeates Western culture
on various levels, as well as a commitment to reorganizing society so that the self-development of
people can take precedence over imperialism, economic expansion and material desires.”

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