Waves of Feminism in the United States
The first wave of feminism occurred from the late 19th to the early 20th century. Thought to be born out of the slavery abolition movement, the first wave of feminism was indicative of the state of the United States; it was a time where people wanted change and society to increase the rights of those who had been previously opressed. Its main goal was to increase opportunities for women, especially focusing on the fight for suffrage. First-wave feminism focused on social activism and welfare, since women did not have a strong voice in government. With issues of public health and safety, child labor, and women’s work under dangerous conditions on the forefront of the fight, the creation of groups like the National Women’s Trade Union League allowed for women to empower themselves and fight for their freedoms. Progressive era feminism focused mainly on white christian women working with white males to fight for women’s rights. The first wave of feminism had extremely specific goals of fighting for suffrage and improving social welfare in working environments. With the passing of the 19th amendment in 1920, first-wave feminism came to a close as the main goal of it was finally accomplished. Because the goal was so specific and was embraced by higher powers in society, such as white males, the first wave of feminism was overall a success.
Between the progressive era and modern times was the second wave of feminism. Taking place in the 1960’s and lasting through the 1970’s, the women’s movement of this time focused on the professional woman having equal educational and professional rights. College educated women found themselves at home, stuck and unable to make their way into the professional world. With legal actions such as the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which offered the first guarantee of work equality, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited employers from discriminating on the basis of sex, the second wave centered around legal freedoms for women. The second wave started to talk about sexuality in regard to reproductive rights, but the third wave picked up where the second wave fell flat on the social aspects of sex and sexuality. Modern feminism, or third-wave feminism, emerged in the mid 1990’s. The third wave critiqued the unfinished word of second wave, but was only possible with the status and economic and professional power achieved by second wave. “Sexual liberation” was the main goal of third wave as it questioned, reclaimed, and redefined ideas about womanhood, gender, beauty, sexuality, and femininity. It started paving the way for a gender spectrum, believing that not all traits are inherently male or female. With the creation of the new women’s rights movement, the third wave immediately sought to include of girls of color, in contrast to the prior two waves. The start of modern feminism can be linked to the Riot Grrrl movement of the 1990s. 1990s girl punk artists focused on issues of rape, violence, and sex from a female perspective. Through their music, artists turned previously sexist and offensive language, such as the word “slut”, to proud self-proclaimed labels. Music formed a social movement to reach a younger generation which perpetuated the movement itself. With the creation of the internet, feminism forever changed. This wave of feminism was successful because information and thoughts in forms of essays, music, and magazines were easily sharable and could reach a broader demographic of girls. In the 2010s, many considered third-wave feminism to be over, and fourth-wave feminism to have begun. Focusing on reproductive justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and race and class equality, fourth-wave feminism is the current and fluid future of the on-going women’s rights movement. From the first wave to modern feminism, the ideals and ideology have completely shifted. What started out as a fight for basic legal right morphed into a questioning and exploration of what gender equality truly it. It cannot go without mentioning, however, the importance of each wave on one another. The second wave could not have existed without the first, and the third could not have existed without the second. To be successful, the fighters for the future of feminism must look back to learn from the successes and failures of the past waves to strengthen its power and effectiveness. |
A page out of the zine in connection to the riot grrrl movement of 1990's girl punk.
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