Micaella M.
Olivar
BSED-IVA
HISTORY OF FEMINISM
 The term feminism can be used to describe a
political, cultural or economic movement aimed
at establishing equal rights and legal protection
for women.
 Feminism involves political and sociological
theories and philosophies concerned with issues
of gender difference, as well as a movement that
advocates gender equality for women and
campaigns for women's rights and interests.
 Feminism has altered predominant perspectives
in a wide range of areas within Western society,
ranging from culture to law.
 Feminists and scholars have divided the
movement's history into three "waves".
 First-wave feminism
 Was a period of feminist activity and
thought that occurred during the 19th
and early 20th century throughout the
Western world. It focused
on legal issues, primarily on gaining the
right to vote.
 Originally it focused on the promotion
of equal contract and property rights for
women and the opposition to chattel
marriage and ownership of married
women (and their children) by their
husbands.
 However, by the end of the nineteenth
century, activism focused primarily on
gaining political power, particularly the
right of women's suffrage.
 In 1918 the Representation of the People
Act 1918 was passed granting the vote
to women over the age of 30 who owned
houses.
 In 1928 this was extended to all women
over twenty-one.
 American first-wave feminism involved
a wide range of women. Some, such as
Frances Willard, belonged to
conservative Christian groups such as
the Woman's Christian Temperance
Union. And Matilda Joslyn Gage, were
more radical, and expressed themselves
within the National Woman Suffrage
Association or individually.
 Second-wave feminism
 is a period of feminist activity and
thought that began in the United States
in the early 1960s and lasted roughly
two decades.
 with an aim to increase equality for
women by gaining more than
just enfranchisement. Issues addressed
by the movement included rights
Forms of Feminist Theory
regarding domestic issues such as
clothing and employment.
 Imelda Whelehan suggests that the
second wave was a continuation of the
earlier phase of feminism involving the
suffragettes in the UK and USA.
Second-wave feminism has continued to
exist since that time and coexists with
what is termed third-wave feminism.
 The scholar Estelle Freedman compares
first and second-wave feminism saying
that the first wave focused on rights
such as suffrage, whereas the second
wave was largely concerned with other
issues of equality, such as ending
discrimination.
 The feminist activist and author Carol
Hanisch coined the slogan "The
Personal is Political" which became
synonymous with the second wave.
Second-wave feminists saw women's
cultural and political inequalities as
inextricably linked and encouraged
women to understand aspects of their
personal lives as deeply politicized and
as reflecting sexist power structures.
 Third-wave feminism
 is an iteration of the feminist
movement that began in the early
1990s United States and continued until
the fourth wave began around 2012.
 embraced individualism and diversity an
d sought to redefine what it meant to be
a feminist.
 seeks to challenge or avoid what it
deems the second wave's essentialist
definitions of femininity, which
(according to them) over-emphasize the
experiences of upper middle-class white
women.
 Third-wave feminists often focus on
"micro-politics" and challenge the
second wave's paradigm as to what is, or
is not, good for females.
 Also contains internal debates between
difference feminists such as the
psychologist Carol Gilligan (who
believes that there are important
differences between the sexes) and those
who believe that there are no inherent
differences between the sexes and
contend that gender roles are due to
social conditioning.
Micaella M. Olivar
BSED-IVA
 Difference feminism: Emphasizes women’s sexual violence, all of which fall under the label
difference/uniqueness and traditionally of feminism and the feminist movement
“feminine” characteristics; argues that more
 Reproductive rights rest on the recognition of
value should be placed on these qualities.
the basic right of all couples and individuals to
 Liberal feminism: Focuses on working within decide freely and responsibly the number,
institutions to gain equality for women (e.g., the spacing and timing of their children and to have
vote, equal protection under the law) but does the information and means to do so, and the right
not focus on changing the entire institution (e.g., to attain the highest standard of sexual and
doing away with government). They primarily reproductive health.
focus on women’s ability to show and maintain
 Domestic violence (also named domestic
their equality through their own actions and
abuse or family violence) is violence or
choices and they are often at odds with radical
abuse by one person against another in a
feminism.
domestic setting, such as
 Marxist/socialist feminism: Attributes in marriage or cohabitation.
women’s oppression to a capitalist economy and
 Maternity leave as the mother's leave time
the private property system (blames classism for
directly before and after childbirth and parental
women’s oppression rather than sexism). Argues
leave being the time given to care for new-borns.
that capitalism must be overthrown if the
oppression of women is to end.  Social integration is the process during which
newcomers or minorities are incorporated into
 Radical feminism: They emphasize the
the social structure of the host society.
patriarchal roots between men and women and
the social dominance of men. They view  Rape is a type of sexual assault usually
patriarchy as dividing rights, privileges and involving sexual intercourse or other forms of
power primarily by gender and, as a result, sexual penetration carried out against a person
women are oppressed and men are privileged. without that person's consent. The act may be
carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of
 Black Feminism: School of thought which
authority, or against a person who is incapable
argues that sexism, class oppression, gender
of giving valid consent, such as one who is
identity and racism are inextricably bound
unconscious, incapacitated, has an intellectual
together.
disability or is below the legal age of consent.
 Cultural Feminism: Cultural feminism
 Sexual harassment is bullying or coercion of a
emphasizes essential differences between men
sexual nature and the unwelcome or
and women in terms of biology, personality and
inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange
behavior. Women are seen to have different and
for sexual favors.
superior virtues that provide the foundation for a
shared identity, solidarity and sisterhood.  Woman Suffrage is the right of women to vote
in elections.
 Eco-Feminism: It see women’s rights and
empowerment linked to political, economic,  Equal Pay is the concept of labor rights that
social and cultural factors that benefit all living individuals in the same workplace be given
creatures and Mother Nature herself. equal pay. It is most commonly used in the
context of sexual discrimination, in relation to
 Transnational or Global Feminism: It
the gender pay gap.
recognizes inequalities across different groups of
women and the importance of intersectionality
as a way to understand and engage difference.
 Visionary feminism: it is a wise and loving
politics. It is rooted in the love of male and
female being, refusing to privilege one over the
other. The soul of feminist politics is the
commitment to ending patriarchal domination of
women and men, girls and boys.
The Feminist Movement
 It refers to a series of political campaigns for
reforms on issues such as reproductive rights,
domestic violence, maternity leave, equal pay,
women's suffrage, sexual harassment, and