MEANING OF FEMINISM

• FEMINISM: AN AWARENESS OF WOMEN’S

OPPRESSION,AND EXPLOITATION IN
SOCIETY,AT WORK AND WITHIN FAMILY AND
CONSCIOUS ACTION BY WOMEN AND MEN TO
CHANGE THIS SITUATION. --- KAMLA BHASIN
AND NIGHAT KHAN.
• examples of being a Feminist :
 WHO ARE A FEMINIST
• Depending upon the background, education,
consciouness it appears differently in different
parts of the world and within country.
• Ex: a rural women despite opposition from
huband goes to literacy class is an feminist.
• Urban feminist attending court for property
matters and divorce.
• Feminism is term that emerged when women
began writing about INEQUALITIES, INJUSTICE,
INFERIOR STATUS, DEMANDING AN
IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR SOCIAL POSITION.
• It is an movement seeking the organization of
the world for sex equality in all relations.
• A movement which rejects every social
injustice.
 CONCEPT OF FEMINISM
• the advocacy of women's rights on the ground
of the equality of the sexes.
• the belief that women should be allowed the
same rights,power, and opportunities as men
and be treated in the same way, or the set of 
activitiesintended to achieve this state.
• So it is a powerful advocacy and justification of
views such as these is known as feminism.
 MEANING OF FEMINISM
• Feminism is a range of political movements, 
ideologies, and social movementsthat share a
common goal: to define, establish, and
achieve political, economic, personal, and
social equality of sexes.[1][2] This includes
seeking to establish educational and
professional opportunities for women that are
equal to those for men.
 DEFINITION
• N. Abercrombie: Feminism is a doctrine
suggesting that women are systematically
disadvantaged in modern society and
advocating equal opportunities for men and
women.
• Collins dictionary of sociology: feminism refers
to a holistic theory concerned with the nature
of woman’s global oppression and
subordination to men.
 GROWTH OF FEMINISM
• THE FIRST WAVE OF FEMINISM: took its birth
in england in 18th century.
• Objective: to achieve equality between the
sexes by extension of rights to women.
• Right to vote, equal access womens access to
education and profession.
 SECOND WAVE OF FEMINISM
The notions of masculinity and feminity which
was taken for granted is now been
challengened,.
Womens liberation movement ,social
awareness,challenge male dominance.
Mobilising group for collective action.
 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FIRST WAVE AND
SECOND WAVE
• Earlier struggle was for democratic rights of
women.
• Right to education,employment,own
property,right to vote,parliament,birth control,
to divorce.
• Today femnists are bringing about structural
changes of women in public and private sphere.
• Production and reproduction
• Contemporary feminism struggle for the
achievement of equality,dignity,freedom of
choice.
 FEMINIST CAMPAIGN- FIVE BASIC APPRO
ACHES PROPOSED – BARBARA BOVEE
• 1. Attempts by women to resocialise,to
overcome traditional gender roles .
• 2.Efforts to change personal interactions with
men, to avoid sexist patterns.
• 3.Use of media and academic world to combat
sexism, for egalitarian values and respect for
women.
• 4.challenges to male dominance through
boycotts, lawsuits, demonstrations.
• 5.Alternative institutions like women’s help
medical clinics, publishing houses.