" Some people assume that feminism is no longer
necessary, yet this could not be further from the reality. Women have fought
for equality and against oppression for centuries, and while certain fights,
such as the right to vote and equal access to education, have been partially
won, women are still disproportionately affected by all sorts of violence and
discrimination in all aspects of life. "
True, there have been improvements in some areas and
on certain issues: for example, in Saudi Arabia, women were allowed to vote and
run for office for the first time in 2015. However, there has been little or
no progress on other issues, such as insignificant reductions in cases of
violence against women. Women continue to be paid less than males for doing the
same work; there are still nations that have no laws against marital rape and
allow child brides; and customs such as 'honour' killings and female genital
mutilation still persist.
Feminist jokes and stereotypes remain, and many of
them are homophobic and presume that being lesbian is something 'wrong.' In
actuality, being a feminist is not limited to one sex or gender: there are
feminists who are both men and women, some who are gay or lesbian, some who are
heterosexual, bisexual, or transgender, and some who identify differently.
The notion of feminism reflects a history of many
conflicts, and the term has been interpreted in increasingly comprehensive and
complicated ways as understanding has grown. Feminism, in general, may be
defined as a movement to eradicate sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression,
and to achieve full gender equality in law and practice.
Women's movements and feminism's history
There have been many outstanding women who have made
significant contributions to local or global history, but not all of them have been
champions for women's causes. The women's movement is made up of both men and
women who labour and struggle for gender equality and the betterment of women
as a social group. Women were generally limited to the house as daughters,
wives, and mothers in most civilizations, and we are frequently only aware of
women in history because of their relationship to renowned men. Of doubt, many
women have played major roles in cultural and political life throughout
history, but they are often overlooked.
Christine de Pizan, an Italian writer, was one of the
early pioneers who thought and wrote about women as a group, publishing a book
about women's roles in society as early as 1495. Christine de Pizan talked
about writings she had read by eminent men who wrote about the flaws and
weaknesses of girls and women and questioned if women were truly human beings
or more akin to animals. Christine de Pizan's work is an excellent illustration
of the early phases of the fight for women's equality. She was, however,
exceedingly rare in that she could read and write, which was not at all typical
for women at the time.
Later in history, women were active participants in
the French Revolution from the start: the rallies that led to the revolution
began with a huge number of working women marching to Versailles, demanding not
just food for their families, but also political reform. The French Revolution,
however, did not result in the adequate acknowledgement of women's rights. As a
result, in reaction to the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen,
Olympe de Gouges produced the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the
Female Citizen in September 1791, with the purpose of exposing the French
Revolution's refusal to recognize gender equality.
The women's movement originated in North America,
mostly because women in North America were permitted to attend school earlier
than in Europe - and women who can read and write, and are encouraged to think
for themselves, typically begin to question how society works. The early activists
travelled throughout North America, fighting for the abolition of both slavery
and women's tyranny. In 1848, they organized the "First Women's Rights
Convention," and they continued to strive to elevate the social status of
all women. The movement began throughout Europe with the same general goals:
campaigners gathered signatures requesting that working women get their own
salaries rather than their husbands', that women be allowed to own a home and
have custody of their children.
Feminism's first wave
The ‘suffragette movement' refers to the campaign for
women's right to vote in elections. By the end of the nineteenth century, this
had evolved into a global movement, and the terms "feminism" and
"feminist movement" began to be used.
This initial wave of feminism activity featured huge
protests, newspaper publication, organized discussions, and the formation of
worldwide women's organizations. By the 1920s, most European and North American
countries had granted women the right to vote. Around the same time, as more
women began to work outside the house in factories and offices, women became
increasingly engaged in communist, socialist, and social democratic groups.
Women began organizing again after World War II, and
they quickly obtained equal political rights in most European nations, with
women's liberation being an important goal and most women being able to work
full-time, divorce their spouses, and attend university.
By the 1970s, the feminist movement had resurrected in
Western Europe and the United States. Although the goal of this second wave of
feminism was 'women's emancipation,' different organizations had diverse ideas
about how to achieve this. Liberal feminists advocated for more equality
legislation as well as changes to institutions such as schools, churches, and
the media. The primary reason of women's inequality, according to radical
feminists, is patriarchy: males as a group oppress women. They also
concentrated on male aggression against women and began to discuss familial
violence and rape. Socialist feminists claimed that women's oppression is
caused by a combination of patriarchy and capitalism.
Women's studies became a university field during the
second wave of feminism, and publications began to be produced concerning
women's achievements in literature, music, and science, as well as chronicling
women's previously unrecorded history.
Finally, the women's movement was essential in the
development of international texts concerning women's rights, such as the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Elimination ofAll Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW, 1979).
The Third Feminist Wave
The third wave of feminism primarily refers to the
1990s American movement, which was a reaction to conservative media and politicians
declaring the end of feminism or referring to 'post-feminism.' Susan Faludi
popularized the word "backlash" in her 1991 book Backlash: The
Undeclared War Against Women, which described the patriarchal system's negative
reaction to women's freedom. This was not a new phenomenon: women's movements
had always faced with hostility. However, in the 1980s, institutionalized forms
of assault on women's rights became more prevalent. The third wave of feminism
is distinguished by a growing awareness of overlapping categories such as race,
class, gender, and sexual orientation.
Third wave feminism aggressively promotes its ideas
and actions through the media and pop culture, such as through the publication
of blogs or e-zines. It aims to bring feminism closer to people's everyday
lives. Third-wave feminists are most concerned with sexual harassment, domestic
violence, the gender wage gap, eating disorders and body image, sexual and
reproductive rights, honor crimes, and female genital mutilation.
Networked feminism and cyberfeminism
(fourth-wave feminism)
The word cyberfeminism refers to the work of feminists
who are interested in theorizing, analysing, and utilizing the Internet,
cyberspace, and new media technologies in general. Third-wave feminism inspired
the phrase and movement. Even at the first meeting of cyberfeminists, The First
Cyberfeminism International (FCI) in Kassel (Germany), participants found it
difficult to provide a definition, and as a result of discussions, they
proposed 100 anti-theses52 (with reference to Martin Luther's theses) on what
cyberfeminism is not. These included, for example, that it is neither an
institution, an ideology, or a -ism.
Cyberfeminism is said to be a forerunner of 'networked
feminism,' which refers to feminism on the Internet in general, such as
mobilizing individuals to take action against sexism, misogyny, or gender-based
violence against women. One example is the 2017 internet campaign #metoo, which
was a response on social media from women all over the world to the case of
Harvey Weinstein, a Hollywood producer accused of sexually assaulting female
movie industry employees.
Human rights include women's rights
Why do we need women's rights when human rights are
sufficient? Why do we need women's rights treaties when we already have
universal human rights instruments? Women are denied their human rights almost
everywhere in the globe simply because of their gender or sex. Women's rights
are human rights recognized in international human rights treaties and other
agreements, and encompass such rights as freedom from discrimination, right to
life, freedom from torture, right to privacy, access to health, right to
adequate living circumstances, right to safety, and many others.
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