How Feminism Has Developed in Two Centuries

 

Feminism Before and During the First Feminist Wave

Feminism started around the 18th century, when some of the many women (some trapped in horrible marriages) began to find the whole sexist society utterly stupid, and slowly started to rebel.

The first feminist book was "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman" written by Mary Wollstonecraft in 1792, and it caused chaos upon people, when they first read it.

Men started to criticise her, while women started to take her as an example, an icon to follow.

Wollstonecraft's public image was severely damaged by the backlash, and she was labeled as a woman who didn’t embody the traditional virtues of womanhood that she herself advocated for.

Albeit there were women who started to embody their feminist self, the very first feminist wave, called "The Temperament Movement", took place in America, in Seneca Falls (New York), on the 19th or 20th of July 1848, organised by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott.

The cause of the female population's rage was mostly due to the unfair law that forbid the right to vote to them, and they only gained it seventy-two years later, on the 18th of August 1920.

During these seventy-two years, right after the Temperament Movement, women across the United States began to organise for the right to vote, and the main figures during this period were Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth and Lucy Stone. They all lead the suffrage movement and travelled the world, giving speeches, and lobbing for changes of the sexist laws.

Many women also started to enter colleges and universities, even if it socially was incorrect. There also were early efforts to break down barriers to women in professions like medicine, law and economy.

However there was a period where feminism got intersected with racial inequality by Sojourner Truth talked about the tough lives of many black women. But, after the Civil War, some suffragists (like Susan B. Anthony) disagreed with the 15th Amendment, because it gave the right to vote to black men too, but didn't extend to women, regardless their skin colour.

The Second Feminist Wave

The Second Feminist Wave (1960s-1980s) took place firstly in the U.S, and it quickly started to spread in Europe, mostly in western countries.

The reason of this movement went beyond voting: women started to protest against discrimination, wanting to fix the equality issues that kept characterising society's mindset, which impacted on economic reasons too.

In this movement, the main reasons were:

Reproductive Rights - Many women, in the second feminist wave, fought to make abortion and birth control assumption legal, wanting to have a say in it.
If you ask me, my body is my choice, and I would've probably punch my husband in the gut if he refused to let me abort.

Workplace and Economic Equality - Women still fight for this, or rather, for equal salaries. For example, in Italy, if the employer had the choice to give the job to either a woman or a man, he'd choose the man, because he's physically stronger than the woman.
Or, if he chooses the woman, this one gets paid less than a man who does the same job as her, for the same time period.
And that's why I'll probably run my own business, when I'll work.

Sexual Liberation - The movement also struggled for the sexual autonomy of women, and fought against the social order that dictated women's sexuality ought be subordinated or controlled.
This encompassed the demand for sexual education, the legalisation of homosexuality, and competent sexuality within the confines of womanhood.

The second wave brought about significant legal achievements, including the enactment of Title IX in 1972, which forbade sex discrimination in educational institutions, the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which feminists claimed aimed to narrow the wage gap between men and women, and a broad range of other critiques of women’s images including media and advertising, as well as culture like feminism that promoted gender stereotypes and encouraged patriarchy.

Key individuals in the second wave were Bell Hooks (who studied feminism through the intersection of race, class, and gender) and also Ms Magazine's founder, Gloria Steinem, and author of "The Feminine Mystique", Betty Friedan. Nevertheless, the movement faced criticism from women of colour and working-class women who contended the dominant waves of feminism sidelined race and class issues. Such criticism led to the development of more intersectional approaches in the later waves.

The Third and (Hopefully) Last Feminist Wave

The third and- hopefully -last feminist wave took place in the 1990s, and it influenced nowadays' feminist thoughts and activism. 

We're still stuck in this movement (shockingly, considering we're in 2025), and there some key aspects (which I'll explain) that makes this movement more unique than the previous two.

Intersectionality - Introduced by Kimberlé Crenshaw in the late 1980s, intersectionality emphasises that women experience oppression in varied ways, depending on factors like race, class, sexuality, ability, and nationality. Third-wave feminists claim that the definition of gender inequality must be widened to include and understand how other aspects of identity impact a person's life and experience.

Reclaiming Femininity - In early second-wave feminism, traditional structures of femininity like beauty standards and makeup were almost always deplored; the third wave approach was an attempt at subtlety. Some of them obtained traditionally feminine virtues and exhibited officially feminine activities-like wearing makeup or certain types of clothing-as a source of empowerment. Under this conception, women can freely express their femininity, masculinity, or somewhere in between without judgement or restraint. 
And, in my opinion, it's stupid to judge someone's style. I mean, nowadays teens, including me, often wear baggy hoodies, boyish shoes, just because they like it. 
Someone's style doesn't define someone's persona.

Sexuality and Sexual Liberation - The third wave of feminism placed a strong focus on sexual freedom, challenging traditional norms around sexuality and advocating for women’s right to define their own sexual experiences. This wave also saw greater attention given to issues like sexual harassment, consent, and LGBTQ+ rights. It encouraged women to take control of their bodies and their sexual identities, rejecting shame and embracing sexual empowerment.

Global and Transnational Feminism - While previous waves focused largely on issues in Western countries, third-wave feminism has become more global. It acknowledges the diverse experiences of women around the world and calls attention to issues such as global poverty, violence, and reproductive rights. Feminists in this wave recognise that struggles for gender equality cannot be isolated to one country or culture: they must address global inequalities since it's not a single country's problem, but everyone's.

A Woman's Representation - Third-wave feminists also put a significant emphasis on media representation and how women are portrayed in film, TV, and other forms of media. Some content creators who talk about fashion give tips for curvier or skinnier women, implicitly wanting to tell them that they're not ugly. That body makes us unique and beautiful.

Activism and Social Media - Platforms like Twitter (now X), Instagram, TikTok and blogs have allowed feminists to organise, share ideas, and mobilise quickly on social issues. Online campaigns like #MeToo and #TimesUp have brought attention to issues like sexual harassment and assault, providing a global platform for women to speak out and demand change.

In conclusion, the feminist movement has undergone a transformation from the 18th century to the 19th and 20th centuries; each wave has built upon the work of the wave before to tackle not only the constraints and struggles of women but also deeper systems of inequality and injustice that intersect with gender. The first wave was largely about suffrage, the second about reproductive rights, workplace equality, and sexual autonomy; whereas the third that is still running today takes a more inclusive and intersectional approach, putting emphasis on recognising varied experiences and identities.

There has been a really huge progress, but we're still, unfortunately, far from full gender equality.

That's all I had to say for today's post, leave a comment if you want to share your opinion on this, and...

Have a good day/afternoon/evening/night!

-Rose❤️