Feminism is a socio-political movement and ideologies that is aimed towards promoting the rights and equality of women. The purpose of Feminism is to promote a world where patriarchy no longer oppresses women and where gender-based discrimination is eliminated.
To be feminist means to fight for and advocate for equality between men and women, both socially and politically. This includes challenging and changing oppressive systems that limit the rights of women, such as the gender wage gap, patriarchal systems of power, unequal access to education and healthcare, sexual violence against women, and laws discriminating against women. It also includes fighting for the recognition of all forms of femininity in society.
Feminism is therefore not about hating men or fighting and eliminating them; it is not about fighting to get men out of power, neither is it a fight for women superiority. This French word that became an English term since the 1890s goes beyond being sexually liberal as a woman. It is not opposed to marriage and motherhood. With all these said, one would wonder what then is Feminism? Well, this what we will trash out as you read on.
What Does Feminism Mean?
With much credit to Charles Fourier a Utopian and French philosopher who invented the word in 1837, some school of thoughts has given different definitions of the term and these definitions can only be narrowed to two.
On one hand, it is a political, social and economic equality on the sexes, on the other hand, it is an organized activity centered on women rights and interests. But then, if we must accept parts of these definitions, the term feminism can be simply put as a social movement or an ideology that is based on closing the wide gap between men and women.
It is the advocacy for women’s right on the ground of sexist equality. The ideology wants women to feel safe against all forms of harassment.
The concept of feminism has its root from the early 18th century when women were forced to endure severe sexist laws which include but not limited to getting girls as young as ten years married, denying women jobs based on their gender, and husbands raping their wives to satisfy their sexual urges. It is the fight against these historical societal misfortunes at different stages that gave rise to different waves of feminism.
The Four Waves of Feminism
Since the inception of the term, feminism has always been known to have three waves. However, thanks to the era of internet connectivity, the fourth wave was birthed on the strength of the #MeToo movement on various social media platforms. Each of the waves of feminism has its own goal:
- The first wave
This was prevalent between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was focused on fighting to gain political power, especially the right to vote. This movement is also popularly referred to as “the suffrage movement”. The movement actually started in the western world when a group of men and women collectively sought for women’s right to vote. The success of this movement in different countries in the western world led to its success in other nations of the world.
- The second wave
This wave came into existence after the first goal was achieved almost in all countries of the world. The wave lasted for about two decades starting from the 1960s, after the second world war. The main goal of this phase is to ensure equal rights for women in all works of life— social, reproductive, legal and employment-related. The movement focused on putting to a lasting end the male-centric society as was the case at the demise of the war.
- The third wave
This phase started around 1991 and it continued until the fourth wave was birthed. The wave centered on different issues that concerned women alike ranging from the right to contest for a political office, to right for women to control their lives and bodies. Towards the end of the late 90s and the early 2000s, the wave broadened its goals to encapsulate the abolition of gender-role stereotypes and the expansion of feminism to include women with diverse cultural and racial identities.
- The fourth wave
With the rise of the fourth wave in motion, feminism now appears to be reaching a level of cultural relevance it wasn’t allowed to enjoy in the past years. The resurgence of this term was with the help of social media and although it now involved young people who probably have little or no idea about what it means, the wave has its focus on justice for women, fight against sexual harassment and the fight to stop violence against women.
See Also:Â 125 Valuable Resources For Women
What Does It Really Mean To Be Feminist?
Having quite understood what feminism really is, discovering a true feminist or becoming one wouldn’t be a difficult task. Everyone can claim to be a feminist and that include the male gender. This is because feminism makes provision for both male and female to explore their true identity.
But either you are a conservative feminist, a radical feminist or in between, one thing remains a fact – all feminists are pro-women. However, some important qualities come into consideration to identify a true feminist. Here is what it means to be a feminist:
1. To be a feminist, you respect the male gender: This might sound a little hurtful to many who find themselves under the umbrella of feminism. A feminist is any man or woman who does not necessarily want everything a man has and who does not think that a woman is better than a man, instead, a feminist accords respect to men but only demand a return of the same respect from the man.
2. You are a feminist if you believe that women deserve to receive equal wages with men. A true feminist is worried that the wage gap is not yet a thing of the past and you look forward to a time when women are paid the same amount as their male coworkers.
3. You are a feminist when as a woman you recognize your power and try to be self-dependent, and as a man, you help the woman discover her inner power. Every true feminist wants every woman to take ownership of what she is. To be a feminist, for example, you would want a woman to become the president of your country one day.
4. You are a Feminist when you speak out against sexism. Every true feminist fight against discrimination against women whether at home, in workplaces or worship centers.
5. It means you are a feminist when you stop yourself and speak against women being judged unfairly based on their sexuality or what they wear.
