Feminism hasn’t always been misperceived and misinterpreted as much as it is today. In fact, feminism has brought quite a lot of great changes to women's history. But first, a quick definition.
Definition
Feminism : noun /ˈfem.ɪ.nɪ.zəm/ (Cambridge Dictionary)
· 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 activities intended to achieve this state
· an organized effort to give women the same economic, social, and political rights as men
Feminism can be divided into four waves. The first wave (19th Century and early 20th Century) focused more on women's civil and civic rights. We can take, for example, women’s suffrage, which is the right for women to vote. The second wave (1960s–1980s) focused on women’s fight for their freedom and also against the patriarchy. The third wave (1990s–2000s) is a continuation of the second wave, in which they focused on the previous presumed (by this third wave generation) failures in the feminist movement. It includes highlighting other forms of discrimination based on gender that women come across, such as racism, transphobia, sexism, lesbophobia and even fatphobia. The fourth wave (2010s–present day) is again a continuity of the previous one, but here it focuses on feminism through media, particularly social media. They stress the importance of body positivity, transinclusivity, and having an open discussion on rape culture or even abortion.
How do people see feminism nowadays
When asked what feminism is to people, they all agree to say that it’s men-women equality. What they mean by equality is having the same rights, the same opportunities, and the same freedom. Equal pay for equal skills. For the same work, there are similar rewards. When faced with similar problems, take similar care. In all it’s social equality, not physical/biological equality. Even though we went a long way since the first feminism wave, a lot of people think that we haven’t reached 100% equality. And a lot more think that feminism hasn’t the same meaning as it had before.
Some people
think that in today’s society, feminism can be taken to extremes when feminists
just want to take the lead and not promote equality. They would also call those feminists misandrists
because men are being belittled. Due to those feminist extremists, it undermines
the credibility of the feminist movement
So even if you think that feminism doesn’t fight significant battles anymore because of those "extremists" and that equality has been reached, here is a list of what feminists are still fighting for.
- The right to abortion, which is still not allowed in a lot of countries
- Cases of sexual assault, feminicide and misogyny that are increasing in our societies.
- Hygienic protection that are way too expensive, when it should be free.
- Focus on the diversity of feminism in relation to the diversity of women (women of color)
- Have a greater female presence in politics
- Having a more secure healthcare system is important, as a lot of medicines were tested on men and not on women, so the side effects can be different
And this is an non-exhaustive list.
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References
- Does Feminism Include Trans Women? Female Feminists vs Antifeminists, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baaMpTGC04U.
- « Feminism », 29 mai 2024. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english-french/feminism.
- HISTORY. « What Are the Four Waves of Feminism? », 4 octobre 2023. https://www.history.com/news/feminism-four-waves.
- « History of Feminism ». In Wikipedia, 18 avril 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=History_of_feminism&oldid=1219539907.
- Jarry, Charlotte. « Féminisme : mouvements féministes et combats dans l’Histoire ». Oxfam France (blog), 3 septembre 2021. https://www.oxfamfrance.org/inegalites-femmes-hommes/le-feminisme-a-travers-ses-mouvements-et-combats-dans-lhistoire/.
- « Women’s Suffrage ». In Wikipedia, 1 mai 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Women%27s_suffrage&oldid=1221672681.