Feminism is an empowering movement that inspires many women of many generations and is still an ongoing cycle that continues to motivate many girls in our generation today. It is a guide for many young women as well as women who have gone through many changes from their youth to adolescence. Empowerment of feminism is what makes this movement a popular and well-made phenomenon with empowerment meaning “the act or action of empowering someone or something: the granting of the power, right, or authority to perform various acts or duties” (Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary, 1999). It took many years for development and earning justice from other people since acceptance was what women needed as well as authority. From the start of what made feminism until now, we are still in a generation where women continue to thrive and rise up in the ranks of honor rolls, the business world, the workplace, and of course their very own school environment.
This goes way back to when women were at the bottom of society when they were considered to be unimportant from the perspective of other men. The late nineteenth century was a period of significant feminist activity, centered on issues like women’s property rights, their access to higher education and the professions, and, of course, the right to vote. (Cameron 2015). Men are often perceived as powerful and superior beings while women are still viewed to be in charge of household chores. When their husbands were off to war or working, they were given roles to do the cooking, cleaning, and other various household doings. They were given these household roles in order to satisfy men or husbands since they weren’t allowed proper jobs that would support their families.
The first wave of feminism took place from the late nineteenth to early twentieth centuries and was driven mainly by middle-class white women (Anderson 2015). This wave of feminism started as an act to battle against these beliefs of the government and their country, influencing other women to join in the acts of feminism. Legal issues were battled here like fighting for their right to vote and their right to own property. They wanted to let women see that there are more opportunities for them in a world where men or the law doesn’t control their lives. From here, many occurrences of feminism, movements, theories, and others were formed. Anderson (2015) elaborates:
“The driving forces of the women and men involved with the three separate waves of feminism throughout history have all worked towards lessening the oppression of women during their time. Be it during the first wave focusing on women’s suffrage, the second sexuality and reproductive rights, and the third focusing on body, gender, and sexuality.”
This led to the development of second-wave feminism where women wanted reproductive rights, mainly because of the idea that no one controls the body of the female. However, since the second wave of feminism has evolved, there have been controversies regarding this movement. It led to more diverse tones and voices for women of minorities speaking up for how only Western women have the privilege to fight for these kinds of things.
Second-wave feminism, however, has been criticized by “women of color” in the West, as well as by Third World feminists, for responding only to the needs of “white women” who continue to enjoy privileges produced by systems of racial and international oppression. (Arat 2015, pg. 677) Second-wave feminism reached out to more diversity and socially acceptable issues. Like reaching out to more minorities, the second wave gives more importance to not just women of the Western world but women of other cultures coming in together and looking for a sense of equality. Mainstream second-wave feminists such as Gloria Steinem primarily sought to gain rights and equality for women, not to destroy men (Allain 2015). This statement from Allain also emphasizes how feminism is about finding equality between women and men. Finding common ground is an important factor when it comes to feminism and the second wave gives importance to that through gaining equal rights and not women being more than men. This also produces a more positive view of the movement.
From there, feminism has been a development waiting to be heard and practiced. Going through a third wave of feminism where women have been practicing it in different aspects of their lives makes them feel more inspired when it comes to everyday feminism. It was a practice that was being implemented and more empowered as the years went by, inspired by the doings from the earlier centuries. It is driven by post-colonial and post-modern thinking. In this phase many constructs have been destabilized, including the notions of a “universal womanhood;” through the filt
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