Fourth Wave Of Feminism

Feminism is the advocacy for women’s rights based on the social, political, and economic inequality of the sexes and genders. The movement dates back to the 1830s in the United States. It has developed through the years to be something much bigger than what it intended to be. What started out as a fight for living wages and safer working conditions for women, transformed into a movement fighting for women’s suffrage. From there, so much blossomed it was more than just equality for the sexes. It was more than just something that white middle class women participated in. From resisting beauty standards and fighting against rape culture, empowered women everywhere are coming together to make a difference for the future women of the world.

We are currently in our fourth wave of feminism. A lot has happened over the past century. A lot has been controversial and has raised public eye. While feminism has a lot of supporters, feminists have been seeing a lot of people who are anti-feminism or people who see too many cons with the movement. Feminism has an online presence on various social media outlets. Many people believe that this has hurt the movements credibility. But, since the internet is a worldwide presence, feminism has become more accessible than ever. Feminism has brought about a positive and progressive change through all four waves of

Women earned the right to vote 1919, but the battle began approximately in 1848. The Seneca Falls Convention is where delegates wrote the “Declaration of Sentiments” that declared women the right to vote (Orleck, par. 6). New England mill workers marched for worker’s rights such as higher wages, shorter workdays, and safer working conditions. They marched on the state legislature in Boston in 1837 throughout the 40s and 50s (Orleck, par 4). The Married Women’s Property Act of 1884 was passed so women could be independent financially from their husbands (Orleck, par 7). Women at the time were also fighting for their right to an education, to own property, and custody to children after divorce. This era of feminism is the first wave. With the success of the suffrage movement, feminism took off with great speed in a positive direction. After WWII, The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan challenged the ‘housewife’ standard in America. Thus, the second wave of feminism was created. The second wave of feminism brought about legalized abortion, education on women’s reproductive health, and gave us the terms “date rape” “sexual harassment” and “domestic violence” (qtd. In Feminism Reinventing the F Word 19, 22, 23). A formative movement from the second wave is the protests of the 1968 Miss America Pageant. Women marched the boardwalk of Atlantic City, New Jersey and rallied against