Introduction
Feminism refers to economic, political and cultural movement formed to establish and agitate for the equal protection as well as legal rights of all women. It involves the philosophies and sociological and political theories that have a bearing on issues of gender and gender differences. Feminism also involves the agitation for women’s interests and rights as well as movements that fight for gender equality. In addition to the vibrant campaigns for the legal rights of women, including the right to vote, to enter into contracts and to own property, the feminist movement is solely responsible for the paradigm shift in relation to women and their rights in Western as well as other societies. As a result of the feminist movements, women can now enjoy various rights and protections, among them the protection from rape, domestic violence, and sexual harassment, reproductive, and abortion rights, and protection against any forms of discrimination against women. The feminist movement came about in three waves. In the late 19th and early 20th Century, the first feminist wave occurred which mainly consisted of the agitation for women suffrage and the right to vote. The women liberation movements in the 1960’s and 70’s that involved actions and ideas for women’s social and legal rights gave rise to the second feminist wave. Since the 1990’s, the feminists perceived manifest failures in the second feminist wave which brought about the third feminist wave which till today, seeks to react to these failures and remedy them in an effort to end all forms of discrimination against women. This essay will delve into the history of the third- wave feminism and how it came about as well as its goals and achievements so far. The essay will also give a comparison between third and second wave feminist movements. The third- wave feminist movement is not simply an ideological rebellion against the second wave movement but a tactical and practical approach to the second wave failures that still plague the movement.
Third Wave Feminism
Origin
As mentioned earlier, the third wave movement came about as a result of the feminist’s reaction towards the failures as well as the perceived inadequate movements and initiatives of the second wave. Third wave feminism has so far sought to avoid and challenge the second wave basic ideas and definitions of feminism. Third wave feminists are of the view that the second wave feminists in their definitions and ideas of femininity put a lot of emphasis on the upper middle- class women in the American society and the experiences they went through thus providing a sort of myopic definition of femininity that neglected women in other societal classes. The third wave feminist movement originated in the 1990’s and has so far focused on the interpretation of sexuality and gender from a post- structuralist perspective. The main focus of the third wave feminists is to challenge the paradigm’s already set by the second wave movement on the needs of females and the politics concerned with the issue.
The term, ‘Third Wave Feminism’ was coined in the feminist, Rebecca Walker’s, 1992 Essay. Since then, the feminists who viewed the second wave ideologies as myopic embarked on expanding the general idea of feminism and femininity to include women from various and diverse groups, all with different identities. These different identities cater for the non- white as well as queer women who were not catered for by the second wave movement. The broadened focus of the third wave movement includes the abolition of stereotypes and the expectations that co-relate with gender roles. In effect, third wave feminists stand on issues like pornography, prostitution, and commercial sex work is quite divided and ambiguous due to the need to cater for the differing viewpoints of the various feminists.
In effect, Snyder (2008), gives an account of the tactical moves that the third wave feminists coined in response to the failures that came about in the second wave movement. These tactical moves became the benchmark for the third wave movement. The second wave movement had myopic and set definitions on women and the issues concerning them. The third wave feminists, in effect, coined a more multi- perspectival and intersectional version of the term “Women” and femininity. Third wave feminists, faced with postmodernism, are known for their preference of ambiguous terms and references instead of the amalgamation or combination of terms or ideas and for taking of practical action in the place of the manifold theoretical basis and grounds for the movement. Also, third wave feminists recognized how divided the second wave feminists were on the issue of sex and they recommended a nonjudgmental and inclusive approach that refused to form rigid boundaries on the plight of females.
The second wave feminist movement brought about various institutional and legal rights for women in society. The third wave ideology embraced these rights but took issue with continual stereotyping and use of demeaning language used towards women as well as the negative and not so desirable manner in which the media portrayed females in general. Hence, the third wave poststructuralist ideology and perspective on sexuality and gender recognizes the effect that the use of language and the binaries it has created over the years have on the feminist agenda. According to the poststructuralists, these binaries have had the effect of maintaining the status quo and reinforcing the set ideas that were established to retain power within influential groups in society.
Third- Wave Feminist Goals
The Reclamation of Certain Terms
As earlier mentioned, the third wave feminists movement was coined as a result of the inadequacies of the second wave movement. The goals of the third wave feminists became closely related to the pertinent issues that the third wave feminists believed should be addressed and remedied. The first goal of the third wave feminists was to reclaim the terms used in a derogatory manner while referring to the female gender. It is common knowledge that the terms bitch, cunt, spinster, and whore are used in a derogatory manner by English- speakers while making reference to women. According to an author named Inga Muscio, the circumstances in which these words were first used to refer to women were discriminatory and not at all favorable to the female gender. These words were used to oppress and demean women at the time and society needs to acknowledge and remedy this. It is the third wave feminists goal to reclaim these words.
Gender Violence
The gender violence issue is not only of concern to the human rights activists but also the third wave feminists. Society has, over the years, formed its own notions of women’s sexuality which the third wave movement seeks to transform in an effort to allow women to explore their sexuality and feelings. They believe that if the female gender is well- informed and aware of its sexuality, then abuse and gender- related violence is less likely to occur.
Female Reproductive Rights
Another third wave feminist goal is that of the assertion of female reproductive rights. The second wave movement did not cater for a woman’s right to use contraception or to procure abortions. This resulted in the curtailing of the female reproductive rights. The third wave feminists goal is to create the kind of social environment in which every woman becomes free to control and explore their fertility. The American judicial systems’ attempt to ban abortions as well as effect a ban on partial abortion was met with a lot of hostility and agitation from the third wave feminists who believe that when a female is not allowed to make this choice on her own, then her civil and reproductive rights are being curtailed by the courts.
Rape and the Slut Stereotype
Since 2011, the third wave feminists have made manifests attempts at reclaiming the word slut which is commonly used to refer to women who are victims of rape and who are alleged to have dressed as ‘sluts’ which prompted the act of rape. The third wave feminists notion is that if society chooses to refer to victims of rape as sluts, then, in effect, society was of the opinion that all women are sluts since any woman can be victimized and raped no matter how she is dressed. The third wave feminists organized Slutwalks which sought to agitate and reclaim the word and for society to recognize that any woman can be a victim of rape.
General Goals
Other third wave feminist goals include the agitation for the abolition of any restrictions or discriminations set up by a society that seeks to curtail the rights of women or to dictate how they dress, act or express themselves. The feminists advocate that women are free to make choices which may seem immoral or may be shunned by society like participating in pornographic films. The female has a free will and should be allowed to make autonomous decisions which ultimately would only affect her and not society as a whole. In addition to the mentioned goals, the third- wave feminist movement seeks to address matters regarding transgender rights, social class, race, issues pertaining to female sexual liberation, maternity leave workplace policies, the glass ceiling, issues pertaining to childcare and welfare for single mothers and sexual harassment in the workplace.
Similarities and Differences Between Third Wave and Second Wave Feminism
Similarities
Despite the manifest ideological differences that may crop up in an evaluation of both third and second wave feminism, the goal of both movements was and still is the ultimate realization of women’s rights and the abolition of all forms of discrimination against women. One needs not delve deep into history to realize that the plight of women since days of old has been plagued with discriminations and instances where they are not allowed to express themselves or to enjoy particular rights. Both movements sought to redress these disparities.
The second and third wave movements are said to overlap with some describing the third wave as simply an extension or expounding of the issues which were pertinent in the second wave. The second wave was instrumental in the agitation for the legal and social rights of all women. The third wave is also agitating for these rights but in its own way and within different perspectives. The third wave emphasizes the need for women to pay attention to the different forms of cultural critique, an issue which was also widely and adequately addressed by the second wave feminists.
Differences
It has been said that the work of both the second and third wave feminists and the issues they address tend to overlap. This is true, however, there is a difference of time between the two waves. This difference is visible when one considers that the rights and privileges that the third wave feminists enjoy today were the same ones that the second wave feminists fought hard to secure for all women. This fact has given some third wave feminists some sense of entitlement which the second wave did not have.
Another manifest difference between the third and second waves is the second waves view of all forms of sexual relations as oppressive while the third wave embraces postmodernism that is accommodative and sort of embraces practices like transgender, pornography, and all forms of sexual orientation and preferences. When it comes to the issue of sexual relations, second wave feminism comes out as rigid and not flexible enough to cater for the various modern preferences and orientations that are available to women.
It is also clear that the backdrop in which the third and second wave feminists agitated for rights are quite different. Both movements were initiated and established within different contexts. The issues that were pertinent when the second wave was in force were not the same issues that women in the 90’s going forward were and have been faced with. Different social and legal contexts necessitate and call for different responses.
Finally, the level of inclusivity in both waves comes up as a major difference between the two movements. In the second wave, the level of inclusivity was considered rigid with the feminists agitating for a particular set of rights. Third wave feminism, on the other hand, is all inclusive and agitates for various women and gender rights including race as well as the different identities that an individual may possess. Third wave feminism allows the female to explore and express herself fully without any inhibitions.
In conclusion, third wave feminism is not much different from second wave feminism. It is, in fact, an effort by postmodern feminists to study the history of feminism, acquire a practical knowledge of how far the movement has come and the flaws or inadequacies it contains and providing remedies. Third wave feminism stems from the second wave feminism and both movements had and still bear the responsibility to agitate for the rights of women based on the various societal and legal contexts present at the time. Both waves aim to afford women the liberty to express themselves without any discrimination.
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