People have a variety of perceptions of the term ‘feminism’. At its very core, feminism is all about advocating for women’s rights on the basis of equality of genders. While we are not even halfway through establishing a gender equilibrium, several women leaders have been fighting for the rights of women. In the history of the world, women have undergone oppression but thanks to these feminist icons who took the lead on so many matters of concern, the world has progressed in many ways.
History of Feminism
Feminism has been derived from the French word ‘feminisme’, which was coined by Charles Fourier, a socialist. Feminist history is majorly categorised into four waves.
First Wave
Mary Wollstonecraft was one of the earliest feminists who published A Vindication of the Rights of Women in the year 1792 and endorsed that women’s education should be at par with men. Then in 1848, around 200 women gathered to list out 12 resolutions, the right to vote was among one of them.
Second Wave
This took place in the 1960s and 1970s through which arose the questions about the role of a woman in society. This is when three types of feminism surfaced: mainstream, cultural and radical.
Third Wave
As the 1990s approached, women reclaimed their footing in society. Women became more liberal about their sexuality. It was in the year 1989 that Kimberle Crenshaw coined the term ‘Intersectionality’, referring to the intersection of different kinds of oppression.
Fourth Wave
Many people believe that we still belong to the third wave of feminism. With the onset of the #MeToo Movement, many believe that we have entered the fourth wave, with social media activism at the forefront and serious concerns over equality, freedom and empowerment of women. The fourth wave of feminism includes intersectionality, thereby welcoming issues of a diverse female demographic, which were once ignored by mainstream feminism.
Famous Feminists of the 20th century and their contribution
Here are some of the feminists in history who played a huge role in fighting for women’s rights.
1. Mary Wollstonecraft: A writer, considered a founding feminist philosopher, she published A Vindication of Rights of Woman in 1792. She was a notable contributor to the Suffragettes movement, which resulted in declaring the right to vote for women in 1920.
2. Simone de Beauvoir: Known for writing The Second Sex, published in the year 1949, a book that lay the road to modern feminism. She is credited with making a fearless start towards the protest for feminism.
3. Eleanor Roosevelt: An outspoken lady, Eleanor was associated with women’s issues even before becoming the First Lady. She wrote a newspaper column (1935-1962) that addressed women’s rights even before ‘feminism’ existed as a word. She was also the first delegate chosen for the United Nations.
4. Marlene Dietrich: Originally the woman who wore a ‘pant and suit’ when it was considered taboo in the 1930s, the Hollywood actress made her contribution to feminism through her unique sense of fashion.
5. Betty Friedan: A strong name among women’s rights activists and a writer, she wrote The Feminine Mystique (1963), majorly contributing to the second wave of feminism. She helped organise ‘Women’s Strike for Equality’ in 1970, which led to the popularisation of the feminist movement in America.
6. Gloria Steinem: At the forefront of women’s liberation movements in the 1960s and 1970s, Gloria is also known as ‘Mother of Feminism’. She is the Co-founder of Ms Magazine and has received many honourable awards for her contribution. She remains a trailblazer of feminism even today.
7. Hillary Clinton: Clinton became the first female chairperson of Legal Services Corporation in 1978. Her powerful speech in 1995 ‘Womens right are human rights’ inspired many. Clinton is the only First Lady to serve in public office as the first female Senator and the first female candidate to run for Presidential Election in 2016. She has always led the advancement of women through her work.
8. Oprah Winfrey: Among the major feminist icons in the world, she became popular with her talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show. She has been an inspiration for all women, especially women of colour. She opened the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls and has also aided in building 60 schools and offered scholarships globally.
9. Coretta Scott King: She was known for her work for women’s rights. She was the founder of the National Organization for Women (NOW) and the first lady to lecture at Harvard university’s ‘Class Day’.
10. Maya Angelou: A powerful writer and a public speaker, she was an inspiration for women and African-American people on race and gender discrimination. She was also honoured with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Famous Feminists of the 21st century and their contribution
Here are some of the feminist icons of the 21st century and their contribution to this great movement:
Malala Yousafzai: After an assassination attempt on her by Tehrik-i-Taliban for her activism, Malala recovered from a critical condition and continued to remain an activist for the right to education for girls. She became the youngest Nobel laureate at the age of 17. She has inspired women across the world with her fearless and unshakeable spirit for such a valuable right.
Sheryl Sandberg: The Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg encouraged many women to participate and stand out in the workforce through her book Lean In. She has continued to remain outspoken about the hindrances women experience being in the workforce.
Angelina Jolie: An actress whose fame is inestimable, Angelina Jolie played a big role in raising awareness about breast cancer through her personal story. She shared about her empowered sense as a woman due to her health decision, encouraging women to share their breast cancer stories.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Well-known for her TED talk, ‘The Danger of a Single Story’, Adichie has become a key author in the feminist movement of the 21st century. Many of her pieces have been influential in representing African culture and promoting women’s rights.
Janet Mock: A pioneering voice for transgender people, Janet has used her journalism platform to fight for trans rights. She has shared their stories on several mediums.
Emma Watson: Her speech at the United Nations garnered a lot of appreciation and initiated a new project to fight against gender inequality. She has also launched the #HeForSheMovement to drive the conversation around feminism today.
Tarana Burke: The initiator of the #MeToMovement in the year 2006, many consider her initiative as the fourth wave of feminism. Her work has helped thousands of women across the world to speak up about their sexual assault experiences and given them a safe space to do so.
Michelle Obama: USA’s first African-American First Lady is among the most influential feminist symbols in the world. She has championed the cause of access to education for girls across the globe through her ‘Let Girls Learn Initiative’. She continues to work on girls’ education through the Girls Opportunity Alliance.
Patrisse Cullors: The co-founder of Black Lives Matter, her lead on the civil rights movement comes as the largest after the 60s and 70s. One of the most influential activists in fighting anti-black racism, she has also been forthright about the rights of black women.
Current Challenges Faced by Feminism
Here are some of the major challenges faced by feminism today:
Educational Inequality: Despite the feminist movements, women are still not considered at par for the same educational prospects offered to men. This comes in the form of unequal pay in the workforce, prioritising of a boy’s education over the girl child and many similar inconsiderate dealings.
Patriarchy: This is a deeply-rooted problem in our society, which is why, many sectors—be it households, workplaces, or politics—remain male-dominated.
Lack of respect as caregivers: Despite the progression of females that we see and read about, the sad truth is that women do not receive their due respect as primary caregivers of the family. That kind of unpaid labour is not given its due respect in our society, and their contribution is often underestimated.
The cycle of domestic abuse/violence: Violence against women is on top of the list of challenges faced by feminism. Women are merely treated as commodities—the reason why they undergo emotional, psychological, sexual, and physical abuse in more ways than one can imagine.
What can you do as a feminist for the next generations
Some of the very integral steps to pursue as a feminist for the next generations:
1. Intersectionality: Take into account the struggles of every woman. It is very important to focus on the invisibility of those belonging to the marginalised section and to understand that every woman’s experience and identity are different.
2. Resourcing: It involves investing in women’s leadership, seeking a holistic perspective towards power imbalance, adopting of feminist foreign policies, etc. This requires overcoming the structural problems and seeking a wholesome-society-approach than being dependent on just a few sponsorers.
3. Partnerships: Women face multiple issues, be it gender-based violence, the political power dominance in the hands of men, or economic justice—the list is endless. Therefore, taking lead roles across all sectors of the world is crucial to building a world that recognises women the way they should be.
4. Accountability: It involves the creation of a vigorous framework that ensures actions over the ease of setting up commitments. A set target in the direction of achieving feminist goals is integral to progress in the right direction.
5. Starting at Home: Nurture your kids without gender bias and break free from the social conditioning of role, behaviour, etc. Educate your children about equality.
The impact created by these famous feminists in the world
Here are some of the women who created a stir around the world recently, leading by example that feminism comes best by the action taken. These feminist icons have created an impact in their unique way:
Alexandria Ocasio Cortez: An American politician and activist, this 32-year-old’s unwavering confidence and progressive politics have helped in giving rise to a new generation of voters.
Olivia Rodrigo: Her album Sour was the biggest release of 2021. Her music took the world by storm with her feminist messages, in an appeal to young women to not impose unrealistic beauty standards influenced by social media.
Kamala Harris: The first woman and also the first person of colour to become the Vice President of the United States of America garnered attention by breaking an almost two-century barrier and nailing her stance with the statement, “You may be the first to do many things. Make sure you’re not the last.”
Jacinda Ardern: As New Zealand’s Prime Minister, her leadership resulted in one of the best public health outcomes during the Covid-19 pandemic. Her quick implementations led to very few outbreaks at a time when the world was suffering.
Naomi Osaka: A four-time Grand Slam champion set a great example for athletes around the world by sharing her experience of withdrawing from the press conference that gave her anxiety and the importance of prioritizing mental health.
Conclusion
Feminism opened the closed doors of the basic human rights that many women were deprived of for centuries. Though the fight to simply be a woman in this world is still long, it is these famous feminists who give us strength to keep forging ahead, not accept injustice or suffering of any kind, chase our goals and uplift all the women around us in the best way we can.
FAQs
1. What is Feminism?
Feminism is about equality of rights, opportunities, power, and treatment irrespective of one’s gender.
2. Which is the current wave of feminism?
It is believed that after the #MeToo movement, we are in the fourth wave of feminism where women empowerment, the freedom and equality of women are serious growing concerns in the age of social media activism.