Radical Feminism in the 21st Century

Feminism by definition means the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of equality of the sexes. From that definition to the wide-spread third-wave feminism we are shown in the news today, how far has the fight for women’s rights come? With feminists like Betty Friedan, Haleh Afshar, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Oprah, women have continued to fight for their rights whether that be gaining voting rights in the suffragette movements, anti-pornography and prostitution campaigns, objectification and even the strive of equal pay. There is no lie in saying that women’s rights have come a far mile from where they were decades ago but to what extent has the original objective of feminism and equal rights been transformed into what we know today as second and even third wave feminism?

In order to see the change in Feminism we have to be clear of as to what the roots of Feminism are. The history feminism and feminists can be distinctly divided into three waves that have changed and evolved over several centuries.

First-wave Feminism:

First-wave feminism began in the 19th and early 20th century and was mainly concerned with the women’s right to vote. The first-wave promoted equal contract and property rights for women and by the late 19th century feminist activism was primarily focused on the right to vote. This eventually ended with the passage of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution in 1919 which granted women voting rights. Similarly in Britain, Parliament passed the Qualification of Women Act in 1918 where about 8.4 million women gained the vote.

Second-wave Feminism:

Second-wave feminism of the 1960s-1980s was focused on issues of equality and discrimination and held the slogan “The Personal is Political” – this slogan identified the pre-existing cultural and political inequalities that inextricably not only linked and encouraged women to understand how their everyday lives were a representation of patriarchal power structures. Betty Friedan’s 1963 book “The Feminine Mystique” heavily criticised the idea that women would only be content with leading typical house-wife and homemaker lives. The New York Times have said that her book “ignited the contemporary women’s movement in 1963 and as a result permanently transformed the social fabric of the United States and countries around the world” and “is widely regarded as one of the most influential nonfiction books of the 20th century.” She suggests that women begin to lose their own identities in that of their family because of them being victimised into believing that their identity is created through their husband and children.

Third-wave Feminism:

Third-wave feminism began in the early 1990’s and responded to the preconceived failures of the second-wave as well as a significant backlash to second-wave initiatives. The third-wave was made possible by the greater economic and professional power that women had previously gained. This new ideology seeks to challenge the definitions created by second-wave feminism – where they emphasised on experiences of middle/upper class white women and had zero regard for women of colour. The third-wave recognises women’s lives as intersectional and acknowledges race, ethnicity, religion, gender and nationality as significant factors of feminism. It strives to examine issues related to women’s lives on an international rather than national scale. However some of third-wave feminist ideologies can be views as somewhat radical by trying to push the fact that ‘women are superior to men.’

In our day and age, many people believe that the original objective of feminism has been morphed into this more radical ideology that argues the universal concept of patriarchy. But to what extent has our generation created a radical feminist society?

Liberal Feminism:

Liberal feminism is a feminist theory that emphasises women’s liberation and gender equality by removing legal constraints – for example the organisation NOW (National Organisation of Women.) They strive for what is traditionally called first-wave feminism which supports Liberal Feminist ideas.

Radical Feminism:

Radical feminism is a form of feminist theory that signifies a more holistic and system-level of oppression of women like the patriarchy. The core belief of radical feminism is that working within existing social institutions (as Liberal Feminism does) is insufficient for attaining gender equality because roots of patriarchal society is buried deep into those very structures. Radical feminism has changed in meaning over time and parts of it have been integrated into mainstream feminist activism as well as “gender critical” feminism.

From the beginning, women have always strived for equality.

Now, equality does not mean more rights or that women are superior – it simply means that women are at an equal to men, in terms of industry, politics and society. But some extreme feminists are focused on stripping men of their rights, to the extent that they essentially look down on men but that was never the point of feminism.

Overall, throughout the years, feminism has evolved and developed and there have been many successes and breakthroughs that have gained women the rights they deserve. But the fight is never over and still continues to this day.