THE WAVES OF FEMINISM A HISTORICAL + CONTEMPORARY PERSPECTIVE

THE WAVES OF FEMINISM The various waves (movements) of feminism are also known as the Feminist Movement, the Women’s Liberation Movement, and/ or the Women’s Rights Movement.

THE WAVES OF FEMINISM Although the advocacy for women’s rights have been in existence since the beginning of time, there have been significant swells/points in history where the movement has gained momentum around various issues particularly in the late 20 th and early 21 st century.

THE WAVES OF FEMINISM The Feminist Movement continues to this very day as equality of women has not been achieved anywhere in the world.

FIRST WAVE: THE SUFFRAGETTE MOVEMENT The Women’s Suffrage Movement (First Wave Feminism) of the early part of the 20 th Century eventually proved successful in almost every democratic country in the world. The Issue: Suffrage/Vote = Equality

THE FIRST WAVE In 1900 only one country allowed women the vote: Finland in 1906; years later (1919) New Zealand followed suit. White women in Canada got the vote in 1918/19 - Manitoba gave it in 1915/16; Quebec in 1940.

THE FIRST WAVE In Canada, Chinese, Japanese, Korean (Asian), Indian (South-Asian), and Black women did not get the right to vote until Aboriginal Women did not have the right to vote until 1951 (band councils) 1960 (federally).

THE FIRST WAVE By 1950 there were 69 and by countries had granted suffrage to women. Yet, receiving the vote did little for women’s status in society relative to that of men’s status.

SECOND WAVE: WOMEN'S RIGHTS – 1960S Women made most of their gains (political and economic) in the 1960s (Second Wave Feminism). The Issue: Economic Equality + Discrimination = Civil Rights (the personal is political).

THE SECOND WAVE: THE ISSUES Lack of Equity (Equal Pay for Equal Work) A major issue after women received the vote. Most obvious inequality between men and women.

THE SECOND WAVE: THE ISSUES After WWII = expected to return to their traditional jobs at home but this was not to be. Women remained in the workforce and remain a significant and necessary part of it – 50-60% (2008).

THE SECOND WAVE: THE ISSUES Wage Discrimination The difference between men’s and women’s take home pay was a central issue in the 1960s – equal pay for equal work.

THE SECOND WAVE: THE ISSUES Yet a pay gap persists – many women's earnings remain stalled at around 75/80% of most men's.

THE SECOND WAVE: THE ISSUES Many women find that the jobs that pay them the most (pharmacy topped the list, physicians and surgeons) are not easily available to them – while are (nursing, family practice or other lower-paying specialties such as computer scientists, speech- language pathologists to name a few).

THE SECOND WAVE: THE ISSUES The majority of women continue to work in traditional employment sectors (nursing, teaching, helping/service sectors) = pink collar jobs often called pink ghettos.

THE SECOND WAVE: THE ISSUES Women continue to encounter a class ceiling where they can not break through an invisible glass barrier and find themselves barred from upper management + CEO positions. Sexism and harassment in the workplace continues to be commonplace.

THE SECOND WAVE: THE ISSUES Sexism colours the everyday lives of women = education often steers them to particular employment and discrimination and violence is a constant threat no matter what.

THE SECOND WAVE: THE ISSUES Education In the 1960s there was a gap between men and women regarding literacy – many thought that equal access to education would bring about change = literacy rates increased for women.

THE SECOND WAVE: THE ISSUES By the 1960s more women had knowledge and access to contraceptives - development of the birth control pill drastically changed women’s lives = they had control and power over their own bodies.

THE SECOND WAVE: THE ISSUES It was thought that if women had power over their reproductive role, they could choose if and when they would be mothers + they could control their careers which were cut short because of pregnancy and motherhood.

THE SECOND WAVE: THE ISSUES The Second Shift Today, many women work at home (unpaid) and at work (paid labour force) - expected to do traditional duties at home regardless if working.

THE SECOND WAVE: THE ISSUES Women continue to be expected to be the main caregiver if they have children and do the majority of household chores while working in the paid public sphere of employment = the second shift.

THIRD WAVE: WOMEN S S During the 1980s women’s equity progress was slow but steady - still fighting for equality in the public and private spheres. Many Third Wave feminists began to challenge the Second Wave's paradigm as to what is, or is not, good for women (which women?).

THIRD WAVE: THE ISSUES Reproductive Rights Contraceptives + abortion = the split amongst women, however, regarding abortion did nothing to advance women’s issues on economics and other legal issues.

THIRD WAVE: THE ISSUES Language + Meaning Reclaiming derogatory terms = spinster, bitch, whore, and cunt (plus many more) continue to be used in derogatory ways about women.

THIRD WAVE: THE ISSUES Violence Against Women Activism: Take Back the Night + Slut Walks

THIRD WAVE: THE ISSUES Violence Against Women Focus: Domestic Abuse, Rape, Childhood Sexual Abuse, Harassment, Sexual Exploitation, Human Trafficking (physical, sexual, psychological, economic abuse).

THIRD WAVE: THE ISSUES The Riot Grrrl Movement Riot Grrrl was an underground feminist punk movement that started in the 1990s and is often associated with third-wave feminism.

THIRD WAVE: THE ISSUES The Riot Grrrl Movement It was grounded in the philosophy of punk values; Riot Grrrls took an anti-corporate stance of self-sufficiency and self-reliance and placed a emphasis on universal female identity.

THIRD WAVE: THE ISSUES Theory + Debates Tend to use a post-structuralist (deconstructionist) interpretation of gender and sexuality.

THIRD WAVE: THE ISSUES Theory + Debates There are internal debates between different feminists: 1) Those who believe that there are important differences between the sexes.

THIRD WAVE: THE ISSUES Theory + Debates 2) Those who believe that there are no inherent differences between the sexes and contend that gender roles are due to social constructions/conditioning.

THE FOURTH WAVE: TODAY??? There is a question whether we are still in the Third Wave or if we have entered into a Fourth Wave of Feminism.

THE FOURTH WAVE: TODAY??? 4 th Wave: now??? – time (history) will only tell. We are definitely not in Post-Feminism phase = only when we live Post-Patriarchy – the system of male control/power.