An Introduction to Feminism

We are operating a ‘2 strikes’ policy; if you have broken the rules two times you will be asked to leave the event. If this occurs in the next event you will be disallowed from attending all future Feminist Society events and meetings. By attending this meeting of the Feminist Society you agree to abide by the following rules:  Inflammatory or abusive language during Feminist Society events will not be tolerated Personal attacks will not be tolerated.  Keep discussion calm; no raising of voices or making other people feel uncomfortable  Keep discussion respectful: no overlapping or talking over a person speaking  Triggering or vindictive speech, especially towards sensitive subjects, is not tolerated.  Sensitive information shared within a Feminist Society event or meeting must not be taken out of the space or referenced outside of said space. The executive committee reserves the right to remove people from the meeting or event if they feel that said person will compromise the safety or wellbeing of the rest of the group. House rules

Secretary: The secretary is responsible for room booking, taking minutes and helping to run the society Charity and Fundraising Officer: A chance to work with charities and fundraise! A really important role to the society as we do tonnes of fundraising Social Media Officer: This role is in charge of running our super duper active social media accounts! You’ll be working with the other officers on social media campaigns Campaigns Officer: The campaigns officer will be working closely with social media and charity and fundraising to produce innovative campaigns Events co-ordinator The events co-ordinator will lead the organising of femsoc events and work with charities and organisations that wish to get involved with the society elections

‘the advocacy of women's rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes’ – oxford dictionary Campaigns for: the vote, abortion rights, property rights, equal pay, marriage rights, maternity leave, bodily autonomy, protection against sexual harassment and domestic violence, language gender neutrality, access to contraceptives, destruction of gender roles, awareness of objectification, sexual agency, solidarity with male victims of sexual abuse, neutralisation of toxic masculinity, trans rights, lgbt* liberation What is it?

the timeline First wave – 1870s to 1920s – the right to vote 1918 – women over the age of 30 with property are granted the right to vote after decades of campaigns for women’s suffrage 1928 – all women over the age of 21 can vote 1940s- simone de Beauvoir examines the concept of ‘othering’ women in society the timeline

Second wave - 1960s to 1980s– sexuality, family and bodies 1961 – the pill becomes available in the usa 1963 – betty friedan publishes the bestseller ‘the feminine mystique’ objecting to how women are portrayed in the media and how their potential is wasted 1963 – equal pay act implemented in usa 1968 – Gloria Steinem becomes important leader in the movement and calls for abortion rights the timeline

Third wave – late 80s to 2000s– reunification of the movement 1990s – Rebecca walker becomes a symbol for third wave’s focus on non white, queer issues 1992 – the ‘year of the woman’ – four women entered the us senate, bringing the total to 6 1994 – reclaiming of derogatory terms such as ‘bitch’ and ‘slut’ begins with the band 5th column the timeline

Fourth wave – intersectionality and more intersectionality 2009 – Jessica valenti describes the fourth wave as ‘being online’ – helped via internet campaigns such as the jane Austen £5 note and the attacks on Mary beard 2011 – slutwalk and reclaim the night begins, aimed at targeting rape culture 2012 – british writier laura bates starts the everyday sexism project 2013 – wendy davis holds 11 hour long filibuster to block bill on restrictive abortion terms 2014 – black transgender woman Laverne cox appears on the cover of time magazine 2016 – Hillary Clinton becomes first woman presidential nominee of a major party the timeline

Key terms Intersectionality coined in 1989 by American civil rights activist Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw It is the overlapping or intersecting of social identities – relates to systems of oppression such as racism, patriarchy, LGBT* oppression and social inequality Key terms

Patriarchy A word used to describe our current society – where men have historically been in control of almost every sphere of life and in which women are disadvantaged and oppressed. Key terms

Terf Trans exclusionary radical feminist. Often associated with second wave feminism, terfs do not see trans women as women and often are proponents of ‘womyn born womyn’. Examples of terfs are germaine greer and Julie bindel. Key terms

discussion How did you get into feminism? What would you like to learn about feminism? What do you want to see from the society this year? discussion

Key terms objectification Occurs when a person is seen as a sexual object, and their physical attributes and attractiveness are separated from their value as a person Occurs a lot in the media: see just about every advert ever Key terms

Any questions? to finish