1. An Introduction to Feminism

2. 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

3. 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

4. ‘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?

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. Any questions?
to finish