TRACING BACK THE ROOTS OF FEMINISM

Author: Safna Anwer

Abstract

The history of feminism traces back to the birth of civilization. Feminism sheds varied colours depending on time, culture and country. Feminism is an umbrella term that includes manifold movements and ideologies that aim at achieving equality in cultural, socio-economic and political arenas for women. The feminist movements across the globe have brought about great historical changes in the position of women and vice versa. Etymologically the term feminism is derived from feminism(Fr.) which is used by Charles Fourier in 1837. However, the word finds its origin in the Latin term, ‘femininus’ which means of women. This history involves the story of feminist movements and feminist thinkers. The history of the feminist movement is divided into three waves. Each wave is described as dealing with different aspects of the same feminist issues. The first wave refers to the movement of the 19th century which mainly deals with suffrage, working conditions and educational rights for women and girls. The second wave of feminism deals with the inequality of laws, as well as cultural inequalities and the role of women in society. The third wave feminism is seen as the continuation of the second wave and a response to those failures. This paper deeply traces the roots of feminism in line with socio-economic conditions of the world which has paved the path to build strong women.

Keywords: Feminism, feminist movement, stereotype, waves of feminism

 

How to Cite: Anwer, S., 2023. Tracing Back the Roots of Feminism. ‘Pumithiri e-journal of Gender Studies, 2(1), pp.35-40.

Published on 08 Mar 2023