We are fighting for feminism.
Feminism. What is it, why do we need it, and where did it come from?
In a few words, feminism is equality. It’s about equal citizenship and fair opportunity. It’s the radical notion that together, woman and men, equally-equal humanity. But how did we get here? Feminism, even being a definition of equality, has taken many forms over the last generations and has expanded to include all genders, races, and ethnicities of people.
In the early 1800s woman had no legal identity, meaning they had no right in politics, property or law. In most cases woman where seen as property and overlooked as having any real impact outside of the home. In 1848 a woman’s rights convention was held and modern feminism was on its way to becoming the biggest step forward in humans rights since the writing of The Declaration of Independence. This period became known as the first wave of feminism.
In Australia, suffragettes joined parties with the temperance movement, a movement aimed at diminishing the drinking of alcohol by promoting moderation of drinking rather than abstinence. This movement gained attention in the 1830s and along with it the rights to women’s votes. Across the Tasman Sea, other married woman joined the movement. In 1840 New Zealand became apart of the British Empire under Queen Victoria. This was a huge move for feminism because soon following, the Treaty of Waitangi was signed, and then the New Zealand Constitution Act which granted limited self-rule. By 1893, after many protests and a few elections later, New Zealand becomes the first country to grant voting rights to woman. Hop back over to Australia and woman’s right to vote was passed in 1895. It was apparent by this point that feminism was making its entrance into the modern age.
In the West changes where beginning to meet the surface as well, but the right to vote was not acknowledged for another 25 years. At the beginning of the 1800s woman in America organized, petitioned, and protested to earn the right to vote. The 19th Amendment was introduced to Congress in 1878 but didn’t gain traction until President Wilson changed his position to support the amendment in 1918. By 1920, the amendment was ratified and woman had gained the right to vote in America.
Fast forward 20 years and World War II inaugurates change across the globe. With an entire generation of men sent off to fight the war, a gap was filled as millions of woman flock to join the workforce. They worked across the economy as train cleaners, postal workers, tram drivers, and police patrols, and of course, factories. In addition, for the first time in American history, woman who were not nurses were allowed to enlist in the armed forces. The Navy and the Marines accepted around 13,000 women and a much smaller number were accepted into the Coast guard. Most importantly, woman were given the same rank, responsibilities, and benefits as men along with equal payments of $28.75 a month. During this period of change, a shift was made in American feminism. Culture icons like Rosie the Riveter empowered woman’s economic influence and created a sisterhood among the working woman of America. The focus of woman’s citizenship shifted to a more economic presence rather than political presence. However, not all woman were included in this movement. Many African American and immigrate woman never saw the unity that most white woman experience in the forties. The inclusion of black woman in the feminist movement was not seen in American culture until the mid-60s.
Opposing many of the cultural norms of the 50s, it’s fitting to say that the 60s was one of the most combative decades in American history. It was a time of transformation and bizarre contrast: rebellion and backlash seemed to go hand-in-hand. As one historian put it, “In the 1960s, dissidents shook the very foundation of U.S civil society.” Men and woman of all ethnicities protested across America to support movements that included civil rights, gay rights, women’s rights, and advertised environmental awareness and the peace movement. Each had its own impact on American society and government. Most notably however was the deep cultural changes that altered the role of woman in American society. Ambassitors of gender equality like lawyer Ruth Bader Ginsburg, former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, writer Betty Friedan, journalist Gloria Steinem, singer Odetta Holmes, and countless others sparked the “second wave” of feminism.
What makes second wave feminism stand out was the development of different forms of “the feminist”. Not all woman agreed on the same ideologies, so different prospectives of feminism like theoretical feminism and practical feminism emerged. Another difference in second-wave feminism was the focus on sexual harassment in the workplace. Sexism outside the law was challenged and women began to stand up for themselves in areas where men where put on pedestals. Literature also became a way of female self-expression and aspiration that paved the way for modern day feminism. The idea that a woman’s body was not created for a man’s judgment empowered abortion laws to be ratified, and in 1960 the birth control pill was approved for contraceptive use. And soon following, protests against beauty pageants tested the traditional beauty standards in American culture. It was apparent woman were no longer going to be conforming to its oppressors ideas of what a woman can and can not be. The cultural definition of femininity was reformed and from that, a unity within woman that proved the power of resilience and rigger can shake a country to its core until the very tradition it was built on is questioned.
It’s been a long journey in the fight for woman’s rights, and unfortunately, it’s far from over. As cultures change, so do the people. And when people change, the whole world changes with them. So let us not forget what was fought so hard for, and appreciate the gift of voice that the strong woman before us have given. Today their voices are still being heard in the shouts of young girls and boys struggling to have their ideas heard, in the men and woman marching in the masses to fight what they know only as hate against what they rightfully deserve:political, economic, and social equality of sexes…feminism. We are all fighting for feminism.
BBC: What Did World War 1 Really Do For Woman?http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z9bf9j6 February 04, 2019
National Women’s History Project: Detailed Timeline February 04, 2019 http://www.nwhp.org/resources/womens-rights-movement/detailed-timeline/.
Barbara Caine on First Wave Feminism: Youtube March 6,2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWp-DoFnL6Y February 4,2019
