History of Feminism

Even before the political movements in the 1960s, the need for voices of women had been felt before, especially in literature, only that one did not have the right vocabulary to put the thoughts in. Writings by women— such as Mary Wollstonecraft’s ‘A Vindication of the Rights of Women’ (1792) or Virginia Woolf’s ‘A Room of One’s Own’ (1929)— had analyzed the underlying unjust society for women. In India, Savitribai Phule’s contribution to the upliftment of women in social and educational sphere is immense. she can perhaps be deemed as the first feminist icon of India. However, the list of powerful women of India is filled with ‘hero’ic figures even before her— Gargi, the debater; Razia Sultan, the Mughal ruler; Rani Laxmibai, the freedom-fighter

The Feminist understandings of today have specifically been shaped by the Feminist uprisings in the 1960s. Gradually and rightfully, the world saw three prominent waves of Feminism. we are currently in the fourth wave of Feminism.

Waves of Feminism

The world saw its first wave of feminism in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century when several men and women demanded equality at par with men. Women questioned the essential differences between men and women. The famous speeches— Ain’t I A Woman— by Sojourner Truth challenged the patriarchal norms by calling out the famous ‘cult of domesticity’— that women are primarily suited for care-giving roles.  Labels like being ladylike were challenged.

The second wave (in the 1960s) saw minority groups raising their voices, wherein women from marginalized communities highlighted the loopholes of Feminism within the community.  

The third wave (mid 1990s), there was an uproar to deconstruct the purview of universal womanhood and heteronormativity.

The first wave of feminism was led by cisgender white women belonging to the middle class while the second phase saw a rebellion from women of color demanding their rightful place in the global sisterhood . The third wave, post-colonial and post-modern in its essence, deconstructed the prevailing patriarchal notions of feminine beauty and challenged heteronormativity. 

The fourth wave of Feminism gains currency and becomes more visible in the online world. Social Media became a new watchdog for democratic voices, with people from different strata of society coming together to disseminate knowledge.  In the present times, given the easy access to digital spaces, meaningful discussions and discourses are taking shape rampantly.

The fourth wave picked momentum universally with the Me Too movement, wherein women from different sections of the society came forward (online) to voice their dissent against sexual assault attributed to them. The movement drew widespread popularity giving a platform for umpteen underrepresented women and people from oppressed communities, who otherwise had been hesitant to address the assaults on them. Such movements gave many women the vocabulary and space to talk about their oppression. (See the page Real Stories for more #MeToo stories)

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