Currently, there is a lot of talk about feminism and feminists, but what exactly does it mean to be a feminist? Being a feminist is being a person who seeks to separate discrimination from sex, getting rid of the sexual taboos that oppress and reorganize our society, in the sense of breaking down the limits of personal development due to sex.
Today, feminism does not conceive of genders, Both a man and a woman can be feminists.. Therefore, being a feminist is being a person who believes in gender equality and assumes it in her life, executing it through personal and professional praxis. In short, a feminist person seeks live together with equal rights, opportunities and conditions.
In this section we will delve deeper into the origin of feminism by explaining events in the calls.
First Wave of Feminism
The First Wave of Feminism is Enlightenment feminism and the French Revolution. This is where the origin of feminism lies. The first expression of feminism was born in the French Revolution and the socialist revolutions, when observing that freedoms, rights and legal equality had been the pillars of the liberal revolutions of the moment, but they did not affect women. Faced with this, women began to demand their right to autonomy and equality.
This first approach to feminism was governed by the principles of the Enlightenment, its fundamental idea being the search for . Women fought for the right to legal and legal equality and for the possibility of working in other jobs that were not merely administrative or domestic.
Second Wave of Feminism
The Second Wave of Feminism extends from the French Revolution to the mid-19th century and consists of liberal suffrage feminism. Continuing with , we have the second wave of feminism, which was born in the United States, due to the fight for the country’s independence and the end of slavery. Women fought for the cause, getting involved in political and social issues. As a result, women began to fight for suffrage, which had two objectives: women’s right to vote and educational rights. Faced with this, the solution proposed by said group was based on discarding any discriminatory legislation. However, the right to vote on equal terms was not accepted until after the First World War. The First World War allowed women access to the economy, industry and public administration, because men were at the forefront and in light of this, it was undeniable to recognize the demands of the women suffragettes.
However, in Spain feminism appeared later, with feminist associations appearing in 1920 that defended the right to education and voting. It was not until the 1930s that most countries recognized the right to equal voting.
Subsequently, women raised the right to accessibility to higher education and all work professions. On the other hand, they demanded equal civil rights and wanted to share parental rights over their children with the man. In addition, they sought equal pay, emphasizing the values of equality and democratic values. All these premises were based on a movement centered on liberal principles.
Third Wave of Feminism
Next, the Third Wave of Feminism which consists of contemporary feminism. Contemporary feminism was born as a result of the revolutions of the 60s, until today. One of the main objections was the diversity of women, in a feminism based on the criticism of the monolithic use of women, expressing the diversity of situations among women. Diversity was understood as gender, race, ethnicity, country and sexual preference.
On the other hand, it was sought overthrow the sexualized stereotype of women in the media, advertising and even in art. Another premise was the abolition of patriarchy, determining that, beyond the right to education and voting obtained years ago, it is the structure of society itself that compromises inequalities, configuring hierarchies that still benefit men today.
Finally, the debate is born with the motto “the personal is political” where the abolition of violence against women, the right to abortion or conception and women’s health. Starting in the 1980s, the different currents of feminism that emerged as types of feminism entered into an intense debate, explained below. Finally, it is interesting to read some to better understand what feminism is and see how it has evolved in history.
The different feminist movements today separate different types of feminism. Some of the types of feminism that exist today are the following:
Philosophical feminism
One of the types of feminism whose objective is to reflect on the concept of women in the social order. He urges a historical review of philosophy, where the figure of women was erased. Throughout history, philosophical feminism has founded various types of feminism.
Feminist anarchism
One type of feminism is anarchist. It begins at the end of the second feminist wave, in the 60s. It refers to radical feminism, which defends that the patriarchal system of our society is the real problem because it imparts authoritarianism and oppression to men over the female gender. This current defends that if the function is to fight against patriarchy, they must oppose all its manifestations, because they are oppressive structures in themselves.
Liberal feminism
This type of feminism promotes recognition of women’s capabilities in the workplace or other activities that throughout history have been associated with men. Liberal feminism seeks to promote laws that favor the inclusion of women in the labor market and equal opportunities in all areas of social life.
radical feminism
He is supported by social inequality stating that it has been caused by patriarchy, in the submission of woman to man. On the other hand, they defend the initiative to establish a matriarchy, as a form of compensation, or other people from this same movement defend the creation of egalitarian feminist fraternities. Discover the.
abolitionist feminism
Among the different types of feminists, there are those who were part of abolitionist feminism. It shares the premises of radical feminism, also highlighting the fight against prostitution and pornography, classifying them as manifestations of patriarchy.
Postcolonial feminism
One of the kinds of feminism. This, specifically, studies the figure of women in postcolonial geopolitical spheres. In them, they analyze the dependency relations with the metropolis as a mode of social construction. It exposes features such as classism and machismo of colonizing thought.
Marxist feminism
A type of feminism from the socialist side. Marxist feminism reflects on how power is established and built in society according to Marxist theory. He highlights the importance of how economic conditions can perpetuate oppression, that is, he analyzes how the capitalist system influences the perpetuation of patriarchy.
black feminism
Specifically, black feminism focuses on analyzing the situation of racial minorities. It highlights how discrimination is an obstacle to achieving gender equality. He defends that racism and patriarchy influence gender roles.
Transfeminism
Another type of feminism that exists today is transfeminism. Like abolitionist feminism, this type of feminism shares the main premises of radical feminism, adding the non-conception of transsexuality, since they believe that the aspects Masculinity and femininity are constructions formulated by society, which they oppose.
equality feminism
One of the types of feminism is equality feminism. Share the idea of transfeminism get rid of gender roles, which he interprets as influences of culture and education. Her main objective is that women can have the same status as men, differing from other feminist currents in that they take reference from the concept of male status, while the others do not.
Feminism of difference
Contrary to the current of equality, it emerged in the 90s, introducing the perspective of the difference between men and women. They began with the work of the criticism of language and his work on it. He claims the difference between men and women, with differences in values, indicating that women should not be treated like men. They establish a radical break with the patriarchal system, with the aim of changing the conception of the world, not just reducing the treatment of gender or rescuing some women. It seeks to expand the struggle to political work.
Scientific feminism
It has its origins in evolutionary psychology. Scientific feminism recognizes the biological differences between the sexes. Even so, it points out that these differences do not justify inequality between genders. Thus, he urges the construction of an inclusive society in terms of equal rights between men and women.
Ecofeminism
Another type of feminism that exists today is . Ecofeminism appeared in Europe at the end of the 20th century, as a response to the male appropriation of agriculture and reproduction, resulting in the overexploitation of land and the commercialization of women’s sexuality. Ecofeminism works alongside the feminist and environmental movements, establishing the opinion that they should jointly outline common goals for equal rights and abolition of hierarchies.
Separatist feminism
One of the branches of feminism. Specifically, the most extreme side of radical feminism. It does not lie in the principle of equality, as it maintains the difference between both genders, pointing out that women must remain outside of any relationship with men, defending lesbian sex as the only alternative for the correct development of women’s sexuality.
Intersectional feminism
The , founded by Kimberlé Crenshaw, fights for the rights of all women. This fight takes into account that there are factors that also create inequality among women and aims to fight for the rights of all.
Male feminism
This type of feminism is a men’s movement committed to gender equality. Explain the effects and consequences of Patriarchy as a mechanism to perpetuate machismo and the superiority of men within the social order.
lesbian feminism
Lesbian feminism defends that naturalizing heterosexuality as sexual norms in society favors the permanence of social roles by gender. Blame the principles known in lesbian feminism as heteronormative for gender inequality….