We explain what feminism is, its history, achievements and objectives it pursues. Also, what types of feminism exist.
What is feminism?
feminism It is a social and political theory that aims to understand the way in which societies think about women. as a group of individuals.
In other words, it is a philosophy that exposes the sexist traits of different societies that is, those that demonstrate the traditional domination of the masculine over the feminine, of the majority of men over the majority of women.
Furthermore, a diverse and heterogeneous set of social, political, cultural, economic and even sexual movements are grouped under the term feminism. Its common and fundamental objective is the fight to achieve equality between men and women that is, the elimination of the various existing forms of sexism.
It can be considered a doctrine of thought that makes visible the ways in which a society privileges the masculine in the economic and work sphere, in the domestic, in the intimate, even in the sexual and reproductive sphere. In that sense, feminism is a tool to identify and criticize machismo, and is not really, as many believe, its opposite.
Feminism has antecedents throughout history, but it emerged as an identifiable social and political movement in the 19th century. It later became an academic theory and the intellectual basis for a set of gender studies, in which an attempt is made to dismantle a long and ancient tradition of sexist and homophobic thinking, in favor of building freer societies.
See also: Feminist movement
What does feminism seek?
Feminism pursues gender equality, that is, the end of patriarchy: the ancestral predominance of men over women in social, economic and cultural aspects. It could be said that it seeks the end of machismo, that is, the establishment of a society in which men and women are equal in rights and opportunities.
Feminism does not propose a society without men, nor does it propose the submission of the latter to the authority of women. This does not mean that there are no radical or extremist feminist aspects, but the whole of a vast, complex and important cultural, political and philosophical movement should not be judged by them.
history of feminism
Feminism has important antecedents in the history of humanity, which however were always punctual. It was about emancipated, rebellious women who assumed positions of power and led entire societies.
Some needed to assume male pseudonyms in order to publish their writings or pursue an intellectual career, in times when such activities were seen as something “for men.”
However, Feminist thought itself had its beginning with the French Enlightenment, in the 18th century. especially after the publication of the work Vindication of women's rights (1792) by the English philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797).
In this book, the controversy regarding the difference between the sexes and their traditional roles in society was already assumed: the man in work and thought, and the woman in the home, taking care of the family and dedicated to artisanal matters, at most. Thus, the great changes brought about by the French Revolution of 1789 and the end of the Ancien Regime allowed the emergence of feminist thought.
Thanks to that, it later appeared the so-called First Wave of feminism, which openly questioned the existing hierarchy of the sexes. In it, the suffrage movement, that is, the movement for the universalization of the female vote, played a leading role.
At this time, women's movements took on the task of their political emancipation with fervor, and often alongside anarchist and worker groups. The first country to approve women's suffrage was New Zealand, in September 1893..
The call Second wave of feminism appeared in the mid-20th century (60s and 70s), under the name of the Women's Liberation Movement. Unlike the first wave, which focused on politics, this second wave addressed an important diversity of social and cultural issues.
Thus, feminism addressed sexuality, family, workplace discrimination and, especially, reproductive rights, thanks in part to the commercial appearance of the contraceptive pill in 1960.
Important feminist icons such as Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986), author of The second sex (1949), and Kate Millet (1937-2017), author of sexual politics (1970), were part of this second wave.
The Third Wave of feminism emerged around 1990 in the United States. and in reality it consisted of a criticism of the perceived failures of the second wave. Thus, these feminists wanted a movement freer of essentialisms and rigid definitions of what the feminine is.
He opted for post-structuralist philosophical currents, proposing new interpretations of gender and sex. However, this third wave was always involved in some controversy (they were called “post-feminists”) and had greater success in the academic field than in that of sociopolitical militancy.
At the beginning of the 21st century, feminism has become fashionable again, especially in Western countries that have been the scene of marches and massive complaints of sexual harassment.
According to some opinions, certain fragments of the movement have become radicalized, with so-called “feminist” slogans and open apology for lesbianism. However, there is a lot of debate about it and the radical is only one aspect of a complex, diverse and poorly structured movement.
Achievements of feminism
The historical achievements of feminism are not few, and are widely recognized, at least in the West. In fact, the debate regarding the differences between men and women, instead of submissively accepting the imposed place in society, is already an achievement: therefore, it could be said that the existence of feminism is, in itself, an achievement. feminist.
Other historical achievements of feminism have to do with:
- women's suffrage.
- Universal access to education top for women.
- Right to decide on pregnancy and participation in family planning.
- sexual liberation of women and visibility of female desire.
- End of discrimination sexuality in terms of access to work.
- Democratization of certain dress codes.
- labor social protection in case of pregnancy.
- Measurements of protection for a birth with anesthesia and adequate clinical resources.
- Right to abortion in numerous countries.
Types of feminism
There are numerous movements within feminism, some oriented toward the most political and economic, others with merely social interests, each with its own concepts, practices and considerations. Some examples are:
- Anarchofeminism. Anarchist feminism has its roots in the first waves of feminism, and assumes the fight against machismo as a political objective, similar to those of anarchism. Its logic dictates that, since we are fighting against patriarchal society, we must also fight against its economic and political manifestations, such as capitalism and the State.
- Radical feminism or radfem. This is an extremist wing of contemporary feminism, whose fight against patriarchy disbelieves in the possibility of achieving equality without first establishing a matriarchy, that is, a society run entirely by women, which compensates for the millennia of sexist domination already suffered.
- abolitionist feminism. A current of feminism particularly interested in the culture of sex, which denounces and therefore opposes pornography and prostitution, considering them activities that strengthen the imaginary of patriarchy and that subjugate and denigrate women.
- Transfeminism. In this variant of feminism, trans women have a special place, that is, those transgender people who were born with a male biological sex, and in life undertook the transition to become women. The latter is considered possible based on the idea that “masculine” and “feminine” are concepts of cultural origin and therefore can be deconstructed.
- Separatist feminism. The most extreme variant of radical feminism aspires to build a society solely of women, as the only possible alternative to patriarchal domination. Among them, lesbian sex is considered the true and only form of sex that guarantees the plenitude of women.
Continue with: Gender equality
References
- “Feminism” on Wikipedia.
- “History of feminism in 10 minutes” (video) at Carki Producciones.
- “Suffragettes. Pioneers of feminist struggles” (video) on Canal Encuentro (Argentina).
- “Feminism: history and currents” in Mujeres en Red.
- “What Is Feminism, And Why Do So Many Women And Men Hate It?” by Kathy Caprino in Forbes.
- “Feminism (sociology)” in The Encyclopaedia Britannica.
