From the works of Plato, 24 centuries ago asserting that women must play an active role in the governance and defense of Ancient Greece, to the subsequent protests led by greek women against the Oppian law which restricted women’s access to gold- the history of feminism is complex, and often fraught with tension. The concerns voiced by Roman consuls many centuries ago, ““As soon as they begin to be your equals, they will have become your superiors!” are echoed by opponents of feminism even today.
It was not until 1968, that feminism was talked about in terms of a series of waves. Martha Weinman Lear published an article titled “The Second Feminist Wave” in The New York Times that spoke of the resurgance of feminism after the suffrage movements. This feminist metaphor became a part of popular discourse starting from the 60s, and became a way to distinguish between the different generations of feminism.
1st Wave: 1848 - 1920s
The first wave of feminism does not just refer to the ideals of women being equal emerging but how these ideas of equality, justice and liberalism popularised in the renaissance and enlightenment eras coalesced into a political movement; that of the Suf ragettes. Although the early waves of feminism have been said to cater to white women, a majority of the women fighting for equal rights such as the right to vote, were in fact abolitionists.
The suffrage movement adopted forms of protest such as marches, protests, lectures and were granted the right to vote under the 19th Amendment. The first wave also saw the establishment of the first birth control clinic in 1916 by Margaret Sanger in the US.
2nd Wave: 1963- 1980s
The second wave movement gained cultural momentum as books by Simone de Beauvoir and Betty FriedanThe Second Sex and The Feminine Mystique became widely read by housewives from well educated upper class families. These shed light on the systemic sexism which had ingrained the idea of women belonging in the house and the momentum of the movement can be captured in the quote “the personal is political”. The problems women had thought were personal to their lives and womanhood such abortions, sexual relationships, working at home and being paid less, marital rape were a result of systemic and political barriers.
The 2nd wave of feminism guaranteed women the right to equal education, the right to use birth control and outlawed the gender pay gap.Despite its limited scope, the view of feminists being man-hating, humourless, bra-burning that did not work towards “real” issues became common, something that has been present worldwide ever since.
3rd Wave: 1991 and early 2000s
Where the third wave began and ended is widely debated but it is said to have begun in the 90s when women reclaimed high heels, lipstick, wearing more revealing clothes which was thought to be subjugation by the early generations of feminists. The aesthetics of this wave were inspired by riot girl groups in the music industry and embraced ‘high-femme girliness’. The Anita Hill Case in 1991 accusing Supreme court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual assault is also instrumental as it sparked several complaints against sexual harassment at the workplace. The concept of “intersectionality” to describe the ‘layers of oppression’ faced by women based on gender, class and race was introduced and became more trans inclusionary.
4th Wave: Present day feminism
The fourth wave is said to have begun in 2012 and is characterised by women empowerment, the use of internet tools and an emphasis on intersectionality. It has been defined by the use of social media to launch several movements such as #metoo and #yesallwomen. Discourse surrounding ‘privilege’ has become popular as these feminists argue that traditionally dominant social groups must acknowledge their privilege to empower those belonging to marginalised groups. It has also focused on issues such as the rape of men, toxic masculinity and 3 the LGBTQIA+ community- thus becoming more inclusive and vibrant.
Despite the convenience that separating different eras of feminism brought about, it was also extremely reductive- using different waves to question the validity of others and implying that only form of feminism can exist at a given point of time. History tells us that 4th wave feminists being told that their movement is unnecessary and feminism should have ended in its first two waves is not a new phenomenon- for the very first women fighting for their rights 24 centuries ago were told the same. While the rich history of feminism might have been reduced to waves, this movement is in fact a part of a vast ocean striving for equality and intersectionality, with different waves existing simultaneously.
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2 Vox. 2020. The Waves Of Feminism, And Why People Keep Fighting Over Them, Explained. [online] Available at: [Accessed 25 August 2020].
3 Maclaran, Pauline (13 October 2015). "Feminism's fourth wave: a research agenda for marketing and consumer research". Journal of Marketing Management. 31 (15–16): 1732–1738