Men and women are often stereotyped based on the characteristics they are supposed to possess by virtue of their biological constitution. Some negative stereotypes can result in sexism, the unjust treatment of people, especially in women because of their biological traits. Women are affected more severely by gender stereotypes due to the beliefs about the inadequacies of women due to their physical nature.  Nevertheless, many sociologists agree that as compared to men, women more often find themselves occupying statuses that are associated with less power, social respect and income.This attitude towards women can be attributed to ‘misogyny’ which means the prejudice against women. The history of misogyny can be witnessed through classical Greek writings as Aristotle regarded women as deficient, deformed males. And, Plato also created many women characters that were inferior to male characters in his writings. 

Gender stereotypes have given rise to many social theories regarding the gender inequalities. One of them is the feminist theory which aims at proving that gender is socially constructed and that traits like reason, intelligence, perseverance, courage, etc are common to both men and women.The term “feminism” is from the French word “feminisme”, coined by the utopian socialist Charles Fourier during the political upheavals of the late nineteenth century in Paris. The term was first used in English in the 1890s in association with the movement for equal political and legal rights for women. Feminism includes a number of social, cultural and political movements, it also includes theories and moral philosophies related to gender inequalities.It is an interdisciplinary approach to issues of equality and equity based on gender, gender expression, gender identity, sex and sexuality as understood through social theories and political activism. Historically, feminism has evolved from the critical examination of inequality between the sexes to a more subtle focus on the social and performative constructions of gender and sexuality. Thus, the word feminism can stand for a belief in sexual equality combined with a commitment to eradicate sexist domination to transform society. as a sex in society.

Feminism is a multifaceted concept that encompasses both an intellectual pursuit of knowledge and a political movement aimed at achieving equality and eradicating sexism. Driven by a passion for social justice, feminist scholarship offers diverse insights into various aspects of society, culture, economy, and politics. The term feminism is complex and open to interpretation, with some using it to describe a specific historical movement in the West, while others define it as the recognition of injustices faced by women.

As a political and social movement, feminism has been described in terms of "waves." Historians of feminism have identified three “waves” of feminist perspectives. The first wave, in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, focused primarily on gaining legal rights, political power and battle the suffrage of women. The second-wave (1960s-1980s) dealt with the inequality of laws and cultural inequalities. The third-wave of Feminism (1990s-present), is seen as both a continuation of and a response to the failures of the second-wave by focussing more on identity politics.

First-wave feminism

Before 1900’s, women had no control over neither their life nor their families. They had  no property rights and economic self-determination. In the late of 1900’s, women realized that they must have the right of choice and political power. The first-wave feminism refers to a period of feminist activity in the United Kingdom and the United Sates during the 19th century and early 20th century. First-wave feminism mainly concerned with the treatment of woman in the male-dominated society. Originally, till 19th century, it focused on equal rights of contract and property, on economic problems and opposition to chattel marriage and ownership of married women (and their children) by husbands.

Mary Wollstonecraft in “A Vindication of the Rights of Women” protested against the stereotyping of women in domestic roles, the failure to regard women as individuals in their own right and the failure to educate girls and women to use their intellect.By the end of the nineteenth century, first-wave feminism focused primarily on gaining political power and women's suffrage, though feminists like Voltairine de Cleyre (1866–1912) and Margaret Sanger (1879–1966). They were active in campaigning for women's sexual, reproductive and economic rights. In Britain the “Suffragettes”, who were a   couple of women   that campaigned for equal opportunities for women, and the “Suffragists”, who were a group of women who organized a petition that requested for granting womensame political rights as men, got together and campaigned for women’s right to vote and condemn gender inequality. In 1918 the Representation of the People Act 1918 was passedgranting the vote to women over the age of 30 who owned houses. In 1928 this was extended to all women over eighteen years of age.

The major works during first-wave feminism are Mary Ellman’s Thinking about Women (1968), Kite Millet’s Sexual politics (1969) and Germaine Greer’s The Female Eunuch (1970).

Second-wave feminism

Second-wave feminism refers to a period of feminist activity beginning in the early 1960s and lasting through the late 1980s. The second-wave encouraged women to understand aspects of their own personal lives as deeply politicized and reflective of a sexist structure of power. This wave was largely concerned with other issues of equality, such as the end to discrimination in society, in education and in the work place. Itsaw cultural and political inequalities as inextricably linked.

Second-wave feminism is also known as ‘Gynocritisism’. This stage is believed to have begun with Elaine Showalter’s “A literature of Their Own” in 1970s. It is concerned with the writings of Ellen Moore’s Literary Women (1976), Elaine Showalter’s “Literature of their Own”(1970), Nina Baym’s “Women Fictions” (1978), Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar’s “The Mad Women in the Attic” (1979)and Margaret Homan’s “Women writers and poetic identity”(1980).

The phrase "women's liberation" emerged in the 1960s to describe the broader women's movement. The term was first used in 1964 and gained popularity after its publication in 1966. A notable event during this time was the "Freedom Trash Can" protest, where women discarded feminine products, including bras, leading to the misconception that bra-burning was a widespread practice. Meanwhile, Betty Friedan's influential book "The Feminine Mystique" (1963) played a significant role in inspiring women to challenge traditional gender roles and pursue personal fulfillment beyond domesticity and child rearing.

By the late 20th century, feminists in Europe and America began to engage with emerging feminist movements in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. This exposure shocked many Western feminists, particularly intellectuals, as they learned about practices such as forced veiling, arranged marriages, and violent customs like female infanticide, widow burning, and genital mutilation in developing countries. However, in their zeal to help, many Western feminists adopted a paternalistic attitude, failing to recognize that their own perspectives and solutions might not align with the actual experiences and concerns of women in these regions.

Third-wave feminism

The Third-wave of feminism began in the early 1990s as a response to perceived failures of the second-wave. The movement was a response to the backlash against initiatives and movements created by the second-wave. The third wave of feminism emerged in the mid-1980s, building upon the foundations of the second wave. Key figures like Gloria Anzaldua, Bell Hooks, and Audre Lorde, who were rooted in the second wave, sought to amplify the voices of marginalized communities, particularly women of color. They drew upon post-structural and contemporary gender and race theories to create a more inclusive feminist discourse, one that acknowledged and centered the experiences of marginalized populations, including those shaped by race and intersectional identities.

The movement of third-wave feminism focused on individual identity instead of laws. It is about identity, the media and endless violence. Third-wave feminism seeks to challenge or avoid the second-wave's "essentialist" definitions of femininity, claiming that these definitions over-emphasized the experiences of upper middle class white women and largely ignored the circumstances of lower-class women, minorities and women of other cultures. The third-wave’s ideology is central to a post-structuralist interpretation of gender and sexuality often focusing on "micropolitics".Throughout history, most leaders of feminist social and political movements and feminist theorists have been middle-class white women, predominantly in Britain, France and the US. It is in the third-wave that women of other races have proposed alternative feminisms and women in former European colonies and the Third World have proposed alternative "post-colonial" and "Third World" feminisms.

An important part of third wave feminism is the media. As we all know, the media has a huge effect on how people see and treat women. The media shows women like weak, needy people forming stereotypes. Another significant part of third wave feminism is endless violence. There are still women out there who are married when they are young, raped, enforced to sex slavery and subjected to abuse.

Forms of feminism

Three main ideological stances within the women's movement have been identified as socialist, radical, and liberal feminism. These ideologies differ in their analysis of the causes of the subordinate position of women and consequently in their action programmes.

Liberal Feminism

Liberal Feminism started in 18th century in Europe. Liberal feminism is a prominent feminist ideology that advocates for gender equality through legal and political reforms. It emphasizes the similarities between men and women, promoting equal opportunities and treatment under the law. This individualistic approach focuses on empowering women to achieve equality through their own actions and choices. Liberal feminists prioritize issues such as reproductive rights, sexual harassment, voting rights, education, equal pay, affordable childcare and healthcare, and raising awareness about sexual and domestic violence. They believe that personal interactions between men and women are the foundation for introducing gender equity into society, and that change is possible without fundamentally altering the social structure. Notable liberal feminists include Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, Rebecca Walker, and Naomi Wolf.

Radical feminism

Radical feminism identifies the capitalist sexist hierarchy as the defining feature of women’s oppression. The male-based authority and power structures are responsible for this oppression and inequality. They believe that women cannot free themselves until this capitalist sexist hierarchy system and its values are in place and society will not be able to reform in any significant way. Radical feminism sees capitalism as a barrier to ending oppression and most radical feminists see no alternatives other than the total uprooting and reconstruction of society in order to achieve their goals.

There are two strands of radical feminism: Separatist Feminism and Anarcha-feminism. Separatist feminism is a form of radical feminism that rejects hetero sexual relationships believing that the sexual disparities between men and women cannot be resolved. Radical feminists believe that men cannot make positive contributions to the feminist movement.

The other strand of radical feminism is "Anarcha-feminism" (also called anarchist feminism or anarcho-feminism) that combines feminist ideas and anarchist beliefs. The feminists focussing on this perspective were Charlotte Bunch, Susan Brownmiller, Mary Daly, Andrea Dworkin.

Socialist Feminism

The phrase "Socialist Feminism" was used during the 1970s to describe a mixed theoretical and practical approach to achieving women's equality. Socialist feminism analysed the connection between the oppression of women and other oppressions in society, such as racism and economic injustice by connecting the oppression of women to Marxist ideas about exploitation, oppression and labour. Socialist feminists view prostitution, domestic work, childcare, and marriage as institutions that perpetuate the exploitation of women by a patriarchal system that systematically undervalues their labor and contributions. They prioritize systemic, large-scale change that transforms society as a whole, rather than just focusing on individual empowerment or reform.They see the need to work alongside not just men, but all other groups, as they see the oppression of women as a part of a larger pattern that affects everyone involved in the capitalist system.According to Karl Marx when class oppression ends in our society then only will gender oppression vanish.

In the late nineteenth century Clara Zetkin and Eleanor Marx were against the demonization of men and supported a proletarian revolution that would overcome as many male-female inequalities as possible.

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