A Brief History of Feminism: 18th - 21st Century

Why did Feminism begin?
Feminism began in order to stop the social imbalance between the sexes. Sufragettes believed that women's subordinate roles in society were socially constructed and therefore could change.

When did the Suffrage movements begin?
The first signs began in France during the 18th century (about the same time as the Industrial Revolution) and the first organisation were established in Britain, France and Germany.  However, the first woman to declare herself as a feminist was Hubertine Auclert in the late 19th century.

When did women start to demand the right to Vote?
By the year 1848, women in Europe demand the right to Vote.

What were Suffragettes fighting for?
Equal Rights as well as Ethical Issues such as marital violence, legal position of married women, the morality between sexes and the education of women.

When was the first Suffrage Organisations established?
It was established in 1860 and it was the first one to campaign for women's right to vote.

Where men involved?
50% of French Feminist groups were Male.
Men also helped stimulate the debate on women's right by publishing two important texts. John Stuart Mill's The Subjection of  Women (1869) and August Bebel's Women and Socialism (1879).

Why was society against these Suffrage groups?
Because of the fear that women would jeopardize the male authority in the family.

What had changed by the end of the 18th century?
Women had gained access to most professions, apart from Law.
When working as teachers and nurses were often perceived as a sense of stability in the society.

The first half of the 20th century, saw some drastic changes regarding feminism.

1900 - men's memberships in suffrage movements drops BUT the establishments of their own organisations aimed at supporting women. E.g. Men's International Alliance for Women Suffrage
1907 - proposition of Limited Suffrage i.e. specific categories of women entitled to vote
1920 - Women gain the Right to Vote in Europe and North America
         - Britain: Birth Control and Abortion Rights

Women take part in mixed-sex politics
Forms of Action:

• 'Patriotic Motherhood' - private and public influence of women 
• 'Universal Sisterhood' - National and International

International Woman Suffrage Alliance - promoting women's rights in individual countries

'Despite differences in national cultures as well as divisions based on class, race and political beliefs, in certain contexts women still expressed solidarity with each other on the ground of a shared oppression as women' 

After World War I:

• Women were suppressed by men, ( They were expected to stay at home due to mass unemployment)
• Feminist movements encouraged housewives to be political active and know their civil rights
• Legislation for women's civil rights were established in 1920 but not always put into practice.   

1926 - Establishment of protective legislation for mothers, equal pay and family allowances.

1944 - France: Women gain the Right to Vote

1945 - Italy: Women gain the Right to Vote

1949 - Simone De Beauvoir

• 'Women's identity is imposed upon her by her teachers and her society' 

1950 - 'Decade of Housewives' - governments promote the role of housewives. 

The second half of the 20th century saw women creating an identity for themselves.

1958 - Norway: Principal of Equal Pay

1966 - National Organisation for Women (NOW) focuses on issues such as civil rights (in partnership with men), equal pay, education, employment opportunities and abortion on demand.

1968 - Women protest against the unrealistic standards of beauty promoted by societies.

1970 – Feminists stress issues such as male violence, rape and pornography
1977 - 80 – Autonomous Women Groups raise issues such as sexuality on consumerism and unrealistic standards of beauty.
1976 – 1985 – UN Decade of Women, however there are tensions in the conference between Western women and Muslim women.

The greatest achievement of the 20th century however was that by the end, women were able to think differently about themselves and create their own identity in society.

What are feminists fighting for today?

Equal Rights? Equal Pay? Equal opportunities in all aspects of life? 

And day by day more women and men declare themselves as feminists.

I, on the other hand, refuse to declare myself as a feminist. And while I admire the work of various celebrities and important personae, I refuse to add this label on me. 

In my opinion, the real FEMINISTS were the women of the 19th and 20th century. They were the ones that had the strength to go against the norm, be mistreated and imprisoned in order to fight for their rights.  

Nowadays feminism is widely accepted, especially in the Western World.
Even though there are various issues to be sorted, this is not the right time for individuals to show-off. Individuals trying to prove their feminist position, in a time where this is already accepted, is not my definition of feminism. 

Maybe we should start rethinking what feminism's purpose is, in the 21st century.

I am not interested in fighting for Equality between women and men. What I am interested in is fighting for the Equal Value of both sexes. I want to fight for a world where women and men keep their differences and still accept each other for who they are. 

An ideal world where men and women respect each other not because they are the same but because they are different. 

Nowadays, we live in a world where women have the power to create an identity for themselves more than ever before. I am not settling for being someone as capable as a man. I am interested in becoming someone as capable as a woman. I want my own identity and I want to be respected for that.

Maybe we should start rethinking what we want to fight for in this century. Is it really Equality or the Equal Value of both sexes?

I would rather prefer a society which accepts and respects diversity instead of demanding equality but not veritably appreciating each others uniqueness.



Full Reference: Hallam, June, Feminism (Great Britain: Pearson Education Limited, 2007).

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