Feminist theory

1. FEMINIST
THEORY
BY :
MAIZATUL

2. DEFINITION
•Feminism or feminist theory is a range of
political movements, ideologies, and social
movements That share a common goal which is
to define and advance political, economic,
personal, and social rights for women.
•This includes seeking to establish equal
opportunities for women in education and
employment.

3. Feminist Movements
•The history of the modern western feminist
movements is divided into three "waves”
•Each wave dealt with different aspects of the same
feminist issues.
1. FIRST WAVE
•The first wave comprised women's suffrage
movements of the nineteenth and early
•twentieth centuries, promoting women's right to vote.

4. 2. SECOND WAVE
•The second wave was associated with the ideas and
actions of the women's liberation movement
beginning in the 1960s.
•The second wave campaigned for legal and social
equality for women.
3. THIRD WAVE
•The third wave is a continuation of, and a reaction
to, the perceived failures of second-wave feminism,
beginning in the 1990s.

5. 4 Basic Principles in Feminism
1. Working to increase equality:
• Feminist thought links ideas to action, insisting we should
push for change toward gender
• equality and not just talk about it.
2. Expanding human choice:
• Feminists believe that both men and women should have the
freedom to develop their human interests and talents, even if
those interests and talents conflict with the status quo.
• For example, if a woman wants to be a mechanic, she should
have the right and opportunity to do so.

6. 3. Eliminating gender stratification:
•Feminists oppose laws and cultural
norms that limit income, educational
and job opportunities for women
•4. Ending sexual violence and promoting
sexual freedom: Feminists feel that
women should have control over their
sexuality and reproduction.

7. TYPES OF FEMINILISM
• Liberal Feminism - focuses on women’s ability to maintain their equality
through their own actions and choices. They argue that society holds the
false belief that women are, by nature, less intellectually and physically
capable than men
• Social Feminism - focuses upon both the public and private spheres of a
woman's life and argues that liberation can only be achieved by working
to end both the economic and cultural sources of women's oppression.
• Radical Feminism - calls for a radical reordering of society in which male
supremacy is eliminated in all social and economic contexts. They seek to
abolish patriarchy by challenging the notion of traditional gender roles,
opposing the sexual objectification of women, and raising public
awareness about such issues as rape and violence against women.