Question.627 - Second wave feminism was part of a larger shift in American life at the end of the 20th century. In the decades after 1980, we can look at the ways in which a backlash pushed back against the changes in women’s lives and the changing economy and culture. Women following second wave feminism redefined what rights and equality meant for their own generations. Answer two of the following questions in your initial post. Keep in mind the changes of the past 50 years. What was the “New Right” and how did it seek to counter feminism? Describe the advances made by women in politics since the Thomas-Hill hearings in 1991. What limitations still exist? How do you account for them? What role to immigrant women play in today’s economy? What challenges do they face? Describe the most important changes to family life in the last thirty years. How do you account for them? What is third wave feminism? How does it differ from second wave feminism? Is the “waves” metaphor of feminism still relevant? How would you compare women’s activism today to that of the past 50 years? What are the origins of the Black Lives Matter movement? How does Alicia Garza identify #BlackLivesMatter? What are her goals for the movement and what problems does she identify?
Answer Below:
What is third wave feminism? How does it differ from second wave feminism? Third-wave feminism is the feminist approach that was introduced in 1990s after second wave of feminism. This wave was also referred as “new feminism” because in this wave, the feminists went beyond what women in the two waves were demanding. Although the main aim was to assert equality but in this phase, feminists sought to redefine and reassess the ideas, thoughts about gender, sexuality, masculinity and femininity. As such, the feminists developed many new theories and approaches to understand and analyse feminism. Moreover, unlike first and second feminism that focused mainly on the advocacy of women rights and liberation, the third wave feminism focused mainly on women’s body. However, the body emerged as one of the most important aspects in women’s life because women were not allowed to appreciate their body for themselves or they had no right over their body rather it was objectified for men’s sexual gratification. This movement was also influenced by post-modern and post-colonial approach where intersectional identity and minority groups also became the part of it in order to seek equality for them. The second wave feminism is different from the third wave feminism because in the second way, the main focus was on women’s right and liberation while in the third wave, the feminists emphasized on the reproductive rights of women. Moreover, in this movement, the minority groups were also addressed and their rights and liberty was demanded. In second wave feminism, the struggle was not for women sexuality but in third wave, the feminists acknowledged the various spectrum of race, class and sexual orientation. What role to immigrant women play in today’s economy? What challenges do they face? Immigrant women plays an integral role in shaping today’s economy which remains unheard and unknown. These women comprises 17 % of female labor force. Out of which, it is only one-third of women are involved with managerial posts while the rest of the proportion has a significant contribution in providing service and taking a part in supply chain process where the goods have become accessible for middle-class people in the United States. "In the garment industry, the majority of workers are Latina and Asian women” (DuBois & Dumenil, 2019). Moreover, women were engrossed in the most difficult work under difficult circumstances like serving in the hospitals and hotels and were forced to do the filthiest work with a minor pay. This is one of the most difficult challenges that the women were facing where the work load was too much but in return they used to earn peanuts. Since women were vulnerable, they had to face sexual exploitation and harassment. Therefore, women have a significant role in building and developing huge corporations in the United States which otherwise is never appreciated or known in the discourse of history. Thus, “women who work for American corporations abroad — across the Mexican border making clothing, in China making children’s toys, and in Vietnam making athletic shoes — need to be considered part of the history of the United States through women’s eyes” (DuBois & Dumenil, 2019). Reference DuBois, E. C., & Dumenil, L. (2019). Through Women's Eyes: An American History with Documents (p. 864). Bedford/St. Martin's. Sethmini. (2021). What is the Difference Between First Second and Third Wave Feminism | Compare the Difference Between Similar Terms. Retrieved from https://www.differencebetween.com/what-is-the-difference-between-first-second-and-third-wave-feminism/.More Articles From History
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