Feminism: A Historical Overview PDF

1. WHAT IS FEMINISM? FEMINISM 2. Ideological spectrum 3. FIRST WAVE - ≈PRE 1900 – 1920S 4. SECOND WAVE - ≈ LATE 1960S – 1980S 5. THIRD AND FOURTH WAVE - ≈ 1990S – NOW FEMINISM  WHAT IS FEMINISM? What is feminism? What are the 1. i...

1. WHAT IS FEMINISM? FEMINISM 2. Ideological spectrum 3. FIRST WAVE - ≈PRE 1900 – 1920S 4. SECOND WAVE - ≈ LATE 1960S – 1980S 5. THIRD AND FOURTH WAVE - ≈ 1990S – NOW FEMINISM  WHAT IS FEMINISM? What is feminism? What are the 1. ideological and 2. historical understandings of feminism? Is feminism still relevant?  WHAT IS FEMINISM? “The advocacy of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes…” “The theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes…” “The belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities…” “The doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men…”  WHAT IS FEMINISM? Lorraine Code defines feminism as: – ‘a theoretical project to understand the power structures, social practices, and institutions that disadvantage and marginalize women, and to devise innovative strategies of social transformation that will promote women’s emancipation.’ and patriarchy as: – ‘patriarchal societies are those in which men have more power than women, readier access than women to what is valued in society…’ What is valued in our society?  WHAT IS FEMINISM? Ideological Context – What is it about? – What is included? – What does it mean? – Does it fit on the traditional ideological spectrum? Historical Context – What happened? – First, Second, Third, Fourth Waves…  WHAT IS FEMINISM? Liberal Conservative Socialist Libertarian Communist Fascist What doesn’t fit? Environmental / Ecofeminism Postmodern Feminism Radical Feminism  HISTORICAL IDEAS ABOUT WOMEN’S EQUALITY Plato (428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) Harriet Taylor (1808-1858)  FIRST WAVE: ≈ PRE 1900 – 1920S Including women as fully human Women as holders of rights and freedoms That women were not property. Rather, could hold property First Wave Philosophy: If women are given equal rights, they will be equal.  FIRST WAVE - ≈ PRE 1900 – 1920S Women’s Enfranchisement / Suffrage – Right to Vote – Right to run for office – Right to serve on juries – Right to own property Temperance (abolition of liquor), child welfare, workplace safety… (France, 1935)  ♀ RIGHT TO VOTE IN CANADA FEDERAL PROVINCIAL 1916 1916 - AB, MB, SK 1917 – ♀ in the military (+ w/ military family 1917 - BC, ON members) 1918 - All eligible ♀ citizens 1919 - NB, YT 1920 Did not include: 1922 - PEI Chinese Canadians 1925 - NL Japanese Canadians 1930 Status Indians 1940 - QC 1940 1947 - Chinese Canadian citizens 1948 - Japanese Canadian citizens 1950 1960 1960 - Status Indians  FIRST WAVE: ≈ PRE 1900 – 1920S THE FAMOUS FIVE The “Persons Case” (1929) – 1928: Supreme Court of Canada ruled that ♀ were not “persons” – Appeal to Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (London) – Established the right of ♀ to be appointed to the senate (1929)  FIRST WAVE: ≈ PRE 1900 – 1920S AGNES MACPHAIL (1890 – 1954) First ♀ elected to Parliament in 1921 Only ♀ in Parliament until 1935 Ontario MPP 1943-1945 and 1948- 1951 Prison reform and the Elizabeth Fry Society  SECOND WAVE: ~LATE 1960S – 1980S Roots in the unfinished goals of the First Wave World War II – ♀ replaced ♂ soldiers in the workplace – * Government provided childcare * – When soldiers returned, ♀ gave up jobs  SECOND WAVE: ≈ LATE 1960S – 1980S Activism of the 1960s – Anti-war and Civil Rights Movements – Children of ♀ who had gone to work during WWII Advocacy for equality – Workplace (equal pay for work of equal value) – Politics (VOW, NACSW) – Family and Criminal Law Reform – Sexuality (sexual freedom / affirmation) – Reproductive Rights (contraception / abortion) SECOND WAVE: ≈ LATE 1960S – 1980S  THIRD AND FOURTH WAVE: ≈ 1990S - NOW Inclusion of those left behind by the Second Wave “the micropolitics of gender equality” Identity – Imposed vs. Authentic Sexuality/gender categories challenged – GSMs (Gender and Sexual Minorities) – 2SLGBTQQIA Sexual expression #MeToo / Time’s Up Social media  THIRD AND FOURTH WAVE 1990S - NOW INTERSECTIONALITY  IS FEMINISM STILL RELEVANT? SEXISM RACISM VIOLENCE “Working towards gender equality is not only still relevant. It is urgent.” - Canadian Women’s Foundation  IS FEMINISM STILL RELEVANT? ♀ are 50.4% of the Canadian population Education – 60% of postsecondary graduates – 50% of law school graduates – 48% of doctoral degree holders – 43% of pure and applied science students – 34% of STEM degree holders – 20% of engineering students  IS FEMINISM STILL RELEVANT? Work – Law 25% of the practicing bar 32-34% of judges – Business 25.6% of senior managers in the private sector 25.8% of S&P/TSX 60 board seats in 2017 60% less likely than men to move from middle management to executive ranks ♀of colour occupy only 6.5% of total management positions  IS FEMINISM STILL RELEVANT? – STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) 23% of science and technology workers 12% of practicing, licensed engineers – Wage Gap (2018) ♀ earn $0.87 for every dollar men earn ♀ of colour earned $0.57 for every dollar men earned