Second-wave feminism: Difference between revisions

'''Second-wave feminism''' was a period of [[Feminism|feminist]] activity that began in the early 1960s and lasted roughly two decades before ushering in a [[third-wave feminism|third wave of feminism]] beginning in the early 1990s. It took place throughout the [[Western world]], and aimed to increase equality for women by building on previous [[first-wave feminism|feminist gains in the late 19th and early 20th centuries]].

Whereas [[first-wave feminism]] focused mainly on [[Womenwomen's suffrage|suffrage]] and overturning legal obstacles to [[gender equality]] (''e.g.''for example, [[Women's suffrage|voting rights]] and [[property rights]]), second-wave feminism broadened the debate to include a wider range of issues: sexuality, family, domesticity, the workplace, [[reproductive rights]], ''de facto'' inequalities, and official legal inequalities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/647122/womens-movement |title=women's movement (political and social movement) |website=Britannica Online Encyclopedia |access-date=July 20, 2012}}</ref> It was a movement that was focused on critiquing patriarchal, or male-dominated, institutions and cultural practices throughout society.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pierceson, Jason, 1972-|title=Sexual minorities and politics : an introduction|year=2016|isbn=978-1-4422-2768-2|location=Lanham, Maryland|oclc=913610005}}</ref> Second-wave feminism also drew attention to the issues of [[domestic violence]] and [[marital rape]], created [[rape crisis center]]s and [[women's shelter]]s, and brought about changes in custody laws and divorce law. Feminist-owned [[Feminist bookstore|bookstores]], credit unions, and restaurants were among the key meeting spaces and economic engines of the movement.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UjEtDwAAQBAJ&q=head+shops&pg=PT146|title=From Head Shops to Whole Foods: The Rise and Fall of Activist Entrepreneurs|last=Davis|first=Joshua Clark|date=August 8, 2017|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=9780231543088|pages=129–175}}</ref>

Missing from the typical narrative told about second-wave feminism is the experiences of black and other women of color, as well as working-class women as some narratives focus on the sexism encountered by white middle- and upper-class women. Some narratives present a viewpoint focusing on events in the United States to the exclusion of experiences in other countries and neglect the works of white anti-racist feminism. While the term "[[intersectionality]]" was not coined until 1989 by [[Kimberlé Crenshaw]] after the end of the second wave, women of color were writing and creating feminist political activist groups throughout the entire movement, particularly in the 1970s.<ref>{{Citation |last=Thompson |first=Becky |title=2. Multiracial Feminism: Recasting the Chronology of Second Wave Feminism |date=2019-12-31 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.36019/9780813549170-004 |work=No Permanent Waves |pages=39–60 |access-date=2023-05-18 |publisher=Rutgers University Press|doi=10.36019/9780813549170-004 |isbn=9780813549170 |s2cid=243515689 }}</ref>

The concept of difference is something that was explored towards the end of the second wave of feminism since the voices of white feminists had dominated the narrative since early on in the movement. The ideals of [[Liberalliberal feminism]] worked towards the idea of women’s equality with that of men because liberal feminists felt that women and men have the same intrinsic capabilities and that society has socialized certain skills out.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Evans |first=Judith |title=Feminist Theory Today: An Introduction to Second-Wave Feminism |publisher=Sage Publications |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-8039-8478-3 |location=London |pages=13 |language=English}}</ref> This elimination of difference works to erase sexism by working within a pre-existing system of oppression rather than challenging the system itself. Working towards equality preserves a system by giving everyone the same opportunities regardless of their privilege whereas the framework of equity would address problems in society and find solutions to target the problem at hand.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Juda |first=Edyta |date=2020-11-05 |title=Equity vs. Equality: What's the Difference? |url=https://onlinepublichealth.gwu.edu/resources/equity-vs-equality/ |access-date=2023-05-18 |website=GW-UMT |language=en-US}}</ref>