Allison+Moore+RP+Post+7

Feminism: A brief definition of the 21 st Century Feminist “Women in Society, 1961-Present” by Myrna A. Hant Hant informs readers of her view on feminism ranging all the way from the 1960’s until modern day. She analyzes how the roles of feminism changed over time. The first wave of feminism, as named by Rebecca Walker, focussed on the advancement of women in careers and politics. As feminism progressed so did the different waves. The second wave was focussed more on the equality of women and their superiority. Walker argues that the third wave, the most progressive way yet, is focussed on gender equality throughout all aspects of life. In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s the feminist movement attempted to educate the nation on feminism and why women should be seen as equal. According to Walker, the third wave of feminism was less radical and more accepting of all races and all aspects of gender equality. Third wave feminists were focussed on being more inclusive, unlike feminists of the second wave, who have been accused of focusing exclusively on the needs of upper-middle-class white women and ignoring the needs and demands of women of color. The modern feminists refuse to accept the “essentialist” definition of feminism, they believe that there isn’t simply one path to female empowerment, they believe that there are many different routes to gender equality. The author wrote a good article on the difference between feminism today and feminism when it first began.