moral reform was primarily a womens movement to attack what problem?

At that place are people who believe that we do not need feminism today, but aught could be farther from the truth. Women have struggled for equality and against oppression for centuries, and although some battles have been partly won - such as the right to vote and equal admission to education – women are all the same disproportionally afflicted by all forms of violence and by discrimination in every aspect of life.

It is true that in some areas and on certain bug, there have been improvements: for instance, in Saudi Arabia women were allowed, for the beginning time, to vote and run for part in 2015(!). However, on other issues there has been little or no progress: for instance, at that place have been insignificant reductions in cases of violence against women. Women go along to receive lower pay for the same piece of work as men in all parts of the world; there are still countries that do not have laws against marital rape and still permit child brides, and practices such as 'honor' killings and female genital mutilation yet exist.

Jokes about feminism and stereotypes about feminists persist, and many of these are too homophobic and assume that being lesbian is something 'bad'. In fact, being a feminist is non something particular to whatsoever sexual activity or gender: there are women and men who consider themselves feminists, some are gay or lesbian, some heterosexual, bisexual or transgender - and some may identify differently.

The concept of feminism reflects a history of different struggles, and the term has been interpreted in fuller and more than circuitous ways as understanding has developed. In general, feminism can be seen as a motion to put an end to sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression and to accomplish total gender equality in constabulary and in practice.

Women's movements and the history of feminism

There take been many extraordinary women who have played an important function in local or world history, but non all of these have necessarily been advocates of women's issues. The women's movement is made up of women and men who work and fight to achieve gender equality and to amend the lives of women as a social group. In most societies, women were traditionally confined to the home as daughters, wives and mothers, and we are often but aware of women in history because of their relation to famous men. Of course many women throughout history did in fact play an important role in cultural and political life, but they tend to exist invisible. An organised women's movement merely really started in the 19th century, even though women activists and the struggle for equality have always been part of all human societies.

One of the early pioneers, who idea and wrote well-nigh women as a group, is the Italian writer Christine de Pizan, who published a book about women's position in gild every bit early as 1495. Christine de Pizan wrote about books she had read by famous men, who wrote books about the sins and weaknesses of girls and women, and questioned whether women were actually human beings at all, or whether they were more similar to animals. Christine de Pizan'south piece of work offers a good example of the early stages of the struggle for women'due south equality. Nevertheless, she was very unusual in existence able to read and write, which was not at all common for women of that time.

In later history, women took role in the French revolution from the very outset: the demonstrations that led to the revolution started with a large group of working women marching to Versailles to demand not only nutrient to feed their families, just as well political change. However, the French Revolution did not atomic number 82 to proper recognition of women'southward rights. For that reason, in September 1791, Olympe de Gouges wrote the Proclamation of the Rights of Woman and of the Female person Denizen, in response to the Annunciation of the Rights of Man and of the Denizen, and with the intention of exposing the failure of the French Revolution to recognise gender equality. Every bit a result of her writings de Gouges was accused, tried and bedevilled of treason, resulting in her immediate execution.

The women'due south movement began to develop in N America, mainly because women at that place were allowed to become to school earlier than in Europe - and women who can read and write, and who are encouraged to think for themselves, usually get-go to question how gild works. The first activists travelled effectually Due north America and fought for the stop of both slavery and women's oppression. They organised the 'First Women'due south Rights Convention' in 1848, and continued to campaign to improve the social position of all women. The motion besides began in Europe with the aforementioned broad aims: activists collected signatures enervating that working women should receive their own wages and not their husbands', that women should be able to own a firm and have custody of their children.

Showtime wave of feminism

The fight for women'due south right to vote in elections is known as the 'suffragette motion'. By the finish of the 19th century, this had go a worldwide motion, and the words 'feminism' and 'feminist movement' started to be used from that signal on.

This first wave of feminism activism included mass demonstrations, the publishing of newspapers, organised debates, and the institution of international women'south organisations. By the 1920s, women had won the right to vote in most European countries and in North America. At effectually the same time, women became more than active in communist, socialist and social autonomous parties because increasing numbers of women began to piece of work outside the dwelling house in factories and offices. Women were first allowed to go to academy in the early 20th century, having both a career and a family. In certain countries, when fascist parties gained power the feminist movement was banned.

Women started organising again after the terminate of the Second World War, and they soon gained equal political rights in nigh European countries, with women's emancipation becoming an important aim and near women being allowed to take on full-time jobs, divorce their husbands and go to university.

Second wave of feminism

In Western Europe and the USA, the feminist motion was resurgent by the 1970s. Although this second wave of feminism aimed to attain 'women'southward liberation', different groups had different ideas about how this should exist done. Liberal feminists wanted better equality laws and reform of institutions such as schools, churches and the media. Radical feminists argued that the root cause of women's inequality is patriarchy: men, as a group, oppress women. They also focused on violence confronting women by men and started to talk about violence in the family, and rape. Socialist feminists argued that it is a combination of patriarchy and commercialism that causes women's oppression.

The second moving ridge of feminism also resulted in new areas of science: women'south studies became a discipline to be studied at university, and books began to exist published about women's achievements in literature, music and scientific discipline, and recording women's previously unwritten history.

Finally, the women's motility played an important role in the drafting of international documents virtually women's rights, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Bigotry Against Women (CEDAW, 1979).

Third wave of feminism

The third wave of feminism mainly refers to the American motion in the 1990s, and was a reaction to the backlash of bourgeois media and politicians announcing the end of feminism or referring to 'post-feminism'. The term 'backlash' was popularised by Susan Faludi in her book Backlash. The Undeclared State of war against Women, published in 1991, and describing the negative reaction of the patriarchal system towards women'southward liberation. This was inappreciably a new phenomenon: women's movements had ever been met with antagonism. However, in the 1980s, institutionalised forms of attacks on women's rights grew stronger. The 3rd wave of feminism tin can be characterised by an increased sensation of overlapping categories, such every bit race, course, gender, sexual orientation. More emphasis was also placed on racial bug, including the status of women in other parts of the globe (global feminism). This was also a moment when a number of feminist not-governmental organisations were established, merely focusing on specific feminist issues, rather than claiming to represent general feminist ideas.

Third wave feminism actively uses media and pop culture to promote its ideas and to run activities, for instance by publishing blogs or e-zines. It focuses on bringing feminism closer to the people'south daily lives. The main issues that tertiary wave feminists are concerned about include: sexual harassment, domestic violence, the pay gap betwixt men and women, eating disorders and torso image, sexual and reproductive rights, honour crimes and female genital mutilation.

Cyberfeminism and networked feminism (4th-wave feminism)

The term cyberfeminism is used to depict the work of feminists interested in theorising, critiquing, and making use of the Net, net, and newmedia technologies in general. The term and movement grew out of 'third-moving ridge' feminism. Notwithstanding, the exact meaning is withal unclear to some: fifty-fifty at the first meeting of cyberfeminists The Outset Cyberfeminist International (FCI) in Kassel (Frg), participants found information technology hard to provide a definition, and as a outcome of discussions, they proposed 100 anti-theses⁵² (with reference to Martin Luther's theses) on what cyberfeminism is not. These included, for instance, it is non an establishment, information technology is non an ideology, it is not an –ism.

Cyberfeminism is considered to exist a predecessor of 'networked feminism', which refers generally to feminism on the Cyberspace: for example, mobilising people to have action against sexism, misogyny or gender-based violence against women. 1 example is the online movement #metoo in 2017, which was a response on social networks from women all over the world to the example of Harvey Weinstein, a Hollywood producer who was accused of sexually harassing female staff in the pic industry.

Sexism

This term is very often nowadays in feminist literature as well as in the media and everyday life, and it is an of import concept in understanding feminism. Sexism means perceiving and judging people only on the basis of their belonging to a particular sex or gender. It also covers discrimination of a person on the same basis. It is important to notation that sexism applies to both men and women, nonetheless, women are more than affected past sexism than men in all areas of life. Everyday sexism takes different forms, sometimes not easily recognisable – for case, telling jokes most girls, commenting on the female torso (objectifying women), reacting to the fashion women are dressed, assigning women easier tasks in Net games or objectifying women in advertizement.

The literature mentions three types of sexism⁵³

• Traditional sexism: supporting traditional gender roles, treating women as worse than men, employing traditional stereotypes which portray women equally less competent than men.
• Modern sexism: denying gender discrimination ('information technology is not a problem anymore'), having a negative mental attitude towards women'due south rights, denying the validity of claims fabricated by women
• Neosexism: This notion refers to ideologies that justify discrimination towards women on the basis of competences – 'men are effectively better competent for some things' – for instance in managerial or leadership positions, and not on a direct discrimination of women. Defenders of these ideas tend to ignore or deny the difficulties faced by women in society as having an influence on 'competences'.
  

If it is true that the situation of women'due south human being rights has improved in recent years, this does not mean that sexism has ended.

In March 2019, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted Recommendation CM/Rec(2019)one on preventing and combating sexism. The Recommendation defines sexism as

any act, gesture, visual representation, spoken or written words, practice or behaviour based upon the thought that a person or a group of persons is inferior because of their sex activity, which occurs in the public or private sphere, whether online or offline, with the purpose or issue of:

• Violating the inherent dignity or rights of a person or a group of persons;
• Resulting in physical, sexual, psychological or socio-economic impairment or suffering to a person or a group of persons;
• Creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive surroundings;
• Constituting a barrier to the autonomy and full realisation of human rights by a person or a group of persons;
• Maintaining and reinforcing gender stereotypes.
  

The Recommendation stresses that sexism is a manifestation of historically diff power relations betwixt women and men, which leads to discrimination and prevents the full advancement of women in order. The Commission of Ministers asks Governments of member states to take measures to foreclose and combat sexism and its manifestations in the public and individual spheres, and encourage relevant stakeholders to implement appropriate legislation, policies and programmes.

Women's rights are human rights

Why do we demand women'southward rights, when these are only homo rights? Why do we need human being rights treaties about women's rights, when nosotros take already general human rights instruments? Nearly everywhere in the globe, women are denied their human rights just considering of their sex or gender. Women'southward rights should not be seen every bit special rights: they are human being rights enshrined in international human being rights treaties and other documents, and include such rights as freedom from discrimination, correct to life, freedom from torture, correct to privacy, access to health, right to decent living conditions, correct to safety, and many others. However, there are too human rights instruments that take into account the specific state of affairs of women in society with regards to accessing or exercising their human rights, or which aim to protect them from violence.

52.  100 anti-theses
53.  Based on: Todd. D. Nelson, Psychology of Prejudice, Pearsons Education, Inc. publishing equally Allyn and Salary, 2002

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Source: https://www.coe.int/en/web/gender-matters/feminism-and-women-s-rights-movements

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