Feminism and Environmentalism
Feminism - ✔✔✔Broadly defined, feminism is an ideology and political project based on the belief that
men and women are treated unequally socially, politically, and economically.
• It aims to identify and abolish the sources of women's oppression in all spheres of life.
• There is not one feminism, but rather many feminisms.
• The different strands of feminism all agree that women, as a social class, are oppressed by virtue of
their gender.
• The term gender is one of the most fundamental concepts in feminism.
• Gender is used to describe those characteristics of men and women that are socially constructed
rather than biologically determined.
Themes - ✔✔✔Through socialization, men and women learn what the appropriate behaviour,
attitudes, and roles are for them and how they should relate to one another.
• Another important concept in feminism is patriarchy. Patriarchy is an institutionalized system of male
domination and power, which subordinates and marginalizes women.
• Feminism seeks to abolish patriarchy and other systems of subordination and privilege, such as racism,
through social and political activism.
• Feminism also seeks to challenge the separation of the public and private spheres of life that have
their origins in classical Greek thought.
, • Feminism also seeks to challenge the separation of the public and private spheres of life that have
their origins in classical Greek thought.
History - ✔✔✔First Wave Feminism
• The women's movement emerged in North America and Britain in the mid 1800s.
• During this first wave of women's activism, women began to demand equal civil and political rights
when their attempts to participate in the anti-slavery movement and temperance movements were
rejected.
• During this time, married women had no property rights, they did not have the right to vote, and
husbands had legal power over and responsibility for their wives and children. Women were also barred
from going to college or university and from entering professions such as medicine or law.
• Women gained the right to vote in national elections in 1920 in the U.S. and in 1921 in Canada.
Second wave feminism - ✔✔✔• This wave of the 1960s argued that women needed economic
opportunities as well as civil liberties to achieve equality.
• More branches of feminism began to emerge. Many of these branches were critical of the mainstream
women's movement, arguing that it reflected the experiences and aspirations of white, middle-class
women.
third wave feminism - ✔✔✔The 1990s ushered in the third wave of the feminist movement, which
gives greater recognition to diversity and identity, focusing on the unique experiences of women.
• Often called post-modern feminism, the third wave challenges the beliefs of grand political theories
and encourages the recognition and celebration of women's multiple identities.
Feminism - ✔✔✔Broadly defined, feminism is an ideology and political project based on the belief that
men and women are treated unequally socially, politically, and economically.
• It aims to identify and abolish the sources of women's oppression in all spheres of life.
• There is not one feminism, but rather many feminisms.
• The different strands of feminism all agree that women, as a social class, are oppressed by virtue of
their gender.
• The term gender is one of the most fundamental concepts in feminism.
• Gender is used to describe those characteristics of men and women that are socially constructed
rather than biologically determined.
Themes - ✔✔✔Through socialization, men and women learn what the appropriate behaviour,
attitudes, and roles are for them and how they should relate to one another.
• Another important concept in feminism is patriarchy. Patriarchy is an institutionalized system of male
domination and power, which subordinates and marginalizes women.
• Feminism seeks to abolish patriarchy and other systems of subordination and privilege, such as racism,
through social and political activism.
• Feminism also seeks to challenge the separation of the public and private spheres of life that have
their origins in classical Greek thought.
, • Feminism also seeks to challenge the separation of the public and private spheres of life that have
their origins in classical Greek thought.
History - ✔✔✔First Wave Feminism
• The women's movement emerged in North America and Britain in the mid 1800s.
• During this first wave of women's activism, women began to demand equal civil and political rights
when their attempts to participate in the anti-slavery movement and temperance movements were
rejected.
• During this time, married women had no property rights, they did not have the right to vote, and
husbands had legal power over and responsibility for their wives and children. Women were also barred
from going to college or university and from entering professions such as medicine or law.
• Women gained the right to vote in national elections in 1920 in the U.S. and in 1921 in Canada.
Second wave feminism - ✔✔✔• This wave of the 1960s argued that women needed economic
opportunities as well as civil liberties to achieve equality.
• More branches of feminism began to emerge. Many of these branches were critical of the mainstream
women's movement, arguing that it reflected the experiences and aspirations of white, middle-class
women.
third wave feminism - ✔✔✔The 1990s ushered in the third wave of the feminist movement, which
gives greater recognition to diversity and identity, focusing on the unique experiences of women.
• Often called post-modern feminism, the third wave challenges the beliefs of grand political theories
and encourages the recognition and celebration of women's multiple identities.
