Achievements of Feminism First Wave - Essay Example

?Critically evaluate the achievements of feminism's "first wave". Feminism is a complex topic, with many scholars disagreeing on the eras in which most change took place, the supposed results of feminist activism, and the need for further feminist activity. Despite these discussions and differences, it is evident that feminism has made an impact on the modern world, largely thanks to the actions of those involved in the “first wave” of feminism, generally recognized to have taken place in the 19th and early 20th centuries (Fisanick, 2007). One of the major achievements for this “first wave” was securing the vote for women (also known as suffrage), occurring in 1918 (and extended to younger women in 1928) in the United Kingdom (Fisanick, 2007) and at similar times in many other Western countries. The purpose of this essay is to explore women’s suffrage in the U.K. and the U.S. from the perspective of the achievements made by feminism’s “first wave”. To do this, many of the achievements of feminism’s “first wave” will be critically examined in their historical and modern context to evaluate their success in the wider frame of feminism. Firstly, it is important to define “first wave” feminism. Walby (2011) suggests that the “first wave” of feminism, in Britain at least, had ended with the winning of women’s suffrage in 1918 and 1928, as described above. Walby (2011) also describes a wave as being present in many areas of sociology, impacting the discipline by making it more relevant to the input of interest and achievements during the “wave”. Taking this into account, we can understand that the “first wave” of feminism is therefore an input of ideas, research and action into feminism that led up to the winning of women’s suffrage in the early parts of the 20th century. The term “first wave” was coined in the 1970s, during what came to be known as the “second wave” of feminism, defining a difference between the two types of feminism and the input of ideas into the discipline (Tandon, 2008). The “first wave” was more focused on winning feminist rights based on government legislation (such as the vote and the right to work), whereas the “second wave” built on these ideas to influence the way that women were perceived and treated non-legislatively within society (Tandon, 2008). The origins and starting dates for “first wave” feminism are more difficult to define. Some scholars believe that “first wave” began with the influence of the Enlightenment and changes in Protestantism (Apetrei, 2010). These changes in society as a whole led to more liberal thought that was based around humanism, although these changes were not limited to the position of women (Apetrei, 2010). Within the U.S., the feminist movement can also be linked to changes in society as a whole, such as the anti-slavery movement which sought to equalize individuals within the state. Squire (1993) suggests that there are many similarities between the lives of slaves in parts of the United States and that of women around the same time, such as the inability to vote and lack of property rights. Despite these early signs of feminism and debates about the official start date for “first wave” feminism, obvious changes had been made to the lives of women in the U.S. and the U.K. One of the first important documents for women was the Seneca Falls Declaration from 1848, which discussed a number of female-related rights issues. One important conquest for the Seneca Falls group was the Married Women’s Property Act, passed in 1848, which allowed a woman the right to keep property that was her own, rather than it automatically becoming part of her husband’s estate (Fisanick, 2007). Eisler (1987) suggests that this was a huge gain towards the equalization of women in society, particularly as it allowed women to participate in the economic sphere on a more equal basis. However, this achievement for “first wave” feminism was not received particularly well and was a minor gain (Apetrei, 2010). From this standing point, women (as well as other groups without the vote) began to discuss the prospect of suffrage and equal rights (Sanders, 2001). There was significant male opposition to this move for a number of reasons. Many men (and women) believed that women were not “full citizens” because of the inability to use “force” or to contribute to “national security” (Fisanick, 2007), supposedly based upon the biological differences between men and women (Tamerius, 2010). Other arguments suggest that women have “no desire to vote” (Tamerius, 2010, p4), evidently proven wrong by the hugely successful and well-attended suffrage movement. A final argument suggests that women do not need to vote because women’s interests are still considered by men in governmental positions, and that female legal rights do not necessarily correspond to female social rights. Evidently, the “first wave” of feminism made some huge gains with respect to the legal rights of women in the U.S. and the U.K. However, it is necessary to investigate whether these gains can be considered achievements for the feminist movement. Perhaps the most important part of the women’s suffrage movement and the wider female rights interest at the time is that it kept the question of women in the public mind (Walby, 1988). Walby (1986) suggests that this is an important facilitator for social change, as it made the “first wave” of feminism important in highlighting the radical needs for women. Another important part of the “first wave” is that it did ultimately achieve many of the goals it set out to achieve. For example, women were in a much better position legally in 1928 than they were prior to the “first wave”, gaining important economic and legal rights that allowed them to function similarly to men in these spheres (Fisanick, 2007). Many detractors of “first wave” feminism suggest that women were still considered second-class citizens (Sanders, 2001). However, it is important to note that gaining women’s suffrage rights was an important starting point for social and political change (Sanders, 2001), largely argued for by the “second wave” of feminism. Without the right to vote, many women would not have been able to make some of the social gains seen in the second half of the 20th century (Walby, 1986). It is important to understand that some of the gains made by women in the early parts of the 20th century were not the sole product of “first wave” feminism. The First World War was a great facilitator for women’s rights, partly because so many women were involved in activities that were previously forbidden to them (). Many women who had previously been unable or unwilling to work were suddenly forced into this sphere, often in typically “male” jobs (Fisanick, 2007). This provided evidence that women were capable physically and mentally to achieve many of the same things as males (Fisanick, 2007), and kept the idea that women should be confined to the home sphere from public thought (Tandon, 2008). Another one of the major achievements for “first wave” feminism is also related to the war. Many women at this time (from this movement) were vehemently opposed to warfare, as evidenced by the 1915 Women’s International Conference for Peace and Freedom (Tandon, 2008). Interestingly, this conference did not just discuss warfare and peace, but considered the role of women’s suffrage in international politics (), a move that would not have been possible (as with home suffrage) without the “first wave” of feminism. However, many saw the female-led peace movement as a threat to the typically male-dominated sphere of war, and many even used it as evidence that women were not appropriate in the political world (Sanders, 2001). Again, this type of attitude suggests that “first wave” feminism was not a success, but it is important to remember that contextually the movement did pave the way for further equalization in the “second wave” and beyond. Another important issue with respect to “first wave” feminism is the issue of equality and class. The first law passed for women’s suffrage in the UK was passed in 1918. The Representation of the People Act of 1918 was, however, limiting. Despite the fact that 8.4 million women gained the vote, suffrage was limited to women over the age of 30 who were on the Local Government Register (or who were married to someone on the Register). The Local Government Register was a list of property owners who were paying property taxes (Edwards, 1988). Evidently, this limited the eligibility of women who could vote to those who were in the middle and upper classes, despite the fact that all men over the age of 21 could vote (Tandon, 2008). Although this was later ratified in 1928 when women were afforded equal suffrage rights to men (Tandon, 2008), it should be noted that the “first wave” of feminism didn’t have immediate success in this area. Another criticism of the achievements of the “first wave” is that women are still underrepresented in politics, and many argue that women are often sidelined with sexist remarks (Elliott, 2008). Whilst women gained the right to enter Parliament in 1918 (Tandon, 2008), women do not occupy the same number of bench seats as men (Ryan et al, 2010). Elliott (2008) also suggests that there is still a segregation in politics, with many women forming female-only political groups as a way of negating the “testosterone” of typical politics. Whilst this does not necessarily undermine the “first wave” (or even the “second wave”) of feminism, it does suggest that feminism may not have completely changed politics. It could be argued that, whilst getting the equal vote in 1928 paved the way for great feminist rights, there is still work to be done to create a level playing field. Interestingly, U.S. politics still has a challenge on its hands from the “first wave” of feminism, and those who still identify as “first wave” feminists. The Equal Rights Amendment is an important proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States which would guarantee equal rights for women in many areas. It was originally written in 1923 by Alice Paul, and therefore sits squarely into the “first wave” movement (Bartow, 2010), but has never actually been passed. In writing the amendment, Paul had appreciated some of the work done to improve female legal rights (the Nineteenth Amendment, for example) but felt that it would not end legal and political discrimination based on sex (or gender). A very simple amendment, the ERA states that the “equality of rights shall not be denied or abridged…on account of sex” (Bartow, 2010). Many blame the lack of ERA support from some states as evidence of the lack of influence of feminism on U.S. mindsets. Schlossman & Wallach (1978) suggests that it hints at female inequality and inability as one of the “most tenacious beliefs in our society” (p67). In conclusion, the “first wave” of feminism had a great many achievements which can be seen from various angles. Evidently, the increasing amount of political and economic freedom from women that came from amendments to property rights and voting laws can be seen as an achievement, despite the fact that several social elements of equality continued to be part of society for many years further. Perhaps the most important aspect of “first wave” feminism is that it brought women’s right to the forefront of the people’s mind and paved the way for further social activism, as seen by “second wave” feminism and the types of activism we see today. However, there are arguments that “first wave” feminism is not over, and therefore should continue to be heavily criticized (such as the fact that the lack of an Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. constitution). Additionally, there are still inequalities between men and women in the political sphere. Despite these criticisms, it should be noted that “first wave” feminism did achieve a lot and despite the criticisms in the analysis above, was a very important part of Western sociological thought. References Apetrei, S., 2010. Women, feminism and religion in early enlightenment England. Cambridge University Press. Bartow, A., 2010. Equal Rights Amendment to Make Women Human, An. Tenn. L. Rev. 78, 839. Edwards, J., 1988. Local government women’s committees. Local Government Studies 14, 39–52. Eisler, R., 1987. Human Rights: Toward an integrated theory for action. Feminist Issues 7, 25–46. Elliott, C., 2008. A woman’s place. The Guardian. Fisanick, C., 2007. Feminism. Greenhaven Press. Ryan, M.K., Haslam, S.A., Kulich, C., 2010. Politics and the glass cliff: Evidence that women are preferentially selected to contest hard-to-win seats. Psychology of Women Quarterly 34, 56–64. Sanders, V., 2001. First wave feminism. The Rouiledge Companion to Feminism and Posifeminism.(ed) Sarah Gamble. 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