First Wave Feminism
What is First Wave Feminism?
First Wave Feminism refers to the period of feminist activity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries (roughly between 1848-1920), particularly in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. The main focus was on officially mandated inequalities, primarily including women’s suffrage.
Women’s Suffrage is the right of women to vote and stand for office.1
Can you explain a little more?
Feminism is the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of equality of the sexes.2 It is a collection of movements and ideologies aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights for women.1
A feminist advocates or supports the rights and equality of women.1
First wave feminism focused heavily on equal contract, marriage, and property rights, as well as sexual and reproductive rights. By the end of the 19th century, the focus was primarily on gaining political power.
It is generally viewed that the Seneca Falls Convention (New York, 1848), was the beginning of first wave feminism. It was the first women’s rights convention (organized by women) in the Western world.
The end of first wave feminism is linked to the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, passed in 1920, that granted women the right to vote.
During the period women gained the right to vote in many countries, including: Austria, Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand*, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, the UK, and the US. Women also gained the right to run for office and to sit on local boards in many of these countries.1
Furthermore, women were becoming more educated, and began entering the work force in large numbers (particularly due to WWI). However, with the recession/Depression, women were the first to face unemployment.
First wave feminism created the groundwork for the fight for greater equality.
1Wikipedia 2GoogleDefenitions
*New Zealand was the first nation to recognize universal suffrage in 1883, with Finland being the second to do so in 1906.
