Conference Presentation

1. Sabeen Azam
THE FEMINISM
DISCOURSE

2. DEFINITION
Feminism or feminist theory is a range of political movements, ideologies, and
social movements that share a common goal which is
to define and advance political, economic, personal, and social rights for
women.
This includes seeking to establish equal opportunities for women in education
and employment.

3. Feminism
Concept…

4. HISTORY
Charles Fourier, a Utopian Socialist and French philosopher, is credited with
having coined the word "féminisme" in 1837.
Fourier believed that all important jobs should be open to women on the basis of
skill and aptitude rather than closed on account of gender. He spoke of women as
individuals, not as half the human couple.

5. HISTORY
The words "féminisme" and "féminist" first appeared in France and the
Netherlands in 1872.
Great Britain in the 1890s,
and the United States in 1910.

6. FEMINIST MOVEMENTS
The history of the modern western feminist movements is divided
into three "waves”
Each wave dealt with different aspects of the same feminist issues.

7. First Wave
The first wave comprised women's
suffrage movements of the nineteenth
and early twentieth centuries,
promoting women's right to vote.

8. SECOND WAVE
The second wave was associated
with the ideas and actions of the
women's liberation movement
beginning in the 1960s.
The second wave campaigned for
legal and social equality for
women.

9. THIRD WAVE
The third wave is a continuation of, and a reaction to, the perceived failures of second-
wave feminism, beginning in the 1990s.

10. 4 BASIC PRINCIPLES IN FEMINISM
• Working to increase equality:
• Feminist thought links ideas to action, insisting we should push for change toward
gender equality and not just talk about it.

11. BASIC PRINCIPLES IN FEMINISM
Expanding human choice:
Feminists believe that both men and women should have
the freedom to develop their human interests and
talents, even if those interests and talents conflict with
the status quo.
For example, if a woman wants to be a mechanic, she
should have the right and opportunity to do so.

12. BASIC PRINCIPLES IN FEMINISM
Eliminating gender stratification:
Feminists oppose laws and cultural norms
that limit income, educational and job
opportunities for women.

13. BASIC PRINCIPLES IN FEMINISM
Ending sexual violence and promoting sexual freedom: Feminists feel
that women should
have control over their sexuality and reproduction.

14. TYPES OF FEMINISM
There are three basic forms of feminism:
• Liberal Feminism
• Social Feminism
• Radical Feminism

15. LIBERAL FEMINISM
Liberalfeminismisanindividualistic formoffeministtheory,whichfocusesonwomen’s
ability to maintain their equality through their own actions and choices.
Liberal feminists argue that society holds the false belief that women are,
by nature, less intellectually and physically capable than men

17. Socialist Feminism
Socialist feminism is a branch of feminism that focuses upon both
the public and private spheres of a woman's life and argues that
liberation can only be achieved by working to end both the
economic and cultural sources of women's oppression.

18. SOCIALIST FEMINISM
Socialist feminism is a two-pronged theory that
broadens Marxist feminism's argument for the
role of capitalism in the oppression of women
and radical feminism's theory of the role of
gender and the patriarchy.

19. RADICAL FEMINISM
Radical feminism is a perspective within feminism that calls for a
radical reordering of
society in which male supremacy is eliminated in all social and
economic contexts.

20. RADICAL FEMINISM
Radical feminists seek to abolish patriarchy by
challenging existing social norms and institutions,
rather than through a purely political process.
This includes challenging the notion of traditional
gender roles, opposing the sexual objectification of
women, and raising public awareness about such
issues as rape and violence against women.

21. CONCLUSION
THE WOMAN IS THE ROOT OF ALL CIVILIZATIONS .WOMEN ROLE IN NATION BUILDING AND
DEVELOPMENT OF A SOCIETY IS PIVOTAL AND PECULIAR. IT SHOULD NOT BE EVALUATED WITH
REFERENCE TO MEN’S ROLE. WOMEN ARE THE ‘CREATIVE FUNCTIONARIES’.
THEREFORE, IT IS ONLY WOMEN WHO KNOW HOW TO MOVE FORWARD IN THE GIVEN
CIRCUMSTANCES AND GET THE UTMOST BENEFITS. SOCIAL, LIBERAL, RADICAL AND OTHER
TYPES OF FEMINISM CANNOT PROVIDE THEM EQUALITY AND FREEDOM UNTIL AND UNLESS
WOMEN THEMSELVES MAKE INTELLIGENT DECISIONS TO MOVE AHEAD.