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CHAPTER II THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
A. Historycal background of feminism
Feminism, in the most generic of definitions, is the theory of the political, economic and social equality of the sexes, and organized activity on behalf of
womens rights and common interests. There are many feminists and many different theories. However, feminism can be divided into three waves; first,
second and third wave feminism. Here are some stories about feminism waves for the further understanding.
1. First wave feminism
As a movement and philosophy, feminism can be detected through the history of Europe enlightenment age lead by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu
and Marquis de Condorcet . The word feminism, firstly created by utopian socialist activist, Charles Fourier in 1837. This European center movement
soon moved and well developed in the United States since John Stuart Mill’s the subjection of women in 1869.
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According to mill in introducing feminism by Susan Alice Watkins, et.al, he said that women and men are
fundamentally equal; he wrote “what is now called the nature of women is an entirely artificial thing”. He supported women’s equal right in work,
education, property and suffrage. Their struggle remarked as the start of first wave feminism.
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First Wave Feminism, Accesed on January 10, 2010. http:en.wikipedia.orgwikiFirst- wave_feminism
In England, it was an important influence on Mary Wollstonecraft, she sat down to write her own famous Vindication of the rights of woman in
1792.
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The book reflects the ideas of women’s situation at the first enlightenment time. At that time women’s right in politic, economic, social,
and education were repressed. It was a foundation stone of modern feminism. Her book has greatly affluence, since her book published, women’s right
began to be concerned, and women have an easier access to education, suffrage and profession.
As an addition, Sylvia Walby view, that the first wave feminist movement in Britain was a central importance in bringing about a change
from private to public patriarchy, via the struggle for the vote, for access to the education and profession, to have a legal rights of property ownership,
rights in marriage and divorce and so on.
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2. Second wave feminism
The second wave feminism emerged in 1960, at the end of World War II. Even though generally, first and second wave feminism have a similar
main key struggle such as gender inequality, women’s right in politic, economic, reproductive , gender role, gender identity and sexuality. The
second wave generally focused heavily on the activist goals of the day, such as sex discrimination law, abortion rights, and the attempt to ratify the Equal
Rights Amendment This wave encouraged women to understand aspects of their personal lives and deeply politicized, and reflective of a sexists structure
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Susan Alice Watkins 1999, op. cit. p. 15.
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Jane pilcher and Imelda Whelehan, Fifty key concepts in gender studies Wiltshire: The Cromwell Press Ltd, 2004,p.53.
of power. The writer could see that the Second Wave feminism refers to the Women’s Liberation Movement that reached its height in the 1970s. The key
word of this wave was education, of women and of men.
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During the second wave feminism, two famous authors published their well known book and their books become a basic principle of modern
feminist thought later. It was, de Beauvoir’s the second sex 1949 and Betty Friedan’s the feminine mystique 1963. In her second sex, the Beauvoir
stated that “one is not born, but rather, becomes, a woman.”
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. While, in her Feminine mistique, Betty Friedan concerned to women’s problem with their
motherhood and wifehood role.
3. Third wave feminism
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