Third wave feminism

Third-wave feminism encompasses several diverse strains of feminist activity and study. Though exact boundaries are a subject of debate, it is generally marked as beginning in the early 1990s and continuing to the present. It is an "individual movement" in the sense that its purpose includes redefining what it is to be a feminist.

The third wave arose partially as a response to the perceived failures of second-wave feminism, and the backlash against initiatives and movements created during the 1960s, '70s and '80s. It attempts to expand feminism to include women with a diverse set of identities recognising that women are of "many colors, ethnicities, nationalities, religions and cultural backgrounds". Thus it can be seen as a reaction to or continuation of second-wave feminism, and constitutes a partial destabilization of constructs from the second wave. The related concept of intersectionality was introduced in 1989, a few years before the third wave began, but it was during this wave that the concept was embraced.

Rebecca Walker coined the term "Third Wave" to highlight the focus on queer and non-white women.

In 1992, she published an article in response to the Anita Hill case, in order to express her offense at what she saw as the silencing of women by men who commit acts of sexual harassment and other forms of oppression, and who use their privilege to escape justice for such injustices, stating, "I am not a post-feminism feminist. I am the third wave". Walker sought to establish that third-wave feminism was not just a reaction, but a movement in itself, because women's issues were far from over. Third-wave feminists have broadened their goals, focusing on ideas like queer theory, and abolishing gender role expectations and stereotypes. Unlike the determined opposition of second-wave feminists to women in pornography, sex work, and prostitution, third-wave feminists were rather ambiguous and divided about these themes (feminist sex wars). While some thought these sexual acts were degrading and oppressing women, others saw it as empowering that women were owning their sexuality. There was a divide in opinion but third-wave feminism embraced differences, personal narratives, and individualism, instead of all having one agenda (there were exceptions such as rape culture and equal pay). The focus was less on political changes and more on individualistic identity.

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