Why The Second-wave Feminism Has Been Contested By Various Quotas (Essay Sample)

Second-Wave Feminism Name Institution Introduction Feminism has been a critical subject of gender studies. The first-wave feminism aimed at countering the institutionalized gender discrimination which hindered women from enjoying their social-political rights such as the right to vote and own property. After achieving the first-wave feminism, the second-wave kicked in the 1960s (Bradnock, 2014). However, the second-wave feminism has been contested in the field of gender studies because for lacking substantive boundaries as compared to the first-wave. This paper examines why the concept of second-wave feminism is contested in the field of gender. Second-Wave Feminism Second-wave feminism started in the United States before spreading to other countries across the world. Unlike the first-wave which focused on political and legal aspects, the second-wave feminism was based on pushing for change on issues such as sexuality, reproduction, workplace, domestic violence and divorces (White, 2016). Although the second-wave was embraced in various parts of the world, it has continued to receive praises and criticized at equal measures. The second-wave focused on reducing feminism to the white women over other racial groups. This made second-wave feminism to overlook the contribution of the women of color and other minority groups in the struggle for feminism. The second-wave feminism is contested because of failing to promote equal treatment of women regardless of their color race, sexual orientation or social class. However, the second-wave feminism was seen more as promoting the rights of white women as compared to other racial groups. At the time of the movement, there was a high level of race discrimination which disregarded the rights of other racial groups. This made the second-wave feminism to be based on the assumption that all women in the society faced similar oppressions. According to White (2002), the movement was also a good base for highlighting other problems affecting the society at the time including racial discrimination and racial segregation. As women were fighting for their issues, it prompted other groups to consider some of their challenges as well as enhance their struggle. For instance, the second-wave feminism started during the same time as the civil rights movement, although they both pushed different agendas. The term second-wave feminism should not be abandoned altogether but rather be redefined to include all the parties participated in the movement (Bradnock, 2014). Contrary to the first-wave feminism that remained intact, the second-wave feminism was influenced by a wide range of movements engaged in the wave. The second-wave movement was characterized by groups such as black feminism, women's liberation movement, and other women-of-color feminisms. The second-wave feminism should be redefined to embrace the different divisions. Most of the feminists were born after the Second World War and therefore had a generational difference from the leaders of the first-feminism. In my views, the second-wave feminism played a vital role fighting for pertinent issues facing the women across the world (Thompson, 2002). If the movement on feminism had ended during the first-wave, it would have been difficult to understand other cultural issues affecting sexes in the society. In my understanding, the second-wave should be appreciated because it helped to unearth the growing problem that was strongly held by societies across the world which perceived women as inferior to men. Since the first-wave helped to address various suffrages, it did not address the issues that were strongly rooted in the culture (White, 2016). It is through the second-wave feminism that helped the society to understand the hurtful issues faced by women such as being unequally treated in the workplace, subjected to domestic violence and other negative issues in the society. The divisions that faced the second-wave movement should not be a reason for the contest on the relevance of the wave. These divisions, in fact, bring a new dimension on the whole issues because they led to different movements supporting same cultural issues affecting women in the society. The divisions during the second-wave feminism give opportunities for women of different groups to advocate for the solution of their unique problems. Th...