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class . Upon seeing them , the Duke of Richmond resisted and they attacked him physically and broke into his office . Though this action did not lead to drastic changes , the struggle continued , culminating in 1652 by the founding of the Society of Friends in England by Quakers . The society was founded on the principle that they did not accept any form of hierarchy between people .
The 18th and 19th Centuries were known as the ages of reason in which there are many women who came up and were outspoken about the need to change the women ’ s subordinate social position . Changes continued until currently where we see various activities worldwide aimed at ensuring that there is gender equality .
Waves Of Feminism
There are notable events which defined feminisms and these came in forms of waves . The first wave was experienced in Unites States of America ( USA ) and in the United Kingdom ( UK ). This wave took place during the second half of the 19th century with the main concern of women being the injustices that they were experiencing at a personal level . It led to tangible achievements like enactment of laws including Married Women ’ s Property Act , 1870 ( allowing women to own property ), opening up of higher education to women and the reforms in secondary education for girls . In addition , women were allowed to participate in election process .
Notable women who participated in this wave included Abigail Adams ( the wife of the second president of USA ), who demanded for equal representation for women within the law and education among other things .
Then came the second wave of feminism from the late 1960s onwards . It took place throughout the Western world and it was aimed at increasing equality for women . The range of equality included workplace equalities , equalities in domestic spheres , sexuality and reproductive rights . It had been noted that there was inequality in terms of salaries between men and women for the same kind of job . Women were also not allowed to perform specific types of duties without reasonable justification . The second wave was intended to cure this .
Other freedoms agitated for during this wave included free contraception and abortion , financial and legal independence . In the domestic sphere , there were roles
which had traditionally been assigned to women . These roles were interpreted to be aimed at keeping women subordinate to men and they had to be addressed . ( Currently , especially locally , I have seen this still being practiced . Subconsciously while in office meetings , why is it that it ’ s the female members of staff who pray before meetings ? Why is it that they are the ones who serve tea ? At home , why are the women given the responsibility of waking up in the morning to go till the land while men wake up to waste the day away at drinking dens )?
The third and fourth waves of feminism came into being in the mid 1990s and 2012 respectively . These were women born in the 1960s and 1970s . Although they had benefited from the achievement of the first two waves , to an extent that they now had economic and professional power , they still felt that there was an unfinished business . Particular emphasis was given to violence against women . Of note were concerns regarding persistence of rape , domestic violence and sexual harassment ( remember the vagina monologues ?).
Social medial was used as a tool of addressing and highlighting any of these concerns ( remember the hashtag me-too movement ? Or my dress my choice slogan in Kenya ?).
Types Of Feminism
Feminism can be divided mainly into several types . These include the liberal feminism , radical feminism , Marxist feminism , cultural feminism , eco feminism and many others . ( Is there anything like toxic feminism ?)
Liberal feminism is also called the mainstream feminism , and is the main branch of feminism which is defined by its focus on gender equality , achieved through political and legal reforms in a liberal democracy . Many laws addressing gender inequalities have been enacted through this . ( Local case in point is Constitution of Kenya 2010 requirement of 1 / 3 of public position be reserved for women and creation of woman representative position in Parliament ).
Marxist feminism is concerned with division of labour and lack of support
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