History of Feminism

Feminism refers to a diverse variety of beliefs, ideas, movements, and agendas for action.

When many think of the word "feminism" they think first of the feminist movement of the 1960s and 1970s, sometimes called the Second Wave of Feminism. Here you'll find information on many facets of 1960s and 1970s feminism.

User contributed quotes about feminism, from a wide variety of sources.

Feminist beliefs can be as varied and unique as the individual feminists who hold those beliefs. Still, in trying to determine what feminists of the 1960s and 1970s thought about women, society and equality, it can be helpful to look at significant feminist books of the era. In fact, many key second-wave feminist beliefs are also the titles of...

"Feminism" is about equality of the sexes, and activism to achieve such equality for women. Not all feminist theorists have agreed about how to achieve that equality and what equality looks like. Here are some of the key writers on feminist theory, key to understanding what feminism has been all about. I've listed them in chronological order...

Description of the glass ceiling: what is it? And why can't women shatter it?

Feminists struggle against oppression of women. What is oppression, and what makes a society oppressive?

Definition of patriarchal society. What do feminists mean when they refer to a patriarchal society?

Liberal feminism defined: the definition of liberal feminism, with information about its supporters and critics.

What do feminists mean by sisterhood? What is the definition of sisterhood in feminism?

Definition of subjectivity as an approach to women's history. Links to more details. Entry in the Encyclopedia of Women's History from Jone Johnson Lewis.