“Feminism is the radical notion that women are human beings” (Cherish karma Rae)

Feminism is a political, ideological and socially driven movement proposed to designate and establish equality between the sexes on all basis of human life. Feminism fights, most basically, for equality between men and women within particular facets of feminists; feminism also fights for reproductive rights, the right to own property, opposition to capitalism and the patriarchy, or the challenge of heteronormative gender roles.

The main characteristic and demands of feminism:

• Equal pay in the workplace    
• Reproductive rights                    

Women’s suffrage                                                            

• The right to an education                                                                                                           
• The right to own property                                                                                                 
• Protection against sexual harassment                                                                            
• Fighting against gender stereotypes and formative behaviors

Feminists and scholars have divided the movement’s history into three waves

1.The first waves refer mainly refers to women’s suffrage movements of 19th and 20th centuries concerned with women’s rights to vote.                                                               

2. The second wave of feminism refers to the ideas and actions associated with the women’s liberation movement beginning in the 1960s, which campaigned for legal and social rights for women.   

3.The third wave refers to a continuation of and a reaction to the perceived failures of second-wave feminism beginning in the 1990s.

Feminism has four main types. There is radical, cultural, liberal and Marxist (socialist) feminism.

1.RADICAL feminism fought to overthrow the patriarchal structure of capitalist society in order to free women from traditional domestic rules. Demands of radical feminists.

+ Challenging heteronornative gender roles.

+ Raising awareness of sexual assault and harassment

+ Identifying the sexual objectification of women.

2.CULTURAL Feminism, the view that there is a “female nature” or “female’s essence” attempts to revalue and redefine attributes ascribed to femaleness. It is also used to describe theories that command innate differences between men and women. 

Some others ideals that are championed in cultural feminism include.

+ Promoting gender differences

+ Celebrating stereotypical female traits such as maternity, passivity or peacefulness.

3.LIBERAL feminism focuses on women’s legal rights and gender equality. It has influenced almost all features of feminist theory.

Some of the issues that liberal feminist has fought for are…

+Access to education 

+Reproductive rights

+Rights to vote 

+ Right to own property

4.MARXIST (socialist) feminism is the branch of feminist theory which argues that the main cause of oppression is capitalism.

Some of the most important beliefs of Marxist feminists include 

+Freedom from traditional domestic duties characterized as oppression and slavery

+Creating wages for domestic and household labour in order to compete in.

+Acknowledgment of emotional labour placed on traditionally domestic women.

+Challenging women’s connection to reproductive labours.

Feminism is important not just for women but for every sex, gender, caste, creed and more. It empowers the people and society as a whole. A very common misconception is that only women can be feminists. It is absolutely wrong, but feminism does not just benefit women. It starves for equality of the sexes, not the superiority of women. Feminism takes place the gender roles which have been around for many years and tries to deconstruct them. This allows people to live freely and empowers lives without getting tied down by traditional restrictions. In other words, it benefits women as well as men. For instance, while it advocates that women must be free to earn, it also advocates that why should men be the sole breadwinner of the family; it tries to give freedom to all. Most importantly, it is essential for young people to get involved in the feminist movement. This way, we can achieve a faster result. It is no less than a dream to live in a world full of equality. Thus, we must all look at our own cultures and communities to make this dream a reality. We have not yet reached the result, but we are on the journey, so we must continue on this mission to achieve successful results.

Feminism has had a life-changing impact on everyone, especially women; if we look at history, we see that it is what gave women the right to vote. It was no small feat, but it was achieved successfully by women. Further, if we look at modern feminism, we see how feminism involves in life-altering campaigns. For instance, campaigns that support the abortion of unwanted pregnancy and reproductive rights allow women to have of choice. Moreover, feminism constantly questions patriarchy and strives to renounce gender roles. It allows men to be whoever they wish to be without getting judged. It is not taboo for men to cry anymore because they must be allowed to express themselves freely.

The writer Atizaz Aimal is an intermediate student from Malakand twitter. @atizazabz

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