Psychology and Education
The difference between the first wave, second wave and third wave feminism
Historically feminism has been divided into three distinct units, first wave is the kind of feminism that took place in the nineteenth and early twentieth century (Siebler, 2010). However, the type of feminism that took place during the 1960s and the 1970s is called second feminism. But the last wave which extended from the year 1990s up-to-date is the third type of wave known as the third wave. The three different types of feminism manifest itself in different ways such as feminist literary, feminist geography and feminist history. During the historical movement, leaders and theorist were mostly from the middle class women from North American and Europe.
The connection between the waves and the sociological theory
The feminism waves such as first wave, second wave and third provides a coherent connection of women struggle to achieve their identity in a given way. The chorology of the struggle by feminism to achieve equal rights in sexual, intellectual, social, economic right and political positions to men has been explained by social theory (Ritzer & Stepnisky, 2017). Social theory has taken center stage in explaining the object of social reality from social end drawing links from different individual concepts and thoughts in order to come up with substantial sociological knowledge.
Similarity between third wave feminism and postmodern theory
Third wave is the feminism that took place at the last face of feminism which still exist up to date. A coherent similarity exist between third wave and postmodern theory. According to postmodern theory which is embedded on Western philosophy, postmodern is a movement which is characterized by divergent level of subjectivism or relativism, skepticism and general suspicion (Butler, 2004). Postmodern theory and third wave feminism have a cute sensitivity based on the role of ideology thus affirming both political and economic strengths.
How are sex, gender and sexuality socially constructed?
According to Butler, sex is not a natural category but a constituted discourse from social perspective involving performances which are subjective. However, through subjectivities sex has become a subject of performance. Butler describes the heterogeneous matrix where proper men and women are known as heterogeneous asserting that there is no link between sex, gender and sexuality way above what has been crafted by those who have power in our society (Butler, 2004). The underlying principle of constructed is the categories within the normative plus the deviant
Critiques of feminism in general and of third wave feminism
There are many critiques of feminism, for instance feminism mold women who hate men, angry and pro-choice. Third wave feminism is more entrenched amongst younger women mostly children of feminist (Eagly and Stephanie, 2014). Third Wave feminism is much individualistic despite not rejecting political activism. Third wave feminism is much more embedded on personal empowerment at the yard stick and the genesis of social change. Third Wave feminism revels the construction of individual identity in the complex and postmodern world. Third Wave feminism invites women to self-identity rooted on smorgasbord of possibilities.
References
Butler, J. (2004). Undoing gender. Psychology Press.
Eagly, Alice H., and Stephanie Riger. “Feminism and psychology: Critiques of methods and epistemology.” American Psychologist 69.7 (2014): 685.
Gillis, S., & Munford, R. (2004). Genealogies and generations: The politics and praxis of third wave feminism. Women’s History Review, 13(2), 165-182.
Ritzer, G., & Stepnisky, J. (2017). Modern sociological theory. Sage publications.
Siebler, K. (2010). Far from the Truth: Teaching the Politics of Sojourner Truth’s” Ain’t I a Woman?” Pedagogy, 10(3), 511-533.