The History and Development of Feminism

Yewon Jo

January 30, 2026

Feminism is, by definition, the advocacy of women’s rights based on the belief of the equality of the sexes. Ever since it was introduced in the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention in the U.S.,  feminism has been developing alongside cultural and political shifts of the United States. There are four major waves of feminism up to date, each wave focusing on a different aspect of equality in rights and opportunity.

First Wave Feminism is largely focused on women’s legal rights towards suffrage, education, and property. Before the initial proposal of women having equal rights to men at the Seneca Falls Convention, women were not allowed basic legal rights such as receiving high level education or being able to divorce their husband in the circumstance of domestic abuse. Caused by national rage towards lack of respect towards women as human beings, the Women’s Suffrage Movement swept across the nation, the beginning of a lengthy, 72-year-long struggle to gain voting rights for women. Many women dedicated their life towards achieving this goal, some notable figures being Susan B. Anthony and former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Second Wave Feminism, which arose in the 1960s, was dedicated to acquiring equal opportunities and wages in the workplace. It started when feminist writer Betty Friedan published her book The Feminist Mystique, employing philosophical thought to discuss feminism and taking into account oral histories of other women and her own personal experiences. She discovered that many women had issues with merely fulfilling the traditional role of a housewife and a caretaker, and there were those with ambition who wished to achieve much more. The Feminist Mystique fueled the resurgence of the feminist movement, and middle class women across the country began to organize to advocate for women’s social and political equality. As a result, the same year The Feminine Mystique was published, President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act of 1963 into law - forbidding by law for women to be paid less than men when working the same job.

Third Wave Feminism emerged in the mid-1990s due to the dawning of an age where the population was saturated by media and minorities were speaking out for respect towards diversity. Due to this, movements in Third Wave promoted intersectionality, which is recognizing that various social identities may have different experiences with and towards feminism. They also recognized racial and ethnic diversity and emphasized principles of individual empowerment.

Lastly, Fourth Wave Feminism originated in 2012 from the active usage of social media to call out sexual harassment, body shaming, and rape culture. This new movement towards victim solidarity and empowerment was named the #MeToo movement. It was notable that this wave arose amid a number of high-profile incidents of sexual assault and severe death and rape threats many women were facing.

It is important to understand the history of feminism in order to see its future. Feminism has come to encompass numerous social frameworks and cultural contexts over the years, and it is worth noting that with social shifts, the fight towards women’s rights and equality will adapt accordingly - never fading, ever standing.