Question

Third Wave Feminism - Intersectionality

Third Wave Feminism arose out of the failure of Second Wave Feminism to fully address the needs and demands of women of color and other differently-oriented women. What aspect (of any of the readings) did you find most powerful or important? Why?

Answer 1

The idea of third wave feminism came up around the mid 1900s. This was led by the people who were born around the 1960s to the 1970s. These people, did benefit from the ideas that had been propagated by the first wave feminists and the second wave feminists, though, they also did contribute into a lot of criticism to the work of the second wave feminists. The third wavers did not want to fit into the well oiled machinery that was already in operation. They were the ones, who wanted to rebuild the entire machine. Their ideas were to redefine as well as reclaim the ideas about gender, about womanhood , and masculinity that was popular in the society.

the ideas of strictly male or strictly female that persisted, was challenged upon. Thus, a new idea emerged, that was the gender continuum. The intersection was such that non of the inducible were having or expressing the full range of traits, which earlier defined gender. For the first time, the ideas of se-xual Liberty were put onto a platform. This had been expanded from the second wave feminisms, where the ides to associate with ones own gender, have the idea about ones own self was shaped. Gender identity different from that constructed by the society was understood and the idea was propagated.

also, unlike the second or the first wave, the third wave also was inclusive of women from every ethnicity, such that white, blacks and women of colour would have a greater sense of belonging. Third wave also opposed women being weak or passive, and gave the idea of the more assertive self and of women who can be in control.