Feminist Theory: Third Wave

Third wave feminism refers to feminist philosophy, writings, and activism dating from approximately the mid-1990s through the present. Third wave feminism can indicate a variety of perspectives, including intersectional feminism, Third World and diasporic feminism, and what is known as postfeminism. Commonly, however, third wave feminism refers to U.S.-Anglo writings, popular-culture texts, and, to a lesser degree, activism that focus on issues of concern to younger people living in highly mediated, wealthy societies in an age of neoliberalism and globalization.

Unlike earlier generations of feminists, members of the third wave take for granted that the overwhelming majority of women will, because of economic necessity, participate in the workforce. They also expect women to have equal access to educational opportunities. In fact, part of the challenge for third wave feminists is defining feminism's goals in the wake of its successes in improving many women's life opportunities. In an era when women are earning more college degrees than men and discrimination in the workplace is outlawed, some people argue that there is no further need for feminist activism. Compounding the challenges wrought, paradoxically, by feminism's qualified successes are profound cultural and intellectual shifts since the 1970s. For example, not only do third wave feminists need to account fully for issues of race, class, and sexual orientation in forging their agenda; they must also contend with those who question the fundamental identity of “women.”

The character of third wave feminism, its core issues, and the controversies around its purpose and goals are best understood through the viewpoint of its progenitor, second wave feminism. In the late 1960s, spurred by the energy and achievements of the civil rights movement, many women with experience in leftist political activism banded together to work for “women's liberation.” Second wave feminism was characterized by conflicting strains—radical, liberal, and cultural—that worked toward somewhat different ends; however, feminists in this era did share key concerns. For example, all second wave feminists desired liberation from patriarchy. Sexist treatment—often symbolized by women's sexual subjugation to men in the law, in romantic relationships, and in pornography—was a shared target of activism and consciousness-raising. Second wave feminists worked for women's collective and individual empowerment through a variety of means, including legal protections from sexual harassment and workplace discrimination, reformed rape laws, increased protection from domestic violence, equal education, the celebration of women's achievements in the arts and sciences, acknowledgment of women's unpaid domestic contributions, and greater respect for women in their role as mothers.

Third wave feminism continues its predecessor's legacy in some respects and departs from it in others. Third wave feminists continue to promote women's substantive equality with men, though they may differ among themselves as to what, exactly, this entails. The majority of feminists influenced by the third wave support reproductive rights, equal treatment in the workplace, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual/transgender, queer/questioning (LGBTQ) rights. Third wave feminists face different challenges from those faced by second wave feminists. For example, third wave feminism must find ways to engage people who are allied with feminist concerns but who do not feel much political urgency regarding women's rights. In wealthy, English-speaking countries, much of the most obvious and egregious oppression, such as blatant sexual discrimination, is outlawed and routinely prosecuted. Women have access to legal remedies and some degree of cultural support in seeking redress from those who engage in misogynic behavior. Moreover, although abortion rights in the United States have been under nearly constant attack since the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling, abortion is legal and various forms of effective birth control are widely available. These developments have made the fight to secure women's reproductive rights seem less pressing, despite the reality that poor and rural women still find it almost impossible to secure a timely and affordable abortion.

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