Timeline: The Evolution of the Feminist Movement - From Suffrage to Modern Day by Mina

First Wave Feminism

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1830s-1920s

Movement focuses on:

Property rights

Political rights (right to vote)

First Wave Feminism

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"Ain't I a Woman?" Sojourner Truth in 1851 at the Women's Convention in Akron, Ohio

First Wave Feminism

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Between 1903 and 1914, the Suffragette movement used radical protest tactics and a creative publicity campaign to demand women’s right to vote in the UK. “Deeds not words” was their motto, and over 1,300 women went to prison for the cause.

First Wave Feminism

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Seneca Falls Convention in 1848: three hundred people rallied to the cause of equality for women. Elizabeth Cady Stanton (d.1902) drafted the Seneca Falls Declaration outlining the new movement's ideology and political strategies.

First Wave Feminism

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1918, UK: Representation of the People Act gave the vote to women, so long as they were over the age of 30 and were either:

a property owner
a graduate voting in a university constituency
a member or married to a member of the local government register (which lists who can vote in local elections)

Representation of the People 1928 Act: widened suffrage by giving women electoral equality with men.

Second Wave Feminism

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1970: Equal Pay Act in the UK

The Equal Pay Act made it illegal to pay women less than men for the same work. This was a significant victory for the feminist movement in Britain, though the fight for true pay equality continues today.

Second Wave Feminism

stu246443 — 2025-01-15 16:09:04 UTC

1960s-1980s

Focus on:

Legal, Economic, Social rights

Sexuality

Reproductive rights

Workplace

Second Wave Feminism

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Unlike the first wave of feminism, which was generally propelled by middle class, Western, cisgender, white women, the second phase drew in women seeking sisterhood and solidarity.

Second wave feminists argued that "Women's struggle is class struggle."

Feminists spoke of women as a social class and coined phrases such as "the personal is political" and "identity politics" in an effort to demonstrate that race, class, and gender oppression are all related.

Third Wave Feminism

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1990s-2000s

Focus on:

Pay disparity

Everyday violence

Intersectionality

Reproductive rights

Third Wave Feminism

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Fourth Wave Feminism

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Fourth Wave Feminism

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2000s-today

Focus on:

Mobilising the movement online: #metoo and the internet

Applying intersectionality: trans rights, BLM, ecofeminism, disabilities, reproductive rights...

Fourth Wave Feminism

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Third Wave Feminism

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Third-wave feminism began focusing on intersectionality, recognizing that women's experiences vary based on race, class, religion, and other factors. This wave emphasized individual empowerment and challenged gender stereotypes.

2017: #MeToo Movement Goes Viral

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Though originally created by Tarana Burke in 2006, the #MeToo movement gained global momentum in 2017, sparking worldwide conversations about sexual harassment and assault. This movement represents a pivotal moment in fourth-wave feminism.

2020: Record Number of Women in Politics

stu246443 — 2025-01-15 16:20:35 UTC

A milestone year for women in politics globally, with record numbers of women in national parliaments and Kamala Harris becoming the first woman, first Black person, and first Asian American to serve as U.S. Vice President.

Second Wave Feminism

stu246443 — 2025-01-15 16:24:20 UTC

The personal is political - explained