Feminist ideas have existed since Ancient Greek and Roman times, with philosophers like Plato believing women had the same governing capabilities as men. The feminist movement's evolution is identified in three waves. The first is a fight for equality, focusing on suffrage and equal pay, with more women entering the workplace.

The second wave brought the term “women’s liberation”, and women began to speak out against the confinement of their societal roles. This wave of feminism fought for equal opportunities and saw Roe v. Wade protect women’s reproductive rights, as described in this article.

Finally, we have the third wave. The wave that fought for women’s safety in the workplace with movements such as #MeToo. This is the wave we continue to define and construct every day.

Through these different waves of feminism, the movement was critiqued, questioned and celebrated. The progress the movement had seen would have been unthinkable to women suffragettes, but it has been proven possible. The biggest change, however, is women’s mindsets toward feminism.

Feminism, along with changes in legislation, has led to shifts in societal ideas. Women see themselves, each other, and the feminist movement differently in every wave they ride.

So, what do today’s high schoolers think of feminism? To get a comprehensive understanding, here are the answers from over thirty Bay Area teens.

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Questions

The first question asked was “What does feminism mean to you?” The two words that were included in practically every answer were equality and choice. A majority of interviewees clarified further, expressing that feminism was not about putting one gender over the other but rather “fixing the balance” and creating true equality.

Many claimed that the idea that feminism meant that women were above men was “flawed” and that feminism is about creating equal opportunities and expectations for men and women alike, which holds benefits to everyone. Today, we see one of the biggest criticisms of feminism is that it supports and encourages man-hating. During interviews, it was clear that the idea of man-hating being supported by feminism was recognized but not supported.

Many interviewees highlighted that feminism was about giving women choice. An interviewee specified that women should have the choice to do what they desire and that they deserve to be supported regardless of what choices they make. She says, “A traditional housewife should be uplifted the same as a working woman.

The patriarchy shouldn’t push women into certain roles”. After the women’s liberation movement, many women felt they were liberated in their roles in the household and resented feminism for pushing them away from these roles. We see now that mindsets have started to shift past the idea that being a career woman made you a bigger feminist than being a housewife.

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The second question asked was “What do you think the stance of feminism is now?” This question was designed to understand what the main talking points and issues feminism was advocating for. The main answers to this question were abortion, workplace equality, transgender rights and inclusivity of different races in the movement.

The cause of workplace equality had two aspects: the first being protecting women from workplace harassment, and the second being providing women with an equal opportunity in the workplace. This answer is likely linked to the MeToo movement, which brought favorable working conditions for women to the forefront of the feminist movement.

The cause for abortion is linked to Roe v. Wade being overruled, making it a cause that has recycled since the second wave of feminism, as they saw Roe v Wade go into effect. The fact that this issue has been brought back is significant, as it shows regression in the movement, going backwards instead of forward.

The final cause of inclusivity of transgender rights and different races is a cause that is most prevalent in the third wave of feminism. First and second wave feminism have often been criticized for selectively advocating for white women, and it is in third wave feminism where we see that individuals believe inclusion should be a cause that the feminist movement encompasses.

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The final question asked was “How does being or not being a feminist affect your actions and choices?” This question was deeply personal for many and caused interviewees to reflect on niche choices and actions they made on a daily basis that reflected their affiliation with the feminist movement.

Given how personal this question was, it is difficult to generalize answers, but the biggest response to this question was the awareness of inequality in the world. Some connected this with their personal lives, highlighting times in student council and sports where they experienced gender inequality, while others believed they saw no gender inequality in their personal lives but recognised it existed elsewhere.

Many expressed that an action of feminism they took was supporting other women by showing empathy and calling out sexist comments from male friends. They shared that their awareness made double standards apparent and incentivized them to speak out against them rather than “brush them off as ‘the way the world works’.”

A few said that they believed their education and working hard in school was an action rooted in feminism. They expanded by expressing how education was a privilege that was granted by the work of feminists, so now doing well in school and building a career is an action they take as feminists.

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Conclusion

From the answers, it is clear that third-wave feminism is about providing equality for men and women without tipping over into a man-hating or misandrist attitude. Today's feminism focuses on providing the freedom of choice to all women and supporting them through any path they choose to take. The main advocacy topics of feminism include abortion, workplace equality, inclusion of minority groups and transgender rights. Transgender rights and overall inclusivity are most unique to third-wave feminism, as the movement has faced criticism for its underrepresentation in the past.

Finally, third-wave feminism has caused women to be aware of inequality in their personal lives, as well as put an emphasis on education and support for other women.

Further Commentary

Perceptions of feminism have changed along with the different waves. When women demanded the right to work, they were called crazy. When they asked for a role beside the home, they were ungrateful.

Now, with demands for workplace safety and pointing out inequalities still apparent, women are asking for too much. This wave of feminism is often perceived to be an attack on men, but what we fail to recognize is that the mindset of each wave is that the movement is too radical and the demands are too unreasonable.

It is only when we have the privilege of looking at a cause in hindsight that we say, “Okay, it was reasonable then, but now it's just too much”. However, if suffrage activists listened to attacks on women being unfit to vote, our world would look immensely different.

Every single time women have called out unfairness, they have been ridiculed by society, but if they had given up, then we wouldn’t have made all the progress we did. All members of society must continue to call out disparity, as equality can never be too radical a cause.