Full transcript
0:00The word feminism was coined in the 19th century by French philosopher and
0:03socialist Charles Fourier. But while feminists all seek equality between the
0:08sexes across political, social and cultural spheres, there is no one type of
0:12feminism. The author Rebecca West wrote in 1913 "I myself have never been able to
0:18find out precisely what feminism is. I only know that people call me a feminist
0:22whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat".
0:27The first wave of feminists fought for women to be able to vote and own property.
0:31Until these gains were made, largely in the late 19th and early 20th centuries,
0:35women often needed male guardians to transact business on their behalf,
0:39which was particularly galling if your guardian was an idiot.
0:43In 1949 the brilliant French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir published The second sex.
0:48She argued that one is not born, but rather becomes, a woman. This was good
0:54news for those who felt constrained by the expectation that women should be
0:57quiet and nice. Beauvoir's critics, and feminism's critics, have often said that
1:02anger is not very ladylike. This is no bad thing. Who wouldn't rather
1:06be a woman than a lady? Feminism has gradually shifted for women around the
1:11world to advocate many different kinds of change like equal pay and
1:14reproductive freedom. Most recently, social media has become a crucial tool
1:18for raising awareness and encouraging debate. Feminist campaigns to combat
1:22female genital mutilation, to acknowledge the contributions made by women in the
1:26past and to speak out against sexual abuse in all its forms have filtered
1:30into mainstream cultural discourse. At the end of 2017, Time magazine named
1:35women who had broken their silence on sexual assaults as its Person of the Year.
1:38There is still a long way to go before
1:42men and women have full equality all over the world and resistance to this
1:45idea has not disappeared. Perhaps feminism boils down to the words
1:49of Dorothy Parker who once said: my idea is that all of us, men as well as women,
1:54whoever we are, should be considered as human beings.
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