Feminist Movement Research

Feminism in most regions of the Western World has undergone three waves. The first wave is oriented on the upper and middle-class station of the white women, political equality and involved suffrage (Mansbridge, 199). The second wave of the feminism in the western world tried to combat cultural and social inequalities. While the first wave of the feminist movement majorly involved the middle class of the white women, the second wave of the feminism brought all the women in the developing countries who sought solidarity (Jaquette, 10). The third wave of the feminist movement still continues to address socio-cultural financial inequalities such as campaigning for greater women influence in media and politics. ODI (Overseas Development Institute) has released a detailed report consisting of the major ten factors that have either been constraining or impacting the economic empowerment of women (Stanley, 56).

The data was drawn from the Gallup World Poll which covers around 99% of the global population of people aged above 15 years (Freeman, 517). The report signals a significant transition from recent researches on the economic empowerment of women moving from the reason as to why policy supports the economic empowerment of women and how that is done. To answer this, the Overseas Development Institute has divided the ten factors into either underlying or direct factors (Jaquette, 4). The first direct factors that significantly affect the rights of women in the society is education training and skills development. This has resulted in feminism pushed for equal education to both male and female children. Increased demand for contraceptives has also increased among the sexually active and the unmarried people aged between 15 to 19 years.

In around 30 states worldwide it has been established that 22 of them are in Africa and there are less than half of the unmarried sexually active women who use contraceptives (Freeman, 518). The chart below shows the analyzed summary of the data. Figure 1. Women were viewed to have low leadership skills and were only involved in house chores. Even at family levels, women were not involved in decision making (Jaquette, 8). They were presumed to be subjects of their husbands. Women also faced some challenges such as lack of funds to help them in social mobilization. Some of the major challenges that women faced were as described below. The survivors of rape and sexual assault usually faced a lot of problems such as delayed response by the twin legal systems of government.

The encouragement of sexual assault and rape as part of life boosted its extensiveness (Freeman, 512). There existed profoundly entrenched, an unavoidable and reflective personal acceptance of the groups involved. This primarily affected young girls and women who were exposed to sexual violence. Furthermore, there existed several cases of rape and sexual assault survival among girls and women who were involved in unwanted pregnancies and domestic violence (Jaquette, 9). Early marriages development prospects barred the girl child from participation in learning therefore, they did not access basic primary education (Napikoski, 60). Additionally, early marriage encouraged domestic violence in that the young girls did not have enough knowledge on how to relate to their husband or take care of the family. Employment Opportunities In Countries such as the United States, women experience inequality and discriminations in the workforce.

Women earned low salaries as compared to their male counterpart. By estimate female received around $0. Despite these mistreatments, women overcame them and proclaimed a better position in the society. In the past, women lived unfair and unequal life, they were not allowed to participate in either economic, political and social activities. The main job of the woman was being a housewife whose main task was to take care of the husband, children and family chores. During those days, women remained subjects to their husbands who dominated all the fields. After a long period of suffering and misery for women from all parts of the world started paving the way to changing their position and perception in life. Freeman, Jo. "From suffrage to women's liberation: feminism in twentieth-century America.