are between Third Wave and Fourth Wave feminism. “The confusion
surrounding what constitutes third wave feminism is in some respects
its defining feature,” says feminist scholar Elizabeth Evans.
21
And the
Fourth Wave is still evolving. But overall, modern feminism often greatly
emphasizes inclusivity, diversity, and the use of social media more than
feminists of the past—to the extent that some people who could be
classified as Fourth Wave feminists are not fully comfortable with the label
feminist
. Fourth Wave feminism tends to focus more on the oppression
of all people under the patriarchal system, causing many members of
that movement to want to use the label
humanist
instead of
feminist
.
Still, Martha Rampton, director of the Center for Gender Equity at Pacific
University, writes:
Some people who wish to ride this new fourth wave have trouble
with the word “feminism,” not just because of its older connotations
of radicalism, but because the word feels like it is underpinned by
assumptions of a gender binary and an exclusionary subtext: “for
women only.” Many fourth wavers who are completely on-board with
the movement’s [tenets] find the term “feminism” sticking in their
craws and worry that it is hard to get their message out with a label
that raises hackles for a broader audience. Yet the word is winning
the day. The generation now coming of age sees that we face serious
problems because of the way society genders and is gendered, and
we need a strong “in-your-face” word to combat those problems.
Feminism no longer just refers to the struggles of women; it is a clarion
call for gender equity.
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ISSUES FOR MODERN FEMINISM
The goals of all of the branches of modern feminism are similar in focus,
and the issues they contend with affect all American women, making
feminism still a relevant and important cause today. Despite progress that
was made for women’s rights in the First and Second Waves of feminism,
32
