What is Feminism?
We can't all seem to even agree on what feminism is and isn't. In my opinion feminism is about equality between men and women. This equality can be legal in the form of rights or social in terms of power. It's easier to deal with the legal aspects because by voting and through the political process we can produce equality between genders. At the same time there are many stereotypes which negatively affect both men and women and as a result both genders get unfair treatment socially.
Why are some women turning against feminism?
This is a question for the women on Steemit. Why is it that women now are blogging and coming out against feminism? As I understand it there are different waves of feminism with a distinction between second and third wave feminism. Is third wave feminism effective for achieving the goals? What exactly are the goals of third wave feminism vs second wave feminism?
The third wave arose partially as a response to the perceived failures of second-wave feminism,[1] and the backlash against initiatives and movements created during the 1960s, '70s and '80s. It attempts to expand feminism to include women with a diverse set of identities[2][3] recognising that women are of "many colors, ethnicities, nationalities, religions and cultural backgrounds". Thus it can be seen as a reaction to or continuation of second-wave feminism, and constitutes a partial destabilization of constructs from the second wave. The related concept of intersectionality was introduced in 1989, a few years before the third wave began, but it was during this wave that the concept was embraced.
What is cultural feminism?
Amy Richards defines the feminist culture for this generation is "third wave because it's an expression of having grown up with feminism".[60] Second-wave feminists grew up where the politics intertwined within the culture, such as "Kennedy, the Vietnam War, civil rights, and women's rights"; In contrast, the third wave sprang from a culture of "punk-rock, hip-hop, 'zines, products, consumerism and the Internet".[18]
A criticism of third wave feminism is lack of a cohesive set of goals. What are the changes desired by third wave feminists? No more clear than this issue be seen than on issues like pornography, or dress codes. Some women for example side with "free the nipple" as a movement while other women are concerned about "street harassment" and women being fired for being too sexy at work. There seems to be no clear agenda or outline of an agenda for third wave feminism so that even feminists or would be supporters don't know exactly what the strategy is. On the other hand there are a lot of tactics, such as the use of social media, or political theater, to bring about change, but without knowing what these changes should be it is hard to find a coherent mission.
Conclusion
I support feminism when there is a coherent agenda or set of objectives to be accomplished. If it's clearly about equality between genders, breaking the glass ceiling, promoting individual liberty, then of course I will support these objectives. Other times I can't figure out what the objective is supposed to be and in these cases I will sit back and watch things play out rather than pick a side. Women must decide what feminism should be about, and supporters will have to pick and choose which particular feminists or objectives to stand behind and which not.