It is widely understood that there have been three waves of feminism. However, what is disputed are the exact parameters of each wave i.e. the catalyst, the key players, and the success of each wave. We will examine each wave and gain further understanding of each as well as gain better understanding of exactly how much progress we have made as a culture over the years.
It was in the sprawling urban industrialist zeitgeist of the late 19th and early 20th century that the liberal social views fostered the first wave of feminism. Feminism in its inception, and arguable still to this day is intertwined with the temperance and abolitionist movements. The primary goal during this time was women’s suffrage, or the ability to vote alongside the men. The initial wave was galvanized in 1848 at the Seneca Falls Convention where 300 men and women came together to raise awareness about equality for women with regard to voting as well as employment opportunities. This gathering showed women acting in what Victorian era Americans considered to be unladylike manners including public speaking and protesting which also led some to spend some time in jail.