In the recent past, the world has witnessed the rise of several feminist movements. These organizations mostly have the same goal – to address women’s issues and their effects on the social and economic order, which predominantly seems to be in favor of men. However, despite the changes that have been made, on numerous indicators, women are disadvantaged relative to men, be it in earnings, the likelihood of poverty, the risk of violence, and opportunities. Furthermore, these patterns are particularly exacerbated for women of color.
The first wave of the feminist movement in the 19th and 20th centuries was predominantly focused on women’s suffrage and admission into the political sphere. Women in America focused their campaign on demands for the right to suffrage. They based their assertion on improved intellect and education levels amongst them and political knowledge that would impact the governance of the country and become the voice of the women in leadership. According to Andersen and Witham (2011), the first wave has brought significant changes in the lives of both women and men. In general, women have received the right to vote, administer funds, work in multiple spheres, and own property.
Another wave of feminism began in the mid-’90s, and as time went by, new challenges emerged. Thus, the feminist movement of this time was advocating the right for women to have control of their bodies and reproductive health discussing the admission of birth control and abortion into the legal framework. (Boston Women’s Health Book Collective, 2017). Finally, in the present day, the feminist movement focuses on gender identity, girl empowerment, and the collaboration of different generations for the achievement of the goals of equality in various spheres across the globe via art, culture, and social media (Chiu, 2020).
In turn, the LGBTQ movement is a setup similar to the feminist organization. The membership seeks to demystify their existence and be recognized as equal and normal members of society. They have made several gains in their activism, such as the appointing of the first LGBTQ rights investigator to help protect sexual and gender minorities (Deschamps & Singer, 2017). Laws in the recent past have been established to protect and preserve their interest all over the world. For instance, president Biden recently recognized June as “Pride Month” and vowed to fight for full equality (Karni, 2021). With consolidated efforts, the members of the LGBTQ community should receive recognition and equal rights all over the world.
References
Andersen, M. & Witham, D. H. (2011). Thinking about women: Sociological perspectives on sex and gender (9th ed.). Allyn & Bacon.
Boston Women’s Health Book Collective. (2017). Our bodies ourselves. Cambridge MA.
Chiu, B. (2020). 2020s mark a new wave of feminist mobilization. Forbes. Web.
Deschamps, D., & Singer, B. L. (2017). LGBTQ stats: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people by the numbers. The New Press.
Karni, A. (2021). Biden recognizes Pride Month, vowing to fight for L.G.B.T.Q. rights. The New York Times. Web.