Feminism
is a collection of movements and ideologies that share a common goal: to define, establish, and achieve
equal
political, economic, cultural, personal, and social
rights for women. This includes seeking to establish equal opportunities for women in education and employment. A
feminist
advocates or supports the rights and equality of women.
Feminist movements have campaigned and continue to campaign for
women's rights, including the right to
vote, to hold public office,
to work, to fair wages or
equal pay, to
own property,
to education, to enter
contracts, to have equal rights within
marriage, and to have
maternity leave. Feminists have also worked to promote bodily
autonomy
and integrity, and to protect women and girls from
rape,
sexual harassment, and
domestic violence.
Feminist theory, which emerged from
feminist movements, aims to understand the nature of gender inequality by examining women's social roles and lived experience; it has developed theories in a variety of disciplines in order to respond to issues such as the social construction of sex and gender. Some forms of feminism have been
criticized
for taking into account only white, middle-class, educated perspectives. This led to the creation of ethnically specific or multiculturalist forms of feminism.
Image
i
-
International Women's Day rally in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 8 March 2005, organized by the National Women Workers Trade Union Centre