The word feminism was coined in the 19th century by French philosopher and
socialist Charles Fourier. But while
feminists all seek equality between the
sexes across political, social and
cultural spheres, there is no one type of
feminism. The author Rebecca West wrote in 1913 "I myself have never been able to
find out precisely what feminism is. I
only know that people call me a feminist
whenever I express sentiments that
differentiate me from a doormat".
The first wave of feminists fought for women to be able to vote and own property.
Until these gains were made, largely in
the late 19th and early 20th centuries,
women often needed male guardians to
transact business on their behalf,
which was particularly galling if your
guardian was an idiot.
In 1949 the brilliant French philosopher
Simone de Beauvoir published The second sex.
She argued that one is not born, but
rather becomes, a woman. This was good
news for those who felt constrained by
the expectation that women should be
quiet and nice. Beauvoir's critics, and
feminism's critics, have often said that
anger is not very ladylike. 
This is no bad thing. Who wouldn't rather
be a woman than a lady? Feminism has
gradually shifted for women around the
world to advocate many different kinds
of change like equal pay and
reproductive freedom. Most recently,
social media has become a crucial tool
for raising awareness and encouraging
debate. Feminist campaigns to combat
female genital mutilation, to acknowledge
the contributions made by women in the
past and to speak out against sexual
abuse in all its forms have filtered
into mainstream cultural discourse. At
the end of 2017, Time magazine named
women who had broken their silence on
sexual assaults as its Person of the Year.
There is still a long way to go before
men and women have full equality all
over the world and resistance to this
idea has not disappeared. 
Perhaps feminism boils down to the words
of Dorothy Parker who once said: my idea
is that all of us, men as well as women,
whoever we are, should be considered as
human beings.
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