The Global Women’s Movement and the Feminist

Perspective in 21st Century

Submitted to:
Md. Mynul Islam
Lecturer
Department of Women and Gender Studies
University of Dhaka

Submitted by:
Halima-Tus-Sadia
Roll no. 11, 2nd semester
Course Name: Women’s Movement from Global Perspective
Course Code: WGS 108
Department of Women and Gender Studies
University of Dhaka

Date of Submission: 22nd September, 2013.

 Table of Content
 Abstract…………………………………………………………………………(3)
.
 Introduction………………….....................................................................(4)

 Terminology……………………………………………………………………(4-5)
 Defining Global Women’s Movement…………………………………(4)
 Defining Feminism and Feminist movement…………………………..(4)
 Connection between feminism and Women’s movement……………..(5)
.
 Backgrounds…………………………………………………………………….(5-8)
 1st wave feminism and women’s movement……………………………(5)
 2nd wave feminism and women’s movement……………………………(6)
 3rd wave feminism and women’s movement…………………………….(7)

 Women’s movement and its feminist perspective in 21st century………………(8-12)

 Prominent women’s movements of this century………………………...(9)
 IWD of this century……………………………………………………...(10)
 Upcoming events of 21st century……………………………………......(11)
 Including men in the women’s movements………………………………(12)
 What should be the Women’s movements and Feminism in forward?....(12)

 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………..(13)
 References ………………………………………………………………………..(14)
 Annex ……………………………………………………………………………..(15)

2
Abstract
I am writing this paper under the course WGS 108, Women’s Movement from Global
Perspective. I was told to choose one topic from two selected topics given by our course teacher.
And I have selected the topic “The Global Women’s Movement and the Feminist Perspective
in 21st Century”. Here I have tried to give a brief explanation of the terminology of my
assignment’s title. Then I have showed the connection between global women’s movement and
feminism. Then I have tried to collect a historical background of feminism and global women’s
movement to show the changes in their forms that have occurred in time to time. And then I have
connected 21st century women’s movement with 21st century’s feminist ideas. And at last I have
tried to furnish my paper with my own view about the possible future of feminism and women’s
movement in the later part of 21st century.

Key words
Women, men, feminism, perspective, century, wave, equality and movement.

3
Introduction
Feminism as such has been a political tool of research and action for a large number of women’s
groups, even for those who do not claim its influence on their understanding and debate of
women and gender issues. But as many others concepts, feminism has a long history and has
spread over time and space. It substantially contributed to what all of us accept as the ‘Global
Women’s Movement’. One cannot deny the substantial presence of a worldwide women’s
movement built most certainly over a long period, but consolidated during the three past decades.
And even in the 21st century women’s movement are strongly connected with feminist ideas. Its
main challenges are about putting an end to gender inequalities, and political, economic and
social injustice.

Terminology
Defining Global Women’s Movement:
Literally women’s movement means movement organized by women for achieving their rights.
According to Amrita Basu “Women’s movement comprises a range of struggles by women
against gender inequality” (Antrobus, 2004, 10)
In Saskia Wieringa’s view, “A women’s movement can be seen as the whole spectrum of
conscious and unconscious individual or collective acts, activities, groups or organizations
concerned with diminishing gender subordination, which is understood as interesting with
race and class oppression. Sections within this movement may disagree with each other, but
different demands will continue to crop up at different times, challenging the dominant system
specific way.” (Wieringa, 1995,7)
Peggy Antrobus (2004) have argued that when women establish their separate identities across
the world and discover commonalities among them and head towards a greater achievement in
common through common policies are called global women’s movement.
So it can be said that women’s movement is diverse in nature and is organized by women
individually or collectively in a systematic way to achieve their equal rights. When it reaches at
global aspect it is called global women’s movement.

Defining Feminism and Feminist movement:

Feminism is a social theory and political practice. The question of women’s inequality is the
central to the ideas of feminism. It is a movement, a set of beliefs that problematize gender
inequality. Feminists value women’s status and work to improve women’s status. Rowbotham
(1985) argued that “Feminism is a movement against hierarchy, which goes beyond the
liberation of sex. It contains the possibility of equal relations not only between women and
men, but also between women and women and men and men and even between adults and
children” (Mahtab, 2012, 81)
So, feminism entails everything that is related to gender and class privileges.
The term “feminist movement” refers to a series of campaigns for reforms on issues such as
reproductive rights, domestic violence, maternity leave, equal pay, women's suffrage, sexual

4
harassment, and sexual violence, all of which fall under the label of feminism. Feminist
movement always happens according to particular feminist ideologies.

Connection between feminism and Women’s movement:

Often we use the term women’s movement and feminist movement interchangeably. But there’s
a slight difference between them. Recently we have had a wonderful session with Dr. Mahmuda
Islam, pioneer figure of feminism and women’s movement in Bangladesh on 25th August, 2013.
There she argued that women’s movement and feminist movement are not the same. When a
women’s movement follows particular feminist ideologies then it can be called feminist
movement. She further added that now-a-days not only women but also men participate in
feminist movement to do advocacy against gender privileges.
So it can be said that all feminist movements can be women’s movement but all movements are
not feminist movements. For being feminist movement, women movement should follow
particular feminist ideologies.

Backgrounds
There has been a debate that which is the earliest concept? Feminism or Women’s movement?
Some think that women’s movements are based on feminist theories; on the other hand some
think that women’s movement is the earliest concept. And some think that both concepts
originated at the same time, we cannot think one without the other. It seems to us easier to see
the direct, reciprocal implications of academic feminist theory for movements, and of
movements for theory, in many women’s struggles of the first and second waves: theories and
practices of consciousness raising are closely interconnected, for example, and a similarly close
relationship can be seen in analyses and activism on more specific themes such as equal pay for
equal work in the liberal tradition, anti-pornography and sexual objectification campaigns in
some strands of radical feminism, or wages for housework campaigns and socialist feminist
writings. As such, they were geared to alliance-building: theory was as much a tool for
convincing people and making connections as it was a badge of identity and thus persuasiveness
and accessibility were the order of the day.

1st wave feminism and women’s movement:

First wave feminism was a period of activity during the late 19th century and early 20th century.
By the end of the 19th century, the term feminism in the English speaking world generally
indicated the advocacy of women’s rights. Most probably, the first feminist work was Mary
Wollstonecraft’s “A Vindication of Women’s Rights” in 1792. She was concerned for women’s
legal rights. Then there were major influencing women’s movement in the first wave:
 In 1880, “Abolitionist Movement” split over question of Woman's Rights after London
convention where women are forced to sit in the balcony The American Anti-Slavery
Society supported woman's right to full participation in abolitionist movement, while the
American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society rejected the woman's rights movement.1
 By the late 19th and early 20th century women were actively campaigning for their rights
in UK and USA. Women were then more specific in local issues; they focused on white

1
For further information please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/historyoffeminism

5
 women’s education and marriage law. Their main focus was on white women’s suffrage
rights. (Ramazangolu, 2004, 5)
 In 1848 Seneca Falls convention did “declaration of sentiment” that demanded for
women’s right to vote. They claimed that “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all
men and women are created equal.”2
 In Britain, “Militant political action” among women began in 1903 with the formation of
the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) for the right to vote, under the
leadership of Emmeline Pankhurst.3
Marry Wollstonecraft, Lucy Stone were the renowned feminists at that time. And this wave
ended with the passage of the 19th amendment to US constitution (1919) granting women the
rights to vote in all states. In this wave women were mostly concerned for their equality de jure
(official). Because domestic phase was considered as private matter then and no women
imagined of having equality in their personal life.

2nd wave feminism and women’s movement:

By the mid-twentieth century feminism was meant for the advocacy of de jure (official) and de
facto (unofficial) equality between men and women. The duration of the 2 nd wave feminism was
from 1960s to 1980s of this century. And different types of feminist perspectives have mainly
originated during this wave as lesbian feminism, radical feminism, eco-feminism,
psychoanalytical feminism, global feminism, postmodern feminism and so on. The main focuses
of this wave were equal pay for equal work, equality in employment, reproductive rights,
freedom, violence against women and so on. Feminists of this wave mainly worked on fighting
against social and cultural inequalities as political inequalities. Feminism at that time worked
with the slogan “Personal as Political” coined by Carol Hanisch. Most of the time, women’s
movements are considered similar to second wave feminism and radical feminism as most of the
prominent women’s movements have occurred during second wave feminism and during the
second wave radical feminism was most influential.
 During 1960s there was lesbian rights movement in America and UK. They identified
their own goals separate from men. And this movement was based on radical feminism
later known as lesbian radical feminism. The basis of lesbian feminism as of the radical
feminism was “Woman Loving”. They understood women loving to be fundamental to
feminism.4
 And then in 1963 and 1964, two most influential women’s movement occurred. Liberal
feminists and radical feminists at that time campaigned for changing the society through
legal reforms. They believed that women’s oppression was caused by socialization
process that constructed women as sexual beings, not citizens. Young women, students
and working class women became aware of their subordination. As a result there
occurred ‘Equal Pay for Equal Works’ movement in 1963 and ‘Civil Rights’
movements in 1964 in USA. And congress passed the equal pay act in 1963 and civil
rights act in 1964.5

2
For further information please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/firstwavefeminism
3
For further information please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/firstwavefeminism
4
For further information please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/lesbianfeminism
5
For further information please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/secondwavefeminism

6
  These women also became the part of women’s liberation movement during 1967-68.
White women and black women became organized for the ratification of equal rights
amendment. And during 1970s two groups were involved in lobbying for WID (Women
in Development): The United States Women’s Movement and UNCSW. They demanded
for three rights:
1. Equality in suffrage rights,
2. Equality in education and
3. Equality in employment.
 Being influenced by these movements, UN declared “UN Decade for Women (1975-
1985) and hold first world conference on women in Mexico, 1975 for including women
in the development process globally. They searched for “Equality, Peace and
Development” of women. All the member countries of UN were bound to implement
Mexico declaration after signing it. This was the first step for working for women
globally.
 UN raised voluntary fund for women’s betterment during the decade for women (1975-
85) in 1977 and for this purpose they again hold a conference in New York in 1977.
 Then there was also a mid-decade conference in 1980 in Copenhagen for assessing the
progress and missed opportunities. There also came out three major issues for women,
“Education, Employment and Health”. Local women’s movement thus came out in global
perspective through these conferences. all the women from UN’s different member
countries gathered in one place for raising their voice for achieving their legal rights and
they made out agendas globally for implementing them locally in their owns.

3rd wave feminism and women’s movement:

By the end of the 20th century, feminism refers to more specifically and more generally to
theories of male dominance that took relations between men and women to be political and
feminist struggle to be political activity on behalf of women in general. "Third Wave Feminism"
inspired by larger theoretical discussions about race and sexuality, have started to place a greater
emphasis on establishing multiracial alliances among women. This wave seeks to broaden the
parameter of feminism. The active period of third wave feminism started from 1990s and it is
still present. This wave provides a forum for illuminating the multifaceted experiences of young
women. The main focus of this wave is to challenge the backlash of 2nd wave feminism. This
wave incorporates mainly with queer theory; anti-racism and women-of-color consciousness;
womanism; girl power; post-colonial theory; postmodernism; transnationalism; cyber feminism;
ecofeminism; individualist feminism; new feminist theory, transgender politics, and a rejection
of the gender binary. As this wave tends to the 21st century these issues are also present in the
21st century’s feminist perspective. And we have seen many women’s movements from these
perspectives:
 At the very beginning of this wave renowned feminist Amy Rechards and Baumgardner
advocated for girlie culture in 1990s. In the early 1990s, the Riot Grrrl movement began
in Olympia, Washington and Washington, D.C.. It sought to give women the power to
control their voices and artistic expressions.6

6
For further information please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/thirdwavefeminism

7
  In 1997 when World Health organization done its research on FGM (female genital
mutilation) then campaign against FGM reached at a new step. Soon after in 1999, there
were millions movers in this movement. And in 2003, “zero tolerance for FGM” was
declared. This movement was based on Radical feminist theories.
 There was third conference on women organized by UN in 1985 in Nairobi. They found
women better than before. They documented a world survey on the economic role of
women.
 Then in 1995, the most significant conference of this wave held in Beijing, china. They
declared platform for action. And identified 12 critical areas for women that are related to
every sphere of women’s lives. And the policies taken by this conference are still the
main issues in developing women’s status.
This wave tends to 21st century. Many feminists thought that there has been started a new wave
named fourth wave which focus on the backlash of 3rd wave.

Women’s Movement and its Feminist Perspective in 21st Century

In 21st century world, it should come as a shock to many people that we still need to campaign
for women’s rights. Yet women all over the world are forced to demand basic rights as though
they don’t deserve to already have them. And what’s even more shocking is that in our very
modern 21st century, those who do have the courage to question the absence of these rights are
simply branded as “Feminists” and being a “Feminist” has become a negative thing. But at the
beginning of the 21st century, Bell Hook has defined feminism as
“Feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation and oppression.” (Hook, 2000,
9)
In 21st century, feminist movement is not about being anti-male. Her definition clarified that the
problem is about sexism and men as well as women can be sexist.
Feminism in 21st century has emerged into a diverse discipline with theory to power relations.
Feminists have drawn a variety of ways thinking about how to conceptualize power, the exercise
and effects of power and what can be done to change specific power relations and practices. The
21st century feminist is one- female or male rejects gender privileges and demands real equality
for men and women under the law. He/she makes his/her own choices and takes personal
responsibility for them without asking government for protection or tax.
Women’s movements in the past were for voting rights, working outside, having equal pay,
rights over divorce and so on. But women of 21st century are concerned for abortion right,
contraception rights, end of violence against women, pornography, commercial sex worker’s
rights, lesbian and gay rights and many other contemporary issues that are related to women’s
subordination and gender privilege. And feminism in 21st century is also concerned for these
issues. And thus still feminism and women’s movement are keeping strong connection in the 21st
century.

8
Prominent women’s movements of this century:
 Though LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) social movement first
introduced during 1960s but the later part of it is still strong and ongoing. This movement
is based on lesbian feminism’s ideology. Lesbian feminism today, encourages women to
direct their energies toward other women rather than men, and advocated lesbianism as
the logical result of feminism. And after a long time movement, the United States
Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Fair Housing and Equal
Opportunity issued a regulation to prohibit discrimination in federally-assisted housing
programs in 2012. And same sex marriage is being legalized in 14 countries.7
 In 2008, Diana Bijon's husband Michael takes her last name upon marriage, after their
lawsuit which led to a new California state law guaranteeing the rights of both married
couples and registered domestic partners to choose whichever last name they prefer on
their marriage and driving licenses.8
 The first SlutWalk took place in Toronto on April 3, 2011 in response to Toronto police
officer Michael Sanguinetti's statement that "women should avoid dressing like sluts in
order not to be victimized." Additional SlutWalks sprung up rapidly in cities all over the
world, with marchers reclaiming the word "slut" to make the point that if victimized
women are sluts, then all women must be, since anyone can be victimized regardless of
what they are wearing. Radical feminism and postmodernism supported it.9
 Abortion right movement originated in the second wave feminism. After Sohini
Ghosh’s interview in Satyameve Jayate (Indian popular reality show) in 2012 about
abortion rights, the whole India as well as whole world have raised voice strongly on this.
Sex selective abortion has been made banned in India recently in 2013.
 Anti-rape movements originated in the year of 1960s. Rape is considered as the
violation of human rights. Recently a 23-years old female student in Local bus faced
Gang rape on 26th December, 2012. The brutal and downright disgusting nature of the
crime brought out angry droves of Indians by the tens and hundreds of thousands in cities
and towns around the country, a protest that has gone on, sometimes violently, for weeks.
And it became global issue.10
 Malala Yousufzai, a Pakistani girl of only 16 has become a prominent face for
Educational movement in 2008. When she was 11, she started to write Blog against the
Taleban’s restriction on girl’s education. Yousafzai started speaking about education
rights as early as September 2008, when her father took her to Peshawar to speak at the
local press club. "How dare the Taliban take away my basic right to education?"
Yousafzai asked her audience in a speech covered by newspapers and television channels
throughout the region. On 9th October, 2012 she was shot by talebans for her
revolutionary thoughts. On 12 July 2013, Yousafzai spoke at the UN to call for
worldwide access to education, while in September 2013 she officially opened the

7
For further information please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT
8
For further information please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/thirdwavefeminism
9
For further information please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/slutwalk
10
For further information please see http://India%E2%80%99s%20Anti%20Rape%20Agenda%20-
%20D%C3%A9j%C3%A0%20Vu%20_%20Fair%20Observer%C2%B0_files/India%E2%80%99s%20Anti%20Rape%20A
genda%20-%20D%C3%A9j%C3%A0%20Vu%20_%20Fair%20Observer%C2%B0_files/button1

9
 Library of Birmingham. And the educational movement organized by her has been
named “the malala movement”.
 Greenbelt movement originated in the year of 1977 by wangari mathai of Africa. It
takes holistic approach to development by focusing on environmental conservation,
community development and capacity building. As women are close to the nature, eco-
feminists supported this movement. And by the year of 2004, the movement has
succeeded in educating thousands of low-income women about forestry and has created
about 3,000 part-time jobs. This movement organized for billion tree campaign in 2007.
Inspired by the exemplary life of Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Wangari Maathai, who
started the Green Belt Movement of mostly women who planted 30 million trees in
Kenya, in 2006 Trees for the 21st Century set its sights on planting 1 billion trees
worldwide.
 The March for Women's Lives was a demonstration for reproductive rights and
women's rights, held April 25, 2004 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.. March
organizers estimated that 1.15 million people participated, declaring it "the largest protest
in U.S. history". Participants protested the recently passed Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act
(2003) as well as other policies they believed to be "anti-women". Pro-life protesters
were present in some places along the march route. There were no violent incidents,
despite the Washington Post's Hank Steuver referring to it as "aggressive and even
occasionally, almost delightfully, profane."11

IWD of this century:

Over time and distance, the equal rights of women have progressed. We celebrate the
achievements of women each year around the world, through observing International Women's
Day (IWD) on March 8. Thousands of events occur not just on this day but throughout March to
mark the economic, political and social achievements of women. Organisations, governments,
charities, educational institutions, women's groups, corporations and the media celebrate the day.
Many groups around the world choose different themes each year relevant to global and local
gender issues.
Every year the UN observes International Women’s day in accordance with a theme. The UN
declares an International Women's Day theme and for 2013 it is “A promise is a promise: Time
for action to end violence against women”. And in the lead up to IWD, on February 14 tens of
thousands of events were held in 207 countries across the globe, for V-Day’s ONE BILLION
RISING – the largest global action in history to end violence against women and girls. ONE
BILLION RISING began as a call to action based on the staggering statistic that 1 in 3 women
on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime.
Previous United Nation International Women's Day themes of 21st century:12
 2012: Empower Rural Women – End Hunger and Poverty
11
For further information please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/marchforwomenlives
12
For further information please see http://feminism/Bangladeshis%20Join%20V-
Day%27s%20One%20Billion%20Rising%20to%20End%20Violence%20Against%20Women%20_%20In%20Asia_files
/Bangladeshis%20Join%20V-
Day%27s%20One%20Billion%20Rising%20to%20End%20Violence%20Against%20Women%20_%20In%20Asia_files
/ga.js

10
  2011: Equal access to education, training and science and technology
 2010: Equal rights, equal opportunities: Progress for all
 2009: Women and men united to end violence against women and girls
 2008: Investing in Women and Girls
 2007: Ending Impunity for Violence against Women and Girls
 2006: Women in decision-making
 2005: Gender Equality Beyond 2005: Building a More Secure Future
 2004: Women and HIV/AIDS
 2003: Gender Equality and the Millennium Development Goals
 2002: Afghan Women Today: Realities and Opportunities
 2001: Women and Peace: Women Managing Conflicts
 2000: Women Uniting for Peace
As we can see that in the 21st century the UN is observing women’s day as a token for ensuring
gender equality and to end the violence against women. 21st century feminism also is concerned
for these issues and is introducing theories and movements in these issues.

Upcoming events of 21st century:

The Fifth World Conference on Women of the United Nations would be the first to be held in the
21st Century, the first since the widespread reach of information and communication technology.
The target date for the conference would be 2015, 20 years after the Fourth World Conference on
Women in Beijing in 1995. The potential of a Fifth World Conference on Women as a
consciousness raising focus is enormous:
 Development of the next generation of global and local women leaders will grow out of
such a conference. Building on and benefiting from the synergy and awareness that grew
out of the Fourth World Conference in Beijing, the Fifth Conference would bring current
and future women leaders together, creating and mobilizing effective intergenerational
leadership.
 Effectively and creatively prepared, it could be the most influential women’s conference
ever with simultaneous and interactive conference linkages and access to individuals with
opportunity to participate through the internet. A Fifth World Conference on Women
would be the first to make widespread use of the internet and associated technologies to
bring women’s issues and solutions to worldwide attention.
 The existence of UN Women and other mechanisms for gender equality including with
the Human Rights Council and the Security Council offers strategic opportunities for
such a conference. Together with the policy commitments on gender equality, women
and girls of other UN agencies, programs and funds, treaty bodies and other mechanism,
this is indeed a timely opportunity convene a process around the 5WCW.

Including men in the women’s movements:

There’s a new aspect in the feminism of 21st century that is “including men into the women’s
movement and feminist activities”. Cathy Young in her book “Ceasefire!: Why Women and
Men Must Join Forces to Achieve True Equality” published in 2013 has identified 8 causes

11
for men to participate in gender equality movement. She picks up the recent public debate on the
need for a men’s movement and says what men and boys really need is a gender equality
movement. She (2013) argued that “Perhaps what the 21st century needs is not a women’s
movement or a men’s movement, but a gender equality movement,”

1. Unlike racial profiling of minorities, the disproportionate targeting of males by law

enforcement gets no attention
2. Women account for more than a third of illegal drug use but fewer than 15 percent of
arrests, while men are often presumed dangerous to children; actual female molesters
tend to get lenient treatment.
3. There is virtually no recognition of ways in which current policies treat paternity as a
public resource. Men coerced into unwilling fatherhood must still pay child support.
On the flip side, divorced fathers often feel they are treated more as wallets than as
parents.
4. When imbalances that disadvantage men or boys — such as male academic
underachievement — become the subject of concern, such concerns are often viewed
with suspicion as potential attacks on women.
5. With a few exceptions, feminists have balked at any pro-equality advocacy that would
support men in male-female disputes, acknowledge that women can mistreat men, or
undermine female advantage.
6. While the push for gender-neutral laws in the 1970s helped dismantle the formal
presumption of maternal custody, actual efforts by fathers to get sole or joint custody
brought on a swift backlash from the women’s movement.
7. When the campaign for tough domestic violence policies netted more female
perpetrators, women’s groups pressed for anti-male double standards, promoting the
myth that nearly all female violence is in self-defense.
8. Laudable feminist efforts to secure justice for rape victims have often turned into calls
for a presumption of male guilt.
These are the 8 causes for those men should be included in feminist work of 21st century.

What should be the Women’s movements and Feminism in forward?

In the 21st century, there should be a strong connection between the Women’s Movements and
feminism than before to achieve gender equality and equity. And for this purpose feminism in
21st century should be:

 The removal of all laws that distinguish between the sexes.

 A vigorous defense of choice for every woman who takes personal responsibility for her
own decision.
 The opening of civil discourse on issues of vital interest to women; as abortion.
 A welcome sign for men must be posted on the door of feminism. They are fathers,
mates, sons, friends and neighbors. It is folly to solve a human problem without
consulting or co-operating with one half of the species.

Conclusion

12
Feminism is a common tool and all of us need to ground it. It is a common space and each of us
should feel at the center of this space of reflection and empowerment. It should not matter today
that ideas and concepts are invented somewhere, mainly in the North, to allow ourselves to
challenge and re-appropriate them. After all they are part of realities that one might share
according to one’s context. And for different women’s movement based on different feminist
perspectives sharing own thoughts liberally without any compromise is necessary. Women’s
movement and feminism in the 21st century have reached at a new dawn which says for gender
equality without giving privileges to a particular sex.

13
References
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Press Limited, Dhaka.
Dr. Mahmuda Islam’s session in WGS 108 course, 25.08.2013.
Hooks B. (2000), Feminism is for Everybody: Passionate Politics, South End Press, Cambridge.
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Mahtab, N. (2012), Women, Gender and Development: Contemporary Issues, A H Development
Publishing House, Dhaka.
Ramazangolu, C. Holland, J. (2004), Feminist Methodology: Challenges and Choices, Sage
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Weiringa, S. (Ed.). (1995), Subversive Women: Historical Experiences of Gender and
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Young, C. (2013), Ceasefire! Why Women and Men Must Join Forces to Achieve True Equality
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT (accessed on 30.08.2013)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/thirdwavefeminism (accessed on 30.08.2013)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/slutwalk (accessed on 30.08.2013 )
http://India%E2%80%99s%20Anti%20Rape%20Agenda%20-
%20D%C3%A9j%C3%A0%20Vu%20_%20Fair%20Observer%C2%B0_files/India%E2%80%9
9s%20Anti%20Rape%20Agenda%20-
%20D%C3%A9j%C3%A0%20Vu%20_%20Fair%20Observer%C2%B0_files/button1 (accessed
on 03.09.2013)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/marchforwomenlives (accessed on 03.09.2013)
http://feminism/Bangladeshis%20Join%20V-
Day%27s%20One%20Billion%20Rising%20to%20End%20Violence%20Against%20Women%
20_%20In%20Asia_files/Bangladeshis%20Join%20V-

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Day%27s%20One%20Billion%20Rising%20to%20End%20Violence%20Against%20Women%
20_%20In%20Asia_files/ga.js (accessed on 03.09.2013)

Annex
Session with Dr. Mahmuda Islam on 25th September, 2013.
Summary of the session:
 Objective of the course: women are not recognized. Historically, biologically and
sociologically they are kept behind the men. To know about women’s oppression and
women’s bravery against that WGS 108 course is necessary.
 Definition of women’s movement: when women come out for their rights that is called
women’s movement.
 Local to global: Women’s movement occurred locally in different issues in different
countries according to their context. Then it came into global spotlight through
conferences and policies are taken globally. Then again different countries adopted these
policies locally.
 Connection between Women’s movement and feminist movement: women’s
movement and feminist movement are not the same. When a women’s movement follows
particular feminist ideologies then it can be called feminist movement.
 History of women’s movement: before 1945 there was no institutional process for
women’s movement. In 1945 UN was established for introducing equality. Then from
1975 to 1995 UN hold four global conferences on women. Through these conferences
local women’s movements became global women’s movements.

-The End-

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