Intergenerational conflict sets feminist movement back

Since the first women’s rights convention at Seneca Falls in 1848, the feminist movement has sought the advancement of gender equality in all aspects of modern life. However, as the movement progressed through a series of waves of activism, this core objective has sometimes been lost in the conflict between young and old feminists.

The primary waves of feminism that experience conflict are the second wave, established in the 1960s, and the third wave, established in the 1980s. Because women from these waves work simultaneously but come from different generations of activism, contention occasionally ensues.

Betty Friedan, author of “The Feminine Mystique,” and Gloria Steinem, a well-known feminist activist and journalist, are two of the defining figures of the second wave. They, along with their contemporaries, fought for equal pay; access to contraception and abortion; and protection and legal rights for victims of sexual harassment, rape, prostitution and domestic violence.

The third wave of feminism is commonly associated with similar topics, but also includes reevaluating perceptions of female sex workers and pornography actors. The primary difference between the second and third waves is the third wave’s expanded consideration of intersectionality within the movement and the diversification of activism tactics.

Many feminists in the 21st century look back on the second wave and its activists as “my mother’s feminism,” claiming that those causes and methods for achieving change are outdated and irrelevant. This sentiment creates conflict between the waves that inhibits progress, instead of legitimizing the third wave’s efforts.

This is not to say that the lack of regard for minorities and differing sexual orientations in the second wave should be accepted without criticism. Rather, it means we must be constructive with our critique of the second wave, simultaneously lauding its achievements and learning from its shortcomings.

Though intergenerational conflict between the waves consistently plagues the movement, it flared up Feb. 6 when Madeleine Albright, the first female U.S. Secretary of State, and Steinem made questionable comments about the obligation of young women to support Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

Albright commented, “We can tell our story of how we climbed the ladder, and a lot of you younger women think it’s done. It’s not done,” but then went on to say “There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help each other.”

Albright’s first comments were entirely valid in recognizing that many contemporary young women overestimate the progress that’s been made in the fight for gender equality. It is easy to see women making some progress and believe that the fight is nearing its end, but there is still so much to be done.

Albright sparked controversy with her comment that women should automatically support a female candidate and be reprimanded if they don’t. Women who support Bernie Sanders saw this as an unfair critique of their right to make their political choices on a number of factors beyond gender.

This conflict highlights the prime disparities between the second and third wave — the second wave remains in the traditional mindset about the need for women to support other women at all costs, while the third wave can sometimes forget how much is left to be done to achieve true equality.

However, when we focus too heavily on this conflict, we forget that the ultimate goal of the movement remains the same. Second and third-wave feminists all share a common objective — achieving gender equality.

In order to make this goal a reality, second-wave feminists must be willing to adapt their practices to the current times and work to be role models for the new wave of feminists. Being hypercritical of the third wave’s evolved tactics and considerations fails to help move toward progress.

At the same time, third-wave feminists must respect the accomplishments of second-wave feminists and understand how their methods for achieving change were fitting in their time and must be appreciated. Even if third-wave feminists acknowledge that they’re not the most effective practices now, they can still learn from them.

Third-wave feminists must also understand that the fight for gender equality is nowhere near done. There is much to be done to achieve rights for all people regardless of race, sexual orientation and many other intersectional factors.

Building on our past success and using our failures as learning opportunities can set the feminist movement on a new path to progress. Activists must value the work of the second and third waves in their individual contexts in order to include all voices — young and old — in our continued fight for equality.

This story belongs to Echo’s Women’s History Month series. Click here to read other stories in this series.