-TODAY’S YOUTH- Young Fourth-Wave Feminists Have Taken Up and Carry the Torch!
Young People Today
21st Century
Fourth-Wave Feminism
YOUTH:
PRESENT—FUTURE—THE HOPE!
It has come to my attention that this post would serve you better if we pause and offer it as a three-part mini-series:
INTRODUCING THE FOURTH WAVE OF FEMINISM
THE #ME TOO MOVEMENT
YOUTH ACTIVISM AND MEDIA LITERACY
Mini-Series Part One
Introducing the Fourth Wave of Feminism
WE HOPE! - WE TRUST! - WE BELIEVE!
Did Anita Hill, in 1991, subliminally kick off the Fourth Wave of Feminism?
Fourth-wave feminists surely stand on the shoulders of their Third-Wave sisters (and, of course, on down the centuries all the way though the Second Wave to the First-Wave women of the 19th Century).
Each Wave—or era—brings a passion and focus, along with its own generation of activists. The action does not stop, even as the actors change.
The hope, of course, is that one day activism will no longer be necessary because injustice will have been overcome.
While many allege that Fourth Wave Feminism began around 2012, they also consider its precursor to be Anita Hill's 1991 testimony, which was a key moment in the rise of Third-Wave Feminism and its focus on sexual violence.
Anita Hill's testimony accusing Supreme Court justice nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment—and his subsequent Supreme Court confirmation without regard to her allegations—were a turning point in raising public awareness about sexual harassment and assault.
Hill’s accusations brought into the national spotlight the issue of sexual harassment, which presently is of major concern to fourth-wave young feminists.
Anita Hill
1991
Anita Hill (1956- ) is now an American lawyer, educator, and author. She is a professor of social policy, law, and women’s studies at Brandeis University and a faculty member of the university’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management.
She continues to be a prominent voice in the ongoing fight for gender equality and against gender-based violence.
Her work highlights the need for a broader approach to combating gender-based violence.
Broader Approach Example
From Cornell University
Unfortunately, Anita Hill’s experience occurred again—this time within the Fourth-Wave. A disappointingly similar hearing played out in 2018 during Supreme Court nomination hearings when Christine Blasey Ford testified that nominee Brett Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her when they were in high school.
He was subsequently confirmed as an associate justice of the Supreme Court without regard to her allegations.
Dr. Christine Blasey Ford
2018
Christine Blasey Ford (1966- ) is an American professor of psychology at Palo Alto University and a research psychologist at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
SO, EXACTLY WHAT IS FOURTH WAVE FEMINISM?
ON WHAT IS IT FOCUSED—AND WHY SHOULD WE CARE?
According to British journalist Kira Cochrane and British feminist scholar Prudence Bussey-Chamberlain, the focus of the fourth wave is justice for women. [4]
Fourth-wave feminism focuses particularly on:
—opposition to sexual harassment (including street harassment)
—violence against women
—workplace discrimination and harassment
—body shaming
—sexist imagery in the media
—online misogyny
—campus sexual assault
—assault on public transport
—rape culture [47]
It advocates for equal incomes regardless of sex, and challenges traditional gender roles for men and women, which it believes are oppressive.
It also broadens its focus to other groups, including the LGBTQ+ community and people of color, and advocates for their increased societal participation and power.
Like its predecessors, fourth-wave feminism grapples with intersectionality, recognizing that identity (race, class, sexuality, etc.) shapes individual experiences with gender-based violence.
WHAT HAVE YOUNG PEOPLE
BROUGHT INTO THIS WAVE OF FEMINISM?
Young people bring fervor and energy to bear on their deep concern about injustice, especially violence toward women.
They also care about women’s empowerment.
(They also deeply care about the environment, which we will discuss with the next arm of our original two-part series.)
Young activists offer another talent: they have grown up in the digital world and they are fluent in social media.
This affords them the opportunity to apply their passion to the creation of a digital community that could save lives and create a safer world—not only for women, but for men as well.
Rosemary Clark-Parsons explains that digital platforms have allowed feminist movements to become more connected and visible, allowing activists to reach a global audience and act on it in real time. [4][5]
These online tools open up the doors for empowerment for all women by giving opportunities for diverse voices, particularly those from marginalized communities, to contribute to a wide range of people pushing for a more inclusive movement.
In Terms of Injustice:
Beyond Individual Accountability
While holding individuals accountable for misconduct is important, fourth-wave feminism pushes for systemic change within institutions and societal structures that enable such behavior.
Anita Hill herself [today] emphasizes the importance of advocating for marginalized groups and challenging systemic inequalities.
This is why we care.
In conclusion, Sharon Crozier-De Rosa, a professor at the University of Wollongong in New South Wales, Australia, asks a question:
What does this mean for “waves” in 2024 and beyond?
To build vigorous varieties of feminism going forward, we might reframe the “waves”.
We need to let emerging generations of feminists know they are not living in an isolated moment, with the onerous job of starting afresh.
Rather, they have the momentum created by generations upon generations of women to build on.
Might Sharon Crozier-De Rosa be saying that we are all sisters (and brothers?) in the fight: and that Sisterhood is Ageless—both individually and through the years?
Sources: Wikipedia
(4) Munro, Ealasaid, September 2013, "Feminism: A Fourth Wave?", Political Insight, Sage Journal, Vol, 4, Issue 2.
(5) Networked Feminism: How Digital Media Makers Transformed Gender Justice Movements, Clark-Parsons, Rosemary, 1991, University of California Press, 2022
(47) Cochrane, Kira (10 December 2013). "The Fourth Wave of Feminism: Meet the Rebel Women". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
IN YOUR OWN WORDS:
—I’m so glad you’re doing this work! It’s excellent! It has important information that’s approachable and not preachy. —E.A.
Post, 4/30/2025:
THE WOMAN’S BIBLE Third-Wave Feminists Continue First-Wave Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s Work!
—Another great lesson! It’s cool that you’re finding lesser- known stories to tell! —C.A.
—Ever onward. —E.R.
—Terrific letter. Thanks so much Eleanor and Ann. —KND
Post preview, 5/9/2025:
I read what you wrote. It was my first time where I read about fourth wave feminism in such a great manner. And how it should be presented. You explained it perfectly. And how digital media is a big factor and is used.
Normally fourth wave feminism is seen as radical and about women who want to take down men. And this was more focused on the issues that people are upset about. —A.M.
…To be continued
The second part of this interim mini-series on the fourth wave will focus on the #MeToo Movement.
The third part will look at youthful concern for the dignity of the person, and at a program on media literacy as an example of teen creativity.
When we complete this mini-series, it will conclude our examination of the Women’s Movement, the first arm of our original two-part series.
We will then move to the Environmental Movement—as it is linked with the Women’s Movement in a patriarchal world.
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