GIRL POWER: TOGETHER IN FOURTH WAVE FEMINISM Mini-Series Part Three
YOUNG WOMEN TODAY CARE DEEPLY ABOUT:
Violence Toward Women
Empowerment of Women
The Dignity of the Human Person
THEY ALSO CARE DEEPLY ABOUT:
The Environment
and they are competent users of Digital Technology
ALL OF WHICH MAKE FOR A POWERFUL VOICE!!!
As stated in Part One of this mini-series, according to British journalist Kira Cochrane and British feminist scholar Prudence Bussey-Chamberlain, the focus of the fourth wave is justice for women. [4]
The young in fourth wave feminism have a sentiment that speaks ever so loudly.
Bussey-Chamberlain writes that “fourth wave feminism for the young, is, at its essence, incredulity that certain attitudes can still exist.”
For them, justice for women still encompasses the fight for equality, fairness, and access to the legal system. It still means addressing systemic discrimination and ensuring their human rights are protected.
It is especially about continuing to secure women's rights in areas like education, healthcare, and economic participation, and ensuring their voices are heard in decision-making processes.
They continue to forcefully address gender-based violence.
THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON
Being concerned about violence against women and empowerment of women, have, at their base, care about human dignity.
Human dignity is intrinsic.
It is independent of any individual condition.
It is not granted, and it cannot be rescinded.
It is the foundation of all human rights.
And young women really care about these things.
I have witnessed the creativity of many serious-minded teen girls who have concerns about the state of justice in our world.
Their particular areas of concern that pertain to women, men, and children as they exist in the world at large have included: human rights violations, such as human trafficking, child exploitation in the digital age, child labor, Taliban oppression of women and girls, and, especially, sexual assault within all those categories globally—because sexual assault exists globally.
The girls do care very much about human dignity. They also are deeply concerned about the dignity of the Earth, and by design support environmentalism (to be discussed in upcoming posts).
THE MEDIA
Circling back to Kira Cochrane, we see that she points out another aspect of how the young intersect with fourth-wave feminism.
Cochrane states that:
Fourth-wave feminism is “defined by technology. “It is characterized particularly by the use of the various venues of [social media].
Some teen girls I know are very concerned about how social media is used.
They pay particular attention to the news media and how they report news in the outside world.
The girls care about the use and abuse of AI (Artificial Intelligence).
Internet activism is [fourth-wave feminism’s] key feature and it is used to amplify awareness of the issues.”[47]
As stated in Part Two of this mini-series, 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]
TEEN INVOLVEMENT AND CREATIVITY IN AN AREA CALLED “MEDIA LITERACY”
Two teen girls created a media literacy program.
Their work is an indicator of what I have found to be teens’—at least, some of the teen girls whom I have recently known—real concern about the safe use of media outlets.
My thanks to the girls for giving me permission to include their work:
Tips on Media Literacy
by Natalie Forlenza and Rachel Chang
Media literacy is defined as the ability to critically break down stories from the media (ex: avoiding scams, polarizations, and checking your sources).
- As we get closer to the election more people and news outlets focus on the divide rather than the issue.
- It is important that we know the real facts in these polarizing times.
TIPS!
To form educated opinions it is important to know the validity of our sources.
Tip one is to look for any overly animated/attention grabbing language.
- Words and phrases focusing too much on the description of the event rather than the actual event are usually not a great sign in your news.
Double check sources
★ Know the bias and credibility of your sources.
★ Always double check clickable news on social media.
Be Wary…
In order to develop your own amazing opinions remember:
★ Think about the point being conveyed.
★ And read in between the lines of over exaggerated speech.
★ Is the information attacking the person or the policy?
All Sides
- This resource can help you figure out where your source is positioned:
L=Left leaning; C=Center; R=Right leaning
The great divide….
- I took a far left and far right article that reported on the
same thing and it seemed as if they were talking about
completely different subjects.
- Bias information is often just misleading and not outright lies.
- Clickable titles serve to spread engagement and views which make money for the outlet.
♀︎ ❤️ Brava Natalie and Rachel for your serious concern for your peers!
C:WED’S CALL TO ACTION...
America—and the world—are in a critical state of affairs today!
LISTEN TO THE YOUNG:
—who see worldwide injustices, particularly against women,
—and who are asking why they are still having to protest the same old issues after years and years of women’s (and some men’s) protests!
THE YOUNG ARE SHOUTING:
YOUNG WOMEN, YOUNG MEN
and all those who are still young in spirit:
Join in, if you have not already done so!
—Keep your eye on the big picture!
—Remain vigilant!
—Be well-informed!
—Search out and consult creditable sources!
—Get involved in a way that suits your talents.
—Speak out in whatever format works for you!
—Send C:WED your essays, photos, and videos.
—Connect C:WED to your informative resources.
—Ask your friends to check us out at www.cwed.org
—Pray!
WHILE IT MAY NOT BE READILY OBVIOUS,
THIS WORK OF HELPING THE VULNERABLE, WHICH WE HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING IN THIS MINI-SERIES,
IS DIVINE WORK!
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:
Preview of current post, Girl Power:
—”Very informative! I like the breakdown of the media spectrum! “—M.A.
—”I like the quotes you included to explain fourth wave feminism.
Very clear.” — D.A.
Previous Post
The #Me Too Movement And Beyond by Anne Andersson, 5/13/2025
— “Relate to it personally.” —E.R.
— “Anne: very interesting and informative articles. Appreciate all the time & work you put into this.” —B.M.
“Great article! We need to have these conversations with high school students.” —C.G.
….to be continued
Going forward, beginning with the next post, we will shift into the second arm of this series—the environmental movement
—examined through the lens of ecofeminism and the patriarchal world.
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