Feminism is defined as “the theory of political, economic, and social equality of the sexes. The history of feminism is divided into three waves. Each wave deals with the different aspects of the same feminist issues.

The first wave fought for the voting rights of women. The second wave sought equal rights for women in the workplace. Unfortunately the third wave does not have a single cause. The third wave began in the early 1990s. It embraces conflict, contradiction, and irrationality. 

The third wave attempts to accommodate diversity and change. It seeks to challenge the very definition of feminism as it was understood during the second wave. It incorporates elements of queer theory, transnationalism and transgender politics. Proponents of the third wave claim that each and every woman should be empowered to define feminism. 

The third wave seeks to grant freedom to women to control their fertility. Many third wave feminists seek to change the connotation of sexist words. They are of the opinion that it is better than censorship. The third wave is fighting to break the “glass ceiling” which is preventing the women from reaching the top management. 

Sexual positivity is an integral part of the third wave. The third wave feminists believe that it is the right of every woman to celebrate sexuality as a positive aspect of life. Sexual oppression and sexual empowerment have gained a new meaning. There is a paradigm shift. Proponents of the third wave challenge the existing beliefs that sex workers cannot be empowered. 

Judith Butler, a well-known American post-structuralist philosopher, has made significant contributions to the third wave. In her books “Gender Trouble” (1990) and “Bodies That Matter” (1993), she fueled new emergent movements like transgender politics. Donna Haraway contributed to the third wave by creating cyborg. This character inspired the development of cyber feminism. 

Emi Koyama has contributed to the third wave through her work “The Transfeminist Manifesto”. It is the first book on transfeminism. She seeks to uphold the right of every woman to define one’s own identity and to expect the society to respect it.

Another significant contribution to third wave feminist rhetoric is the concept of transversal politics. Nira Yuval-Davis introduced this concept in her book “Gender and Nation” (1997). It is based on the possibility of dialogue between women across religious and national boundaries. 

Today, feminism is very much alive, but is fraught with challenges. It is also true that today’s woman is more confident and has more opportunities. She seems to be enjoying the fruits of efforts made by many feminists of the past.