Feminism is said to deal with the quest to attain equal rights for women and reduce gender inequalities by incorporating political, cultural and moral issues that affect women in any way in everyday life. The feminism movement can be traced back to the early twentieth century when society was mainly male dominated. It is split into three waves with the earliest traced back to the early 1920s.

The differences between the waves is significant, but the third wave and the second wave have greater differences due to the fact that one occurred at a period in history when opportunity and education levels for women were low and just starting out; while the other occurred at a period when the mode of communication in society was changing and women had new inequalities to fight against.

The second wave, the most famous and well-known one, occurred in the late sixties in Europe, Britain and the Americas. It mostly arose due to the disillusionment of women with their second class status in society. The civil rights crusade and anti-war movements were very instrumental in ushering this new wave of feminism.

Tactics used by women in second wave feminism ranged from the use of highly publicized materials and literature to the creation of small awareness groups that were used to pass on the feminist agenda. However the wave was fraught with differences with different groups emerging to pursue different agendas. Groups that had their own agendas included: social feminism, black feminism, liberal feminism and lesbian feminism.

The second wave did not only try to change the social oppression that demeaned women, it also tried to change the private issues that women underwent. This included reproduction, cultural and sexual issues. The wave is considered as the most progressive in the feminist movement, with great strides being made in reducing women’s inequalities. It also laid the tracks to the freedoms that women enjoy today.

On the other hand the third wave feminism that took over from the second wave is not as vocal as its predecessor. The movement is mostly low key with individuals pushing the reformist agenda on women’s inequalities. Some of the issues being fronted and promoted by third wave feminists include: the right of women to access and use contraceptives, the right to have abortions and the protection of women’s rights in the workplace. These include the right to maternity leave and equal opportunity and pay.

These agendas are quite different from those that were being promoted by second wave feminists; furthermore, the methods used are not as vocal as those used by previous waves. However, through this wave the fight for women’s equality today is kept alive and kicking.