Second and Third Wave Feminists Clash Over the Future

It hurts my heart to think that we are fighting amongst ourselves when our struggle is nowhere near over!! Please read the full article HERE

Second and Third Wave Feminists Clash Over the Future

Run Date: 05/26/02

By Jennifer Friedlin WEnews correspondent

A growing conflict between two generations of feminists comes to light at a recent Veteran Feminists of America conference. Do women in their 20s appreciate what was done 30 years ago? Do women in their 50s understand what women young now still cope with?

Photo courtesy of Liz Budniz. NEW YORK (WOMENSENEWS)--Feminists have never been known for their uniformity of opinions, so it should come as no surprise that the transition from the second to the third wave of feminists has left a clear rift between the generations. Feminist revolutionaries from the 1960s and 1970s gathered at a recent conference at Barnard College in New York to share their thoughts on the effects their words and actions have had on the history of the United States. Although the conference, sponsored by the Veteran Feminists of America, was designed as a celebration of feminist non-fiction and fiction literature and not as a forum to discuss the problems with the women's movement today, the theme of "us versus them" emerged time and again. The first wave refers the movement to obtain the right to vote which lasted 72 years. The women's movement of the 1960s and 1970s is generally referred to as the second wave. The more recent efforts led by women in their 20s and 30s is generally called the third wave. Comparing the collectivist drive that defined the feminist movement during the second wave to the more individualist attitude prevailing among women today, several panelists said they were concerned about the future of the movement. "If there should be an economic downturn or right-wing forces try to twist things to say women should go home again, I hope that women would have the consciousness to resist," novelist Marilyn French told the approximately 100 members of the predominantly graying audience on April 26. French's doubts about younger women's collective consciousness were echoed by a number of other members of the panel, which featured Susan Brownmiller, Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Erica Jong, Phyllis Chesler, Barbara Seaman, Betty Friedan, Judith Rossner, Catharine Stimpson, Marlene Sanders, Alix Kates Shulman and Mary Gordon. (Sanders is a Women's Enews board member.) 1970s Were 'Earthshaking' Several of the second wave women spoke of the transition from a movement based on the "we" to today's sea of disparate "I's," fighting for their individual gains without a thought about the past, present or future of the feminist cause. Reveling in the glory of the second wave, speakers such as Brownmiller bemoaned the current climate in which feminism has become a dirty word and collectivist action is considered passe. "However active people are today, whatever we had in the 1970s was earthshaking," Brownmiller said. Somewhere along the road, however, the earthshaking force that helped revolutionize America and elevate women's status dissipated as the political and social climate turned reactionary. Unforeseen and somewhat disappointing consequences resulted. "I don't hear strong, clear feminist voices today," Brownmiller said. "I don't see women coming up with new theories." In addition to the emergence of a more "me-oriented" culture, the emphasis on "family values" and the media's growing interest in stories about careerist women who regret not having had children have relegated feminism to the backburner, the panelists said. Meanwhile, as they ride on the coattails of the successes of the feminist movement, young women no longer feel a sense of urgency to mobilize. Older Feminists Dismayed by Young's Sense of Entitlement A number of panelists expressed their dismay with the prevailing sense of entitlement common among women while unresolved feminist causes, such as child care and economic disparity, abound. "We were action-oriented in a public, political context. We had to challenge laws, change patterns, alter behavior," Pogrebin said. "Being able to bare your midriff . . . is fine as an expression, but it doesn't mean things are going to change." Other speakers focused on the positive side of the equation. "Because of our books, we changed society. Without 'Fear of Flying,'" said Erica Jong, author of the revolutionary book, "there would be no 'Sex in the City.' My daughter wouldn't feel empowered." "We have produced a generation of uppity women who feel entitled," Jong added.

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