BharatNotes Feminism
noun (uncountable)Usage in a UPSC answer
Intersectional feminism, which accounts for the overlapping oppressions of caste, class, and gender experienced by Dalit women, has increasingly shaped judicial reasoning in cases involving atrocities under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
feminist (noun/adjective), feminize (verb), feminization (noun), feminine (adjective), femininity (noun)
Root
Latin femina = woman + -ism = doctrine, movement; literally 'the doctrine/movement of women'
Etymology
Derived from French féminisme, coined around 1837 by French utopian socialist Charles Fourier, though earlier uses appear in 1872 in French political discourse. From Latin femina (woman), related to fecundus (fruitful) and fellare (to suckle). The term entered English in the 1890s to describe organised movements for women's suffrage and legal equality, and has since evolved through three or more 'waves' of political theory and activism.
Memory Hook
FEMINA is Latin for woman. FEMINism is the movement centred on women's rights and equality. Just as NATIONalism centres the nation, FEMINism centres FEMINA — women. The suffix '-ism' signals it is a structured political belief system, not just sympathy.
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
The body of thought and movement holding that women should have equality of rights and opportunity, and analysing the structures that deny it. For GS1 the useful discipline is to write about feminisms in the plural, since liberal, socialist and radical strands differ on causes and remedies, and Indian feminism has additionally engaged caste, community and personal law in ways that Western accounts do not capture. Treating it as a single position is the common weakness.
Don’t Confuse It With
Feminism is a broad tradition arguing for gender equality. Patriarchy is the system of male authority it analyses. Gender equality is an outcome, whereas feminism is the framework and movement pursuing it. Misogyny is hostility toward women, and opposing feminism is not automatically the same thing.
Hindi Meaning
नारीवाद (nārīvād); स्त्रीवाद (strīvād) is also used in academic writing.
Common Questions
- What is feminism?
- The range of movements and ideas holding that women should have equal rights and opportunities, and examining the structures that prevent this.
- Why is feminism often described in the plural?
- Because liberal, socialist and radical strands differ in how they explain gender inequality and what they propose to do about it, and Indian feminism engages caste, community and personal law as well.
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