Feminism

noun (uncountable)

/ˈfɛmɪnɪzəm/

The political, economic, and social movement advocating for the equality of the sexes and the dismantling of patriarchal structures that subordinate women. Indian feminism encompasses diverse strands — liberal feminism (formal legal equality), socialist feminism (linking gender oppression to class), and Dalit feminism (intersecting caste and gender). Landmark Indian legal milestones include the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (2005) and the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013, which expanded rape law following the Nirbhaya case.

✍️ 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

women's liberationgender equality movementwomen's rights movementgender justicesuffragism (historical)

Antonyms

patriarchymisogynysexismanti-feminismmale chauvinism

🌱 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.

👥 Society 📖 Seen in: Salient Features of Indian Society — D...

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