Gloria Steinem's Passing and the Evolution of Feminist Waves

Gist Gloria Steinem, a pioneering American feminist activist, recently passed away at the age of 92. Her leadership during the Second Wave of feminism in the 1960s and 70s shifted the global discourse from basic voting rights to demanding workplace equality and reproductive autonomy. For civil services aspirants, tracing the evolution of these feminist "waves"—from early suffrage to modern concepts like "intersectionality"—is crucial for analysing gender dynamics, caste overlaps, and social justice paradigms in India. Background The feminist movement is historically categorized into distinct "waves," each addressing specific societal inequalities. The First Wave late 19th and early 20th century focused primarily on securing legal rights, particularly suffrage the right to vote , establishing women as full citizens. By the 1960s , the movement transitioned into the Second Wave , which targeted the "private sphere"—arguing that domestic roles, reproductive choices, and workplace discrimination were inherently political issues. This era sought to dismantle the systemic public-private divide that restricted women's socio-economic participation and paved the way for subsequent movements addressing race, class, and caste. Key Pointers Challenging the Public-Private Divide: The Second…