I was reading the New Catholic Encyclopedia and they state the following with respect to feminism:
"A global movement that draws attention to the many ways in which the full human dignity of women is diminished by patriarchy and its pervasive androcentricism, feminism advocates change on behalf of women’s personal and corporate well-being. This general characterization of feminism is overly simplistic unless the history of the development of feminism is taken into account.
This history is usually divided into three stages or "waves" that rose from changing perceptions of the root causes for women’s diminishment and of the best strategies for remedying them. In the nineteenth century, when feminism emerged as a distinct movement, the major goal of feminists was to advocate recognition of women’s intrinsic worth and to improve the position of women in the public sphere."
Most of us grew up under second wave feminism which they describe as follows: "In second wave secular feminism it is possible to discern at least four major types of responses to patriarchy: liberal feminism, cultural feminism, radical feminism, and socialist feminism."
Liberal feminism claims social inequality is a result of patriarchy which subverts liberal democracy.
Cultural feminism claims women are morally superior to men.
Radical feminism (e.g. seperatist feminism) claims that male domination of women is the root of all societal problems with some calling for women-centered societies in which men are either absent or reduced to inferior status.
Socialist feminism aligns with radical feminism; however, incorporates Marxism.
Third wave feminism is a relatively new strain that manifests in ecletic ways such as ecofeminism though it does assert some solidarity between males and females.
As you can see, there are many definitions and types of feminism with a great deal of controversy about the meanings and implications of the various types even amongst scholars and feminists themselves.
In the 21st century, we are seeing the meteroic rise of masculinism defined as and in the form of advocacy of the rights or needs of men and the adherence to or promotion of opinions, values, attitudes, etc. with respect to men (not the feminist definition which seeks to malign the men's rights movement by couching it in terms of 'an advocate of male superiority or dominance').
This posits that a very real societal and academic gender war between feminists and masculinists is going to occur in the 21st century.
This growing movement is going to focus on anti-male discrimination: one-sided feminist legislation, selective enforcement in favor of females, and a neglected mens' civil rights movement.
Men's Wiki states:
"Masculism envisions a greater role for men than at present in both the family and society. Most masculists note that father custody is assigned less often than mother custody, and argue that this should be made equal or even reversed. The latter cite lower incidence for all child development risk factors in single-father households compared to single-mother households.
They also believe that women initiate most family breakups, that this is exacerbated by women's expectation of full custody, and that the expectation of father custody would therefore reduce the divorce rate. One of their goals is to overturn the "covert matriarchy" and elect masculist politicians, whom they would consider more altruistically motivated. Most masculists support equal opportunity for women, though some envision structural changes in taxation or other areas to compensate for the natural differences and expectations between sexes."
Feminist organizations are attacking the men's rights movement even to the point of using government funds to conduct studies designed to undermine the men's rights movement and seek female supremacy with respect to their own. An well cited example is the "School Success by Gender: A Catalyst for the Masculinist Discourse" which is a $75,000 tax-paid report requested by Status of Women Canada, a department of the Canadian federal government described as "a declaration of war against men's rights activists both in Canada and the United States" by men's rights advocates.
It's, of course, noteworthy that NO mirror department in the Candian government for men exists to conduct a competing study.
