Rise of third-wave feminism

Third-wave feminism is the name given to a phase of the feminist movement that began in the early 1990s, mainly in the United States, and it is often seen as a response to the perceived limits of the second wave. It emphasised diversity, individuality and the experiences of women of colour, working-class women and those in the Global South, and was influenced by the idea of intersectionality, developed by the scholar Kimberle Crenshaw. The activist Rebecca Walker used the term in 1992, after the hearings in which Anita Hill accused a Supreme Court nominee of sexual harassment. Its culture included the riot grrrl music scene and discussions of sexuality and the body. Critics say that the third wave was less focused on shared political goals.

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