Glossary: 25 Feminist Terms To Fight The Good Fight
Looking for quick, plain-English definitions you can actually use in conversation? This chart breaks down key social terms with everyday examples—so you can speak up, explain clearly, or just understand what’s being said without needing a dictionary.
| Term | Short Definition | Everyday Example |
|---|---|---|
| Allyship | Active support by those with privilege for marginalized groups. | A male coworker calling out sexist jokes shows allyship. |
| Bodily Autonomy | The right to make decisions about one’s own body. | Choosing to get a tattoo—or not—exercises bodily autonomy. |
| Care Work | Tasks like childcare, eldercare, and housework—often unpaid or underpaid. | A grandmother who watches kids all day performs vital care work. |
| Consent | Clear, enthusiastic agreement to participate—often in sexual activity. | “Yes” means yes; silence or uncertainty means stop and ask. |
| Empowerment | Gaining control over one’s life and choices. | Teaching girls to code empowers them to enter tech careers. |
| Equality vs. Equity | Equality gives everyone the same thing; equity gives each what they need to succeed. | A ramp (equity) lets wheelchair users reach the same door everyone else uses (equality). |
| Feminism | The belief that all genders deserve equal rights and opportunities. | “I support equal pay—that’s feminism in action.” |
| Feminist Theory | Academic frameworks that analyze gender power structures. | Reading bell hooks in class is studying feminist theory. |
| Fourth Wave | The current era of feminism, propelled by social media and online activism, that spotlights issues like sexual harassment, body positivity, and trans rights while demanding real-time accountability. | The global #MeToo hashtag letting millions share their stories and push workplaces to reform. |
| Gender Identity | One’s internal sense of being male, female, both, neither, etc. | A person assigned male at birth who knows she is a woman has a female gender identity. |
| Gender Pay Gap | The average wage difference between men and women. | Women earning 83¢ for every male dollar is the pay gap in numbers. |
| Gender‑Based Violence | Harm or threat directed at someone because of their gender. | Street harassment targeting women is a form of gender‑based violence. |
| Glass Ceiling | Invisible barriers that keep marginalized groups from top positions. | She’s qualified but keeps getting passed over for VP roles—that’s a glass‑ceiling effect. |
| Invisible Labor | Necessary work that goes unnoticed and uncompensated. | Remembering birthdays and buying gifts for the whole family is invisible labor. |
| Intersectionality | The idea that identities (race, gender, class, etc.) overlap, creating unique experiences of discrimination. | A Black woman may face bias that’s different from what white women or Black men experience. |
| Male Gaze | The habit of depicting women from a heterosexual male point of view. | Movie scenes lingering on a woman’s body while ignoring her dialogue illustrate the male gaze. |
| Mansplaining | When a man explains something in a condescending way to someone (often a woman) who already knows it. | He explained bike mechanics to the shop owner—classic mansplaining. |
| Microaggression | Small, often unintentional slights that communicate bias. | Saying “You’re so articulate” to a Black colleague can be a racial microaggression. |
| Misogyny | Hatred, distrust, or discounting of women. | “She can’t drive because she’s a woman” is a misogynistic claim. |
| Patriarchy | A social system where men hold most power and authority. | A boardroom with ten men and zero women shows patriarchy at work. |
| Reproductive Rights | The freedom to decide if, when, and how to have children. | Access to contraception and safe abortion are reproductive‑rights issues. |
| Second Wave | Feminist activism of the 1960s‑1980s focused on workplace, family, and legal equality. | The push for Title IX came from second‑wave feminism. |
| Sexual Harassment | Unwelcome sexual advances or conduct in workplaces, schools, etc. | A boss repeatedly commenting on an employee’s looks is sexual harassment. |
| Third Wave | 1990s‑2000s feminism emphasizing diversity and individual expression. | Riot Grrrl culture is a hallmark of the third wave. |
| Toxic Masculinity | Harmful norms telling men to be tough, stoic, and dominant. | “Real men don’t cry” is toxic advice that hurts emotional health. |
