Young Women’s Views of Feminism

Chilla Bulbeck
Emerita Professor
University of Adelaide

The focus in this article is on the relationship between young people’s differently understood ‘meanings’ of feminism, in particular their perception of the history of women and the women’s movement, and the sources from which they gain their ideas concerning feminism. While her research indicates that school or university classes produce a more complex understanding than the mainstream media, she suggests that many young people exposed to women’s studies resist claims that feminist activism remains necessary and relevant, believing instead that women today are equal and do ‘have it all’.