Over the past century and a half, the women’s movement has become increasingly globalized. While some nations are more willing to address the issue than others, it is quickly becoming a primary concern among women (and men) across the world. There are a great deal of international organizations, non-governmental organizations, intergovernmental organizations, and other communities dedicated to this issue worldwide. There are also many facets of the issue, including women’s political and economic rights, violence and harassment rights, and reproductive rights, to name a few.
Cultural influences on women’s movements in different parts of the world play a significant role in understanding social roles, making cultural relativism a necessary tool for understanding. For example, in South Korea and other East Asian countries, Neo-Confucianism has played a vital role in shaping ideas of women’s rights and societal roles. Neo-Confucian thought stressed a rigid hierarchical order of human relationships based on age, sex, and inherited social status. The relationships defined by Confucian thought require three obediences of women: to the father when young, to the husband when married, and to the son in old age. Women could never reach a stage in their lives when they were afforded self-autonomy – no matter her age or status, there was always a man to report to. The South Korean feminist movement is progressing, but social values like these can serve as obstacles to those initiatives. This demonstrates the immense influence cultural norms can have on the progress of the feminist movement in a society.
Feminist Social Movements in America 