The Other Females: The Rise of Third World Feminism and the Enigma of Global Sisterhood

Abstract

The feminist discourse faces challenges in being inclusive, as it does not adequately address the needs and experiences of women from various racial, cultural, and linguistic origins. The preceding waves of feminism mostly centred around the concerns of white middle-class women, while neglecting to acknowledge the marginalisation endured by the Third World women who were additionally exposed to colonial enforcements. Presently, women residing in the Third World face marginalisation as they confront the many obstacles resulting from both colonisation and patriarchal structures within their colonised communities. The patriarchal system facilitates the subjugation of women, exerting control over their physical and spiritual realms. Furthermore, while the colonial structure permits the exploitation of women to advance the interests of males, feminist ideologies that focus on the Eurocentric viewpoint lack recognition of the specific difficulties experienced by the women of colour, thereby underscoring the inapplicability of the global sisterhood