Third Wave Feminism And Women’s Invisibility In The Discourse Of Politics

Abstract

This paper presents a conceptual review of the domain literature encompassing feminism and women’s representation and invisibility in the discourse of politics. Tracing and interpreting the current third wave fundamentally require an overview of the three feminist movements since 1830 until today. For this purpose, the study reviewed theses and research articles published between 2010 - 2020 and examined how feminist movements are conceptualized and manifested in women’s representation in the media. The article points at women’s increasing participation over time, but also highlights their marginalization in media workforce leading to their invisibility in the discourse of politics. It was found that the third-wave feminism despite its focus on individuality against collective effort has failed to uplift women’s image in various contexts as reflected in their symbolic annihilation and framing in the media. Women’s objectification in advertisements has been widely debated. However, their marginalization in media workforce and political discourse needs to be considered and highlighted if the third-wave feminist ideals are to be fully achieved. The study adds to the developing literature on women’s journey since the first wave until today with reference to their representation in the media.