‘hag all ut ll off the social rada. Even our universities, traditionally hot-beds ofthe feminist movement, are feeling the pinch Last year, only around 20 women from 22,000-srong female student. population a the University of Auckland felt suf cient inspzed to partcipatein the Campus Feminist Collective, Perhaps the feminist movement has become @ victim of Its own success. With voting rights and legal rights wel established and unprecedented social freedoms on the surface it seems that women have never had ts good. Yet the perceived complacency is ‘not universal. There are il discreet pockets ‘of women intent on fathering feminist goals But feminist s no longer 2 one-size-fite-all label: rather, new breeds have emerged. A fresh crop of women, intent on pursuing their own particular brand of equality, who refuse to be homogenously cassifed under single word, have taken over where theit predecessors left off As the University of Auckland Student’ Associations women’s rights office for 209, CGraline Fergusson was the oficial voice of farms of oppres CONVICTION: Be Madeleine Flannagan believes feminism Is about the right to decide for oneself, ‘not about popular perceptions of what Is right. Fear left, womens supporters march in ‘Auckland in 1971, ‘The feminists back in the day told us we could have every ything and I think we've got to realise that, no, we can’t have évery- thing, we do have to make decisions: Emma Joyce sion that women fae now, theyre not ver theyre very hidden and a lot of women, accept them and try to wor within it — I gues as they always have” sys the 23-year- old. “Obviously the word Yeminisn i not popular word. Usually #7 talk to a young ‘woman and sy are you a feminist a first her response wil be ‘God, not But then, if you actully sit down and expla what is Jute taking about and some of the issues that ve been campalgning on they lend “ep coming around Issues Fergusson dealt with inchde having student mayarine Cacum held to account for publishing degrading porno iwaphic images well at rexponding to us to sexual abuse counselling, Sexual harassment and violence agsinst_ women ace perenial feminist concerns. "T think the satis is one in four New Zealand ‘women wil be physically assed or sexe ally assaulted by a prin inthe iftime” says Ferguston, who vwories, too, about the sexual ebecifation of women, “which ranges fom really senuaied young i aod thet Bratz dolls and sexualsed oy ight up to the efits that as on women he they se entering the workforce Making the university more “emale een” Wat alo a pion. Mina women and those of Asian and Paci Island decent te high users ofthe univers dedicated ‘women only zone, Womenspace. Ferguson middle-class Pea. ils aze sore used tor more wing to accep the dominant culture on campus “If lke the rest ofthe campus isa men’ space so males have got the un of things she says adaing that thew an annual loke-Jed campaign aguast the “no boys alowed” re, “They say discriminatory and the fact that ee dont have a mei rights fier is discriminator. And thea Thave wo spend 2 ge amount of my time explaining why zen arent structurally disadvantaged and dort requires space or aight ofc” Ferguson subserbes to a graroots feminism that i fundamentally Unchanged from that of «generation ag. “T think being pro-choice would be s key requisite of being feminist and just the hess that omen are the moral equals of men and deserve the same opportunites and chess ofl experience Gender equality and abortion sgh are coe tenets that have long fered the basis ofthe feminist movement. Yt ak wih any ‘movement, particular brands of feria begin © gun traction in certain quae, raising alarm among more tational adr ents “Part of thint-wave feinism ended up with what is sometimes called Spice Gil feminism’ sys Ferguson, The dine: honoured technique of women overtly sng thee femininity and sexuality to have power ‘vermin has been masquerading os «type of women’ Ib since the 190s. 1 a flare, faux feminism Fergusson dismistes as a “srppingi-empowering kind of tte” United States feminist Acie Levy coined