The term ‘first wave feminism’ refers to the feminist movement of the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. During this time women in the organised and advocated for equal social and constitutional right to white men, including the right to vote, right to education, right to own property. The first wave denotes the period in which figureheads advocated for women’s rights and worked toward basic legal reform for single and married women. At times, this movement addressed working women’s issues and earning a higher education, but most of the efforts concentrated on obtaining the right to vote. First-wave feminism was an important era of history that helped bring about significant social change and pave the way for equality for women of the Western world. However there were some criticisms associated with it too. One of the biggest criticisms of first-wave feminism is that it primarily focused on the plight of white women. Many early feminists involved in this movement were middle class and white. It ignored the plight and suffering of white women. First wave feminists were viewed as stuffy and part of a narrow-minded older generation. Despite its faults, the first wave lay the groundwork for future feminists and played a vital role in giving women basic legal rights.