I am working on a project on feminism.  I was thinking of connecting the economic state of the United States to the emergence of the feminist waves, as many believe capitalism itself is patriarchal. I was wondering if you could shed some light on this topic and possibly tell me what you think of the connection between the economy and feminist waves.

Your question is simultaneously vague and specific—vague because it's about the economy in general, and specific because it's about feminist waves rather than feminism more generally. In general, I think that feminism is skeptical of capitalism because it hasn't traditionally served women —both in terms of who makes the most money off of this structure and who does the majority of the work. Capitalism also, very specifically, is about maximizing profits. I think that women (generally speaking) are more inclined to plateau their financial gains in ord er to achieve balance and a better quality of life. Given this tendency, women won't fare well in capitalism because they would rather forgo the extreme profits for a better scenario for the masses. 

—Amy