Final answer:
First wave feminism focused on combating legal discrimination towards women, with the suffrage movement being a central aspect, alongside efforts to reform property laws and family rights. Despite opposition, significant gains were made with women eventually obtaining the right to vote in various countries.
Step-by-step explanation:
The main focus of first wave feminism was the fight against legally-mandated discrimination against women, particularly in terms of property laws, family control, and most notably, the right to vote (suffrage). The struggle for women's suffrage is often considered the central demand of first-wave feminist movements, culminating in the establishment of various suffrage groups across the globe as early as the late nineteenth century. While the iconic Pankhursts and their Suffragette movement became well-known for their radical tactics in Britain, feminist activities were also intertwined with other social reform movements such as temperance and public health initiatives, highlighting the multi-faceted nature of the fight for equality.
These early feminists worked tirelessly despite facing significant opposition from those who held power at the time, including the prevalent belief that women were physiologically less intelligent. Despite such societal obstacles, first-wave feminism achieved remarkable successes, eventually leading to women gaining the vote in several countries, with Finland and Norway paving the way before World War I.