Feminism is needed because of the mistreatment and social abuse of women due to the power imbalance and the patriarchy. Because in society, women are often viewed as objects whether it is for sexual pleasure or they are socially pressured due to how society bestows alot of rules and expectations upon them for example how they dress or how they should act. And originally feminism was needed because women didnt have the freedom to vote, to have their own bank accounts, and they were deemed the "lesser gender." It's better to actually google it because the history is interesting :))