Feminism being referred to as equality for all, as opposed to equality for women [closed]
I don't think so. Feminism originates from the French word Féminisme which describes a set of ideas to 'define, promote and establish the rights of women in civil society'. (Wikipedia).
None of these aims inherently suggest a promotion of women above men. Largely, Feminism draws from a - probably accurate - belief that men have historically had a greater influence and power in society. Feminism is aimed at redressing that balance to create equality between men and women.
Therefore, you might say that the word feminism is simply a reference to redressing that balance. Although, in my opinion; it is probably unfortunately named. It is the same in meaning as 'Gender Equality' but with an implication that reaching that equality will be achieved through a particular effort in the promotion of the female in society.
The earliest reference I can find to feminism is from 1841. At that time it referred to feminine quality or character. Examples of that use exist from 1841 to 1915. (OED sense 1)
In the late 19th century the word begins to take on a new meaning with the emergence of the suffragette movement. This takes us to the OED's sense 3.
- Advocacy of equality of the sexes and the establishment of the political, social, and economic rights of the female sex; the movement associated with this (see note below). Cf. womanism n., women's liberation n., femininism n. post-, radical feminism: see the first element. The issue of rights for women first became prominent during the French and American revolutions in the late 18th cent., with regard especially to property rights, the marriage relationship, and the right to vote. In Britain it was not until the emergence of the suffragette movement in the late 19th cent. that there was significant political change. A ‘second wave’ of feminism arose in the 1960s, concerned especially with economic and social discrimination, with an emphasis on unity and sisterhood. A more diverse ‘third wave’ is sometimes considered to have arisen in the 1980s and 1990s, as a reaction against the perceived lack of focus on class and race issues in earlier movements.
1895 Athenæum 27 Apr. 533/2 Her intellectual evolution and her coquettings with the doctrines of ‘feminism’ are traced with real humour.
1897 Daily News 6 Sept. 8/6 You alluded, Mr. Goldwin Smith, somewhat disparagingly, to that phase of feminism which is so curious a feature of the present day.
1909 Daily Chron. 29 May 4/4 Suffragists, suffragettes, and all the other phases in the crescendo of feminism.
1913 ‘R. West’ in Clarion 14 Nov. 5/2, I myself have never been able to find out precisely what Feminism is: I only know that people call me a Feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat or a prostitute.
1950 J. L. Jessup Faith of Our Feminists i. 10 Unlike sociologists and other tractarians, writers of fiction have recognized feminism as lying deeper than the demand for economic opportunity or political enfranchisement.
1971 S. Firestone Dialectic of Sex ii. 16 In the radical feminist view, the new feminism is not just the revival of a serious political movement for social equality.
2011 Guardian 15 Jan. 33/5 Nowadays, saying bad stuff about men is not how feminism conducts itself.
Conclusion
The OP asked: 'Is it wrong to use feminism as a descriptor for equality for all even though it seems to be that it is becoming seemingly more understood to be that?'.
The point of this answer is to illustrate that feminism is a word which has travelled a long way. It is also one of those words, like freedom, democracy, socialism etc which has been claimed by people for political reasons. Thus it could in the present time be interpreted in a number of ways, one of which, it could be argued, involved 'equality for all'.
One further idea that has come to me after engaging in comments and discussion around this topic, is that a modern notion of feminism does take on board the greater infusion of society with 'feminine' values. This may well involve 'equality for all'.