Different Types of Feminism

Conservative Feminism Conservative feminism criticizes the feminism which "adopts a male model of careerism and public achievement as female goals, thereby denying women's need for intimacy, family, and children." They fear that "equality means death to the family." They oft en reject the popular feminist epigram, "the personal is political." Liberal Feminism Liberal feminism sees all people as equal, therefore there should be equality for all. They see sexism as dysfunctional because it deprives society of one-half of it's creative work force. Oppression exists because of our socialization process. Radical Feminism Radical Feminism sees the oppression of women as fundamental and the most basic form of oppression. All other forms of oppression stem from male dominance. The purpose of this oppression is to obtain psychological ego satisfaction, and strength and self-esteem. Socialist Feminism Socialist Feminism links women's oppression to the class structure. Sexism is a way of rewarding the working class male; it gives them control over women. Women's work is less valued because it does not produce exchangeable goods. There are so many types and ways of expressing feminism, it should feel easy and natural for women and men to embrace, rather than run from it.

Strongflower's Editorial
I really feel like a war has been perpetrated against women for centuries, but that women have remained in a state of denial. I strongly believe in the power of women to change the world. I believe that women are largely sleeping dragons that have yet to truly awakened. I believe that once awakened, they will act in their own self-interest at last, which fortunately is the best interest of our planet that is being so brutally torn apart and destroyed. In grassroots activism women are empowered to an extent. Not many of them feel comfortable speaking outside of a group, and almost not at all when it comes to feminism or gender issues. I don't think you need to belong to a women's group to have a feminist conciousness, I've never seen any of them a women's meeting and I've certainly not

gotten much of a reception to my rare comments on feminism. There are plenty of women interested in the animal rights issue, yet there is no Houston chapter of Feminists for Animal Rights (FAM) which I find pretty pathetic. I believe that all the changes we keep talking about year after year after year are tied extremely close to feminism. A greater feminist conciousness would enhance and, indeed, make our work a lot easier in other areas such as 1) animal rights 2)human rights 3)healthcare reform 4)childcare reform 5)childcare in the workplace 6)eldercare reform 7) anti-war movement 8)combat dehumanization 9)immigration issues 10) spirituality, etc. Feminism colors everything, it changes your perspective of things at a fundamental level. It is not passe, or some out of date theology that women won't embrace because men have ridiculed it out of fear that it threatens the status quo of the power structure of family and society at-large. Embrace your own movement! Funk & Wagnall's FEMINISM - A doctrine advocating the granting of the same social, political and economic rights to women as the ones granted to men; a movement to achieve these. Webster's FEMINISM - 1. The theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes. 2. Organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests. Feminism is not a simple or unified philosophy. Many different women (and men) call themselves feminists, and the beliefs of these groups of people vary quite a bit. Here's a quick primer on some of the different kinds of feminism.

Liberal Feminism
Liberal feminism is characterized by an individualistic emphasis on equality. According to this philosophy, society itself does not need a major overhaul, but rather laws need to be changed and opportunities have to be opened up to allow women to become equals in society. To a liberal feminist, evidence of progress is seen largely by the numbers of women in positions previous occupied by men, especially powerful positions. In the United States and much of the Western world, liberal feminism is the most mainstream form of feminism.

Socialist Feminism
Socialist feminism (sometimes known as Marxist feminism) is different than liberal feminism in that it emphasizes that true equality will not be achieved without major overhauls within society-- particularly economic overhauls. Socialist feminists argue that there are fundamental inequalities built in to a capitalist society because power and capital are distributed unevenly. Thus, it's not enough for women to individually work to rise to powerful positions in society; rather, power needs to be redistributed throughout

society. Liberal feminists focus on individual empowerment, while socialist feminists focus on collective change and empowerment.
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Radical Feminism
Radical feminism is similar to socialist feminism in that it emphasizes the need for dramatic social change in order to achieve genuine equality for women (and sometimes these two philosophies are grouped together). Radical feminists believe that society is extremely patriarchal, and until patriarchy is transformed on all levels, the system will remain unjust. A minority of radical feminists are separatist feminists, who believe that men and women need to maintain separate institutions and relationships.

Third Wave Feminism

Third Wave feminism is popular among younger women, many of whom are children of feminists from the 1970s (who are referred to as Second Wave Feminists). Similar to liberal feminism, Third Wave feminism is very individualistic. Although it does not reject political activism, Third Wave feminism is focused more on personal empowerment as a starting place for social change. Third Wave feminism celebrates the construction of individual identities in a complex, postmodern world, and invites women to define themselves as they wish from the smorgasbord of possibilities. (Read more about Third Wave feminism.)

Ecofeminism
Ecofeminisim draws from and links together both the women's movement and the environmental movement. Ecofeminism draws parallels between the domination and exploitation of both women and nature.

Read on

The Three Waves of Feminism The Pornography and Feminism Debate Feminist or Equalist

Black Feminism
Black Feminism posits that sexism and racism are inextricably linked, and that sexism will never be overcome while the system is still so fundamentally racist. This movement

grew out of the discontent of African Americans women during the Women's Liberation Movement in the 1970s, who felt their particular needs as minority women were not being addressed. The term "Black feminism" is often used to encompass the needs of all women of

Read more at Suite101: Types of Feminism: Liberal, Socialist, Third Wave, and Other Feminist Philosophies | Suite101.com http://www.suite101.com/content/types-offeminism-a51502#ixzz1LOo3tM4M What is feminism? British suffragist and journalist Rebecca West famously said, "Feminism is the radical notion that women are people." In other words, feminism is a commitment to achieving the equality of the sexes. This radical notion is not exclusive to women: men, while benefiting from being the dominant sex, also have a stake in overcoming the restrictive roles that deprive them of full humanity. Though the media has maligned feminism as a drive for selfish fulfillment by female professionals, those who stand to gain the most are actually those who have the least. The demand for full equality for all women is profoundly radicalizing when it addresses the additional layers of discrimination women experience because of class, race, sexuality, disability, and age, and also the heightened impact on women and children of war, poverty and environmental degradation. Multi-issue feminism quickly develops into a critique of the whole social system. As Clara Fraser, the pioneering theorist and builder of socialist feminism, wrote, "The logic of feminism is to expand into generalized radicalism." (See Clara Fraser, "The Emancipation of Women," in Revolution, She Wrote .) Types of feminism As with every social movement, feminism encompasses a variety of political tendencies. There are three main types of feminism: socialist, reformist, and radical/separatist. --Socialist feminism (which can also be termed Marxist feminism or materialist feminism) traces the oppression of women to inequalities that developed in connection with the class system of private property. Socialist feminists view gender inequalities as intrinsic to the capitalist system, which makes vast profits off women's unpaid labor in the home and underpaid labor in the workforce. Like racism, homophobia and other forms of bigotry, sexism divides the working class and thereby allows the capitalists to make super-profits. Because these different forms of oppression have a common source, they also have a common solution: socialism. Socialist feminists seek to eliminate the capitalist system and replace it with socialism, which collectively shares the wealth created by human labor and has no economic stake in maintaining exploitation. Socialist

feminists believe that the leadership of women and other oppressed people in a workerrun democracy will be able to root out chauvinist practices and psychology quite quickly. Radical Women is today's leading socialist feminist women's organization. Since its inception it has called for multi-issue organizing strategies, independent from capitalist political parties, that prioritize the needs of the most oppressed women. Radical Women is affiliated with the Freedom Socialist Party, a revolutionary socialist feminist party of men and women. --Reformist feminists believe that gender inequality can be eliminated through legislative or electoral reforms without the need to alter the capitalist system itself. Groups such as the National Organization for Women and NARAL/Pro-Choice America typify reformist feminism. Because they limit their efforts to what can be achieved within the current system, they orient primarily to more privileged white, middleclass women many of whose needs can be at least partially or temporarily ameliorated by reforms. Their approach is single-issue and aimed at swaying politicians and donors. --Radical feminists target male psychology or biology as the source of women's oppression. The most extreme form of radical feminism is separatism, which advocates a total break with men. By posing an all-inclusive sisterhood as the solution to patriarchy, radical feminists overlook the class differences that prevent women as a whole from having the same interests. They often minimize the importance of solidarity between women and men of color in the fight against racism. They tend to ignore issues that don't relate directly to a narrowly defined female experience. The magazine off our backs and the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival are long-established upholders of radical feminist ideology.