Added: 10/20/2007 |
Feminism And Other Forms Of ItFeminism mainly concerns itself with issues such as discrimination and oppression against women and gender inequalities. It advocates gender equality, some feminists claiming that gendered and sexed identities, such as "man" and "woman", are nothing but social constructs. However, feminism is now found in various forms and there is a close relationship between feminism and other theories including communism and socialism that merits attention.
In fact, we must study feminism and other contemporary forms of it if we want to have at least a decent idea about the movement. Some of them are liberal feminism, radical feminism, individualistic feminism, Black feminism, socialist and Marxist feminisms, post-structural feminism and postmodern feminism, postcolonial feminism and third-world feminism, eco-feminism and post-feminism.
Liberal feminism focused on the equality of men and women through political and legal reform. It lays emphasis on women’s ability to show their equality through their own actions and choices. It believes that society can be made more gender-equitable by taking the personal interactions of men and women as the starting ground. Liberal feminists are of the opinion that changes can be brought about without affecting the structure of society. Radical feminists believe that women’s freedom is possible only if the oppressive and dominating system male-dominated capitalist system is done away with.
Most of them rely totally on uprooting and reconstructing society to achieve their goals.
Separatist feminism is an extreme form of radical feminism that opposes heterosexual relationships because they believe that the sexual disparities between men and women can never be resolved. Anarcha-feminists, another type of radicals, believe in fighting patriarchy is part of class struggle, and the anarchist struggle against the State and capitalism.
Individualist feminism believes more in individuality and personal responsibility of both women and men. Its critics think that it reinforces patriarchal systems as it does not recognize the conflicts of interest between men and women. It encourages women to assume complete responsibility over their own lives and is against any State interference into the choices adults make with their own bodies. Black feminism refuses to make any distinction between sexism and racism. It argues that the liberation of black women means freedom for all people, since it would need the eradication of racism, sexism, and class oppression.
When we begin to discuss feminism and other forms like socialist feminism and Marxist feminism, we observe that the former forms a link between the oppression of women and Marxist ideas about exploitation, oppression and labor. According to socialist feminism, women are subjugated because of their unequal standing in both the workplace and the home. It advocates a broad change that affects the whole society, not just individuals.
We should also look at feminism and other offshoots of it like post-structural feminism and post-modern feminism, post-colonial feminism and third world feminism, eco-feminism and post-feminism. So, feminism continues to evolve through various stages even as anti-feminism is also making its appearance. We can watch the development of feminism and other related issues, as well as the fight between feminism and anti-feminism.
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