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.
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