Feminsim Is Characterised More by Disagreement Than Agreement

Q: ‘Feminism is characterised more by disagreement than by agreement’. Discuss. (45marks)

A: Feminism can be defined as an ideology where men and women should be treated as intellectually and socially equal to men. Feminism like many other ideologies has different strands namely: Liberal, Social, Radical and Difference feminism. There are many disagreements within feminism, however all feminists are united on two primary beliefs: that women are disadvantaged because of their sex, and that this disadvantage should be overthrown.

While feminists are united on some primary beliefs there are deep divisions within the various strands on how to achieve the objectives. Early liberal thinker such as Mary Wollstonecraft’s book the vindication of rights is considered to be the first text of feminism, however it was not until the mid-19th century that feminism got a central focus and women achieved universal suffrage rights to vote. This was the first wave of feminism, where people believed that if women got voting rights all other forms of sexual oppression will disappear, however it was clear from the second and third wave feminism that women wanted more equal rights. Thus, resulting in the rise of socialist and radical feminism.

There are fundamental differences between the three main strands. Among them is the view on female subordination. This is highlighted in the public and private relationship. Liberal feminists believe that there should be a divide between the public and private sphere. Liberals constantly highlight individual freedom, where a women can choose if she wants to stay within the private sphere, this is a contradiction to social and radical beliefs. Liberals also acknowledge that the public sphere should be reformed for more equal rights.

On the other hand, social and radical feminists believe that both spheres are equally important. Socialists believe that women contribute to the success of capitalism, where women are a ‘reserve army of labour’. When productivity increases they can be employed, but during a downfall they can return back to domestic life. They further claim that if women’s labour is recognised and paid it will enhance their social and economic independence. Radical feminists argue that the sexual divide in society is not natural rather political, therefore the public sphere needs to be politicised. Kate Millet states that politics is defined as ‘power structured relationships’, where one person is controlled by another. She believed that these relationships are part of the private sphere, where a women is controlled by men. Patriarchy is a social constant running through all social, economic and political structures. It is clear that there are divisions between liberal, social and radical views on the public and private relationship.

Another viewpoint is on individual freedom. Liberal feminists primarily base their ideas from liberalism, where individual freedom is highly valued. Therefore liberals believe that women can choose to live in patriarchy because they have individual freedom and choice to do so, however radical feminists view any form of domestic labour or patriarchy as oppressive. An analogy may be that a woman who likes to work may find child rearing oppressive, while another woman may view it as a blessing rather than oppressive. Thus, resulting in liberals not overlooking individual freedom. On the other hand, radicals believe that society has conditioned women to think they have a choice and are part of the private sphere, rather they are just fulfilling men’s expectations. Radicals conclude that gender differences are a result of conditioning and the belief that women are created for the private sphere should be destroyed. Therefore, both liberals and radical agree that the eradication of patriarchy is key, however there methods differ due to their roots and understanding.