Feminism – Introduction and Types

Feminism has become a force to be reckoned with in almost all walks of life. Be it politics, society, or the economy, feminism has come to be a guiding reference for the development and growth of the respective fields. One of the basic criteria for the growth and development of the polity and the society is the position of women in society, or what rights and privileges are available to women.

A polity is considered backward and conservative if women are regarded as inferior, and do not enjoy equal rights and position along with men. The increase in the social role of women has come to acquire the position of centrality in all theories of feminism. As Jone Freedman has observed: “All feminists call for changes in the social, economic, political, or cultural order, to reduce and eventually overcome discrimination against women”.  

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Types of Feminism:

The classification of the feminist movement has been attempted from two perspectives: historical and different theoretical perspectives (liberal and Marxist or socialist).

Historical Perspective

The historical perspective views the rise of the feminist movement in the waves. Three waves trace the development and the growth of the feminist movement from late 19^th century to the present day. The first strand of the feminist movement was galvanized by the idea of political equality. They believed that the main reason for the inferior position of women was the lack of equal rights in general and the right to vote in particular. Once the women got the equal rights and the right to vote, they would draw the attention of the decision-makers.

The political equality would ultimately lead to the all-round equality. The feminist movement got support from other sections of the society, particularly the youth and the radical section of the society. Unlike the first wave, the second wave feminism concentrated more on women’s social inequality. It is not highlighted the prevailing inequality in terms of the equal political rights, but also in the other areas such as family, work, and sexuality. It was a sort of radical feminism, which demanded the restructuring of the whole society.

Liberal Feminism

Liberal feminism is championed by two prominent protagonists, Mary Wollstonecraft and Betty Friedan, both of whom stand for the ‘equal rights feminism’. The main focus of liberal feminism is the removal of women’s subordination in the public life. Once this visible discrimination is removed from the public sphere, the women’s equality would have cascading effects on the society.

They believed that the equality and the emancipation of women from the bondage can be achieved within the existing framework of the liberal society. The liberal feminists argue that equal rights and privileges should be extended to women. This would bring the women at par with the males, and this would ultimately result in women gaining equal status and position in the society.

Marxist or Socialist Feminism

This is based on the ideologies of Marxian and socialists. It considers the women as an equal and an important section of the society. However, it sees a link between female subordination and the capitalist mode of production, and the division of labour. Consequently, it pins its hope on the demise of capitalism and establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat, so far as the emancipation of women is concerned.

They believe that a woman plays very crucial economic role in the capitalist mode of production. Despite their significant contribution to the capitalism, argues the Marxist feminist, the women are relegated to the background and placed under the male domination. They are just a tool in the capitalist mode of production, whose contribution to the society is even acknowledged. The socialist feminists believe that women can attain freedom and equality only in a socialist society.