What is feminism? Discuss and compare the three major strands of feminism that are presented in your text. What causes has each worked for?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Feminism is the belief that women should have equal political, social, sexual, economic, and intellectual rights to men. The three major strands of feminism are liberal, radical and multicultural feminism. Liberal feminism follows a classical political theory and focuses on the individual woman's rights and opportunities. Liberal feminists have worked for the causes of equal wages, comparable worth, and reproductive choice. Radical feminists believe that women are not just discriminated against economically and politically; they are also oppressed and subordinated by men, directly, personally, and most often through sexual relations. Radical feminists have worked toward the causes of ending prostitution, pornography, rape, and violence against women. Multicultural feminism argues that women's experience people of color cannot be extracted from their experience as women and treated separately. Multicultural feminists emphasize the historical context of racial and class-based inequalities. This branch has been instrumental in exploring the "intersections" of gender, class, race, age, ethnic, and sexual dimensions of inequality.