Evaluation of Feminism

Feminism is a conflict approach within Sociology which highlights the inequalities and imbalances of power between genders in society.

While feminism overall has been revolutionary for women and gender relations in society, there are different branches of feminist theory, all with their own specific take on gender, oppression and social structures.

• We will delve into the three main branches of feminism.
• We will look at the general theories and evaluations of radical, liberal, and postmodern feminism.
• Then, we will study critical evaluations of feminism overall in Sociology.

What are the different branches of feminism?

There are 3 main types of feminist theory which are most commonly spoken about within the sociological field, as follows:

• radical feminism,
• liberal feminism, and
• postmodern feminism.

Each of these branches of feminism has individual characteristics and views of progress, however, they all share the same consensus view that the patriarchy causes women's oppression. Below, we will explore and analyse the various theories.

Radical Feminism

This is possibly one of the most controversial forms of feminism, and therefore often ends up in the news or on social media for some of their views. However, it's important to note that not all radical feminists think the same.

Radical feminists believe that patriarchy should ultimately be blamed for women's suffering. They view social institutions as inherently imbalanced in favour of men and argue that men have established and maintained dominance over women. Men are the social group who benefit the most from women's subordination and therefore, radical feminists see them as the main problem. That is, men are the ruling class and women are the oppressed class.

Since the root of women's subordination lies in patriarchy, radical feminists believe they will not be free until patriarchy is abolished.

Other views of radical feminists include:

• Creating female-only communes which exclude men and provide a safe space for women to live in.

• Introducing matrifocal family structures in which women are the heads of the family and men hold less powerful roles such as child-rearing and household tasks.

• Political lesbianism. This refers to women prioritising relationships with other women, regardless of sexual attraction, in order to stop centring men in their lives. Political lesbians often viewed the idea of being heterosexual as 'sleeping with the enemy' and therefore encouraged celibacy or lesbianism.

Rosemarie Tong, 1998

Tong (1998) argued that there were two groups within radical feminism:

Evaluation of Radical Feminism

• Radical feminists are generally criticised the most by modern media. For example, "real feminism" is often seen to be overshadowed by radical feminism. Lind and Saio (2006) found that feminism was seen in a negative light in the media, largely due to sensationalised headlines about 'male-hating' radical feminists, rather than feminism as a whole.

• Some of their beliefs are seen as extreme, particularly by other feminists, which results in women trying to separate themselves from the stigma. The consequence of this is a division between feminists, which sociologists argue will not help solve the problem of women's oppression. In particular, radical-cultural feminism is seen as extreme and 'man-hating'.

• Radical feminists are often very passionate about taking concrete action and consequently have introduced practical ways of helping women in society. For instance, by setting up refuges for domestic violence survivors or protesting for women's rights.

Liberal Feminism

Liberal feminists focus on general gender inequalities, not just specifically the position of women in society. They believe that whilst inequalities exist, men and women both suffer. They view these inequalities as being replicated and encouraged through culture and socialisation, rather than inherently patriarchal institutions in society.

Liberal feminists view the socialisation of children into gender roles as extremely detrimental, as they create strict ideas of gender that cannot be changed. They argue that education and socialisation at a young age are vital in changing these views. Small changes within the societal structure are key in adapting the way we view gender, for example, by wiping out the sexism seen in children's media products or the national curriculum.

They therefore believe that equality between genders can be achieved mainly through having equal opportunities in society. Some argue that it has already been achieved somewhat through legal and social reform, e.g., women entering the workforce.

Liberal feminists want small changes, like removing sexism from children's media.

However, they also acknowledge that women are discriminated against more than men and wish to change this. They want to see more progress concerning equal opportunities by encouraging more legislation like the Equal Pay Act to be introduced.

Evaluation of Liberal Feminism

• Liberal feminist ideas have become mainstream in recent decades and have helped to make real changes in women's lives.

• The main sociological critique of liberal feminism is that it does not consider how wide the issue of gender inequality is. Liberal feminism fails to acknowledge that the unequal positions of different genders are rooted deep within societal structures that have existed for centuries. Therefore, it is likely to require far more than just small acts of progress.

• Radical feminists typically argue that liberal feminism isn't ready to take more drastic action to protect women from oppression.

Postmodern Feminism

Postmodern feminists choose not to focus on the differences between genders, but rather on the differences between and within different groups of women. They see gender as something we come to terms with over time, through the way we present ourselves to others. It is fluid and dependent on the culture, norms, and values of each society.

This branch of feminism acknowledges that not all women come from the same social group, and therefore face different degrees of discrimination. It argues that the conventional branches of feminism tend to represent only white, middle-class women whilst ignoring women of other backgrounds.

Postmodern feminism highlights how women have different experiences, life chances, and opportunities due to factors such as their social class, ethnicity, religion, race, and sexuality. Therefore, although they all experience gender oppression and inequality, it is not in the same ways.

Postmodern feminists, therefore, want more recognition for the struggles of women from a variety of diverse backgrounds. They are concerned with how power is distributed in society and the opportunities that come along with this.

Evaluation of Postmodern Feminism

• Some sociologists argue that whilst the patriarchy still oppresses all women, it should be the main focus of feminism. That is, women should first and foremost tackle the biggest issue of all, the patriarchy. Once this has been dealt with, then it will be much easier to focus on other forms of discrimination.

• However, others argue that postmodern feminism focuses on a wider representation of women from different backgrounds. This helps to acknowledge the struggles and discrimination that different women face within their social groups.

Postmodern feminists want more recognition for women from different backgrounds.

Critical evaluation of feminism in sociology

Now that we have looked at the specialised branches of feminism, let's examine the evaluations of feminism as a whole.

• Functionalists believe that the feminist perspective fails to see the advantages of gender inequalities for society. They suggest that the traditional roles of women staying in the domestic sphere and men in the public sphere benefit the functioning of society overall. This is because women and men carry out their specific functions – child-rearing and socialisation is the sole responsibility of women, and being the breadwinner is that of men. According to functionalists, this is a system which works well and ensures the continuation of society.

• Marxists argue that feminists ignore the main problem of society – capitalism. They believe that capitalism and class inequalities are the biggest issues in modern society, rather than gender inequalities. Marxist feminists also agree with this; however, they see women's suffering as a direct consequence of the capitalist system. They see the oppression of women as being vital to capitalist society because women produce and socialise children for free, look after the needs of their husbands and families, and make up the reserve army of labour.

• Feminists may have a variety of views about the specifics of their perspective, however, they all agree that feminism is crucial as it addresses the issue of gender inequality. Feminism affects everyone in society as it helps us understand, and find ways to stop, the oppression of women. Together, feminists often conclude that they must continue to fight for equal rights to create a better society for all.