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Liberal Feminist Ideology

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Feminism as an ideology should be understood and appreciated as a pioneering movement that has pushed the boundaries of what should and should not be discussed in the political arena. All Feminist traditions are united in their fight towards the equality of the sexes but differ on what they believe needs to change within society. Some areas focus more on legal matters, namely: Liberal feminists, whereas other areas of feminism place a larger focus on social inequalities. This essay will discuss whether feminism is defined by 'the personal is the political ' or not.

Liberal Feminism developed as a subculture of Liberalism that was particularly prominent in the late 1800s and early 1900s when women were campaigning for the right to vote. It …show more content…

It drew attention to the fact that patriarchal values distort all areas of society, from culture and philosophy to morality and religion, rather than highlighting the more commonly talked about legal and social disadvantages. If the base of society is patriarchal then that affects every woman’s personal life and therefore needs to be reformed. Radical feminists go one step further than other feminist traditions in their belief that sexual oppression is the most fundamental feature of society, and that other forms of injustice are merely secondary. This enables them to draw attention to the less noticeable aspects of female oppression within our …show more content…

Society encourages women to take on more male-like characteristics so they can become successful in the workplace. This encourages the ‘pro-woman’ tradition within radical feminism to advocate women embracing ‘their sisterhood’ rather than trying to become ‘more like men’. Some Radical feminists want women to be appreciated as different to men rather than the same as men, especially when it comes to the unique qualities they can bring into a work environment. This shows how radical feminism tackles all walks of life which supports the argument that it is defined by ‘the personal is the political’.

To conclude, feminism is an ideology that is varied in aims but most importantly, reflective of the times when they were most prominent. Each tradition within the ideology has been focused on achieving the next step in women’s liberation.
Liberal feminism was most prominent in the late 1800s and early 1900s when acquiring the vote for women was a daunting task. It isn 't reasonable to expect liberal feminism to tackle the oppression that women faced in their personal lives as it was deemed normal in the 17th/18th century. It was hard enough for the feminists to acquire legal rights let alone eradicate the male-bias within society at the

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