Feminism: Different Types

Liberal Feminism believes in the equality of men and women, and advocates for political and legal reform to achieve this.
It focuses on issues such as reproductive rights, equal pay, sexual harassment and gender discrimination.
Mary Wollstonecraft and John Stuart Mill were early advocates of Liberal Feminism.
Key understanding - Liberal Feminists see changing laws and policies, and changing individual attitudes as instrumental to achieving equality.

Radical Feminism argues that the root cause of women’s oppression is patriarchy: The social, economic, and political dominance of women by men.
They believe that society must be drastically restructured to achieve gender equality.
Key figures include Kate Millett and Andrea Dworkin.
Key understanding - Radical Feminists typically reject the idea that individual changes can achieve equality, arguing for a complete societal overhaul.

Socialist Feminism links the oppression of women to capitalist economic practices, and contends that liberation can only be achieved by replacing capitalism with socialism.
They argue for the dispersal of power and wealth.
Key figures include Clara Zetkin and Alexandra Kollontai.
Key understanding - Socialist Feminists believe that both patriarchal and class oppressions must be eradicated for gender equality.

Intersectional Feminism emphasises that women’s experiences of oppression are not universally the same, and it accounts for race, socioeconomic status, and more.
Coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, it challenges the predominant idea that all women experience the same level of discrimination.
Key understanding - Intersectional Feminism calls for a recognition that gender, race, class, and other identities intersect and affect each other, creating a multitude of experiences.

Black Feminism argues that sexism, class oppression, and racism are inextricably bound together.
They contend that the liberation of black women entails freedom for all people, since it would require the end of racism, sexism, and class oppression.
key figures include Bell Hooks and Audre Lorde.
Key understanding - Black Feminism critiques mainstream feminism as being dominated by white women’s perspectives, highlighting the need to consider race and class in gender equality discourses.

Postmodern Feminism encompasses several feminist theories that all question the metanarratives associated with womanhood and female experience.
They criticise other forms of feminism as being too deterministic.
Key figures include Judith Butler, who advocates for the exploration of gender beyond traditional binaries.
Key understanding - Postmodern Feminism emphasizes the individual, subjective experience of gender, rather than generalizing all women’s experiences.