Radical feminism seeks to address the patriarchal system itself as the root cause of women’s oppression, while liberal feminism aims to promote gender equality through policy reforms within the existing social system.
Radical feminism is viewed as more militant with its calls to fundamentally transform society’s power structures.
Radical Feminism
Radical feminism is a branch of feminism that seeks to dismantle the traditional patriarchal power and gender roles that keep women oppressed.
The word radical means ‘of or relating to the root’ – thus, radical feminists see patriarchy as the root cause of gender inequality, and they seek to up-root this.
Radical feminists believe that the cause of gender inequality is based on men’s need or desire to control women. They argue that global change in the patriarchal systems is required to achieve liberation for women.
They also assert that patriarchal systems are in place in an attempt to gain control over women’s bodies, such as laws about abortion and contraception.
According to radical feminists, women are objectified, and many experience violence from men as a way for them to gain control and dominate women.
They argue that violence against women is not down to a few perpetrators, but it is a wider, societal problem.
What Are The Goals Of Radical Feminism?
Radical feminists aim for structural change in the patriarchal systems that are oppressing women. They argue that real liberation for women cannot be achieved unless societal institutions are changed.
They also aim for women to have bodily autonomy by giving women the freedom of choice for what they do with their lives and their bodies. This includes giving them the right to safe abortions and contraception.
Radical feminists also want to shed light on the disproportionate amount of violence that women face at the hands of men. Many radical feminists believe that pornography and sex work increase the objectification of women, and this contributes to more violence and subordination of women.
Likewise, radical feminists aim to put women-centered strategies in place to help women, such as having shelters for abused women and women-only spaces. Some radical feminists are known for being trans-exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs) since they do not view transgender women as real women.
Thus, many would seek to exclude transgender women from women-centered strategies. This stance has led to a lot of criticism from other branches of feminism.
Liberal Feminism
Liberal feminism is a popular branch of feminism that emphasizes the value of freedom, which can be achieved through political and legal reform.
The ideas of liberal feminism are rooted in liberalism, a political philosophy that encourages the development of freedom, particularly in the political and economic spheres.
According to liberal feminism, there is gender inequality because women do not have the same rights as men. They claim that once this is achieved for women, it will eradicate the persist inequalities. They also believe that sexism is the fundamental cause of discrimination against women.
Liberal feminists have most notably fought for women’s right to vote, to work, to have an education, and to have equal pay to men. Many liberal feminists believe that their fight for these rights means that their battle is largely won.
However, many others believe there are still issues to work on, such as the gender pay gap and representation in politics and the media.
What Are The Goals Of Liberal Feminism?
Liberal feminists want women to be granted the same social and political rights as men, have equal pay for doing the same work as men, and be equal in marriage and partnership.
Many of these changes are thought to come through legal and legislative reformation.
In addition, liberal feminists aim for equality in the representation of women in the workplace, politics, and the media.
They would want to see more women in positions of power and being equally represented to men in film and television. Reforming the system is a big part of liberal feminism.
They believe that gender justice is best achieved by modifying existing social institutions and political systems that have the capacity to adjust.
Liberal feminism is also individualistic rather than group-based.
This means that rights are granted to individual women who are assumed to be equally deserving of these rights, rather than granting rights to a whole group.
Differences
When they emerged
Liberal feminism is thought to have emerged in the 18th and 19th centuries through the work of early feminist scholars such as Mary Wollstonecraft, who advocated for educational and social equality for women, and John Stuart Mill, who defended the civic and legal equality of women and their right to vote.
There was then a rise in liberal feminism during the first wave of feminism in the 19th and early 20th centuries when women fought for their right to vote.
Radical feminism primarily developed during the second wave of feminism from the 1960s onwards. It is thought to have been developed in opposition to liberal and Marxist feminism at the time.
Although becoming popularized in the 1960s, there are believed to have been radical feminist activism and ideas during the first wave of feminism. For example, some of the actions of the women in the suffrage movement can be considered radical.
The cause of gender inequality
Liberal feminism does not generally consider what the root cause of gender inequality is. Instead, they claim that the oppression of women comes from their lack of political and civil rights and that once they have these rights, they will be equal to men.
However, they do not explain why it is that women were not granted these rights in the first place.
Radical feminists would claim that they go a step further than liberal feminists by wanting to tackle the root of gender inequality – the patriarchy.
The patriarchy and its structures and institutions, which follow patriarchal ideals, are thought to be the cause of all gender injustice.
Radical feminists would criticize liberal feminism since they claim that only seeking to add more women into the already established systems is not enough.
Just because there are more women in positions of power does not mean there is not still sexism and misogyny, radical feminists would reason. They would argue that the whole system needs to be uprooted and changed for women to be free from gender inequality.
In tackling gender inequality
For liberal feminists, gender inequality is thought to be eliminated once women gain the same rights as men. This is done by reforming the legal, political, social, and other systems.
However, for radical feminists, it is believed that reforming the systems that are already in place will not do enough to make real change. Instead, they suggest that eliminating gender inequality will require a radical restructuring of society and its systems.
They believe that removing male supremacy from all spheres of society is the only way that women will be truly liberated.
Thoughts on marriage and the family
There are differences between radical and liberal feminism regarding ideas about the private sphere.
Liberal feminists are generally not against heterosexual marriage and having children, as long as this is what the woman wants.
If the woman is being treated as an equal by their partner and chooses how to raise their family, this is a feminist choice.
Although this is not the case for everyone, many radical feminists would choose not to marry or engage in any heterosexual relationship with men. Some may engage in political lesbianism as a way to be segregated from men.
Many hold the view that traditional marriage is a patriarchal institution since this makes women part of men’s private property. Even in modern marriage, radical feminists argue that women who are married to men are under patriarchal rule and are still made to complete much of the unpaid labor in the household compared to their husbands.
Similarities
Despite the many differences between radical and liberal feminism, these branches have some similarities.
Liberal feminists generally support radical feminists’ views that abortion and other reproductive rights should be granted to women. They would also believe that women should have control and autonomy over their own lives and bodies.
Radical and liberal feminists both work to encourage gender equality in the private and public spheres. They have both also achieved legislative change for women’s rights and aim to end domestic violence obstacles that stop women from achieving an equal level to men.
A criticism of both radical and liberal feminism is that they are mainly prominent in Western cultures, aiming to tackle gender inequality, particularly for Western women.
Intersectional feminism would suggest that radical and liberal feminism may fail to account for different groups of women and how oppression affects them uniquely.
For instance, women who are of different ethnicities, gender identities, sexualities, disabilities, and social classes would have different experiences of gender inequality.
References
Cottais, C. (2020). Liberal feminism. Gender in Geopolitics Institute. Retrieved 2022, September, 2 from: https://igg-geo.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IGG_CCottais_Liberal_feminism2020.pdf
Cottais, C. (2020). Radical Feminism. Gender in Geopolitics Institute. Retrieved 2022, September 2, from: https://igg-geo.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Technical-Sheet-Radical-feminism.pdf
Graham, G. (1994). Liberal vs radical feminism revisited. Journal of Applied Philosophy, 11(2), 155-170.
Oxley, J. C. (2011). Liberal feminism. Just the Arguments, 100, 258262.
Rowland, R., & Klein, R. (1996). Radical feminism: History, politics, action. Radically speaking: Feminism reclaimed, 9-36.
