As radical feminists we recognise that we are engaged in a power struggle with men (New York Radical Feminists: Manifesto, 1969). How would different types of feminists react to this statement?

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Joanne Dalton

Gender Studies assignment 2

“As radical feminists we recognise that we are engaged in a power struggle with men…” (New York Radical Feminists: Manifesto, 1969). How would different types of feminists react to this statement?

In this assignment I will discuss the views of radical feminist and how other feminists compare.  I will discuss how different types of feminists would react to the quote above. All feminists agree that women are treated unequally in society. Women suffer from sexism and discrimination but have different views on what causes inequality and how to achieve equality. There are many different types of feminists. In this assignment I will be concentrating on three specific types, radical feminism, liberal feminism and Marxist feminism.  Radical feminists believe they are oppressed by men, liberal feminists believe they are oppressed by social upbringing and Marxist feminists blame their oppression on capitalism.

Radical feminists believe that the problem for women is male power (patriarchy). Men befit by keeping women in second place in society, for example, men get the best jobs and get their housework done, and therefore all women are on the same side because they are all exploited by men.

“Radical feminism…recognises that a group of individuals (men) have organised together  for power over women, and that they have set up institutions throughout society to maintain this power” Politics of the Ego: A Manifesto New York Radical Feminists (1969)

Radical feminists believe that all social institutions are male dominated for example, the family, the media, religions and work. They believe that women are treated unequally in the family and that it is better for men than women. Families are patriarchal; women do the housework and childcare even if they have a job outside of the home. This is called a ‘double burden’. The family role for women limits their job and career prospects, they have to break their careers to have children. If women do not have a job outside the home they become full time housewives and therefore become isolated. The family perpetuate gender roles and equality by socialising girls and boys to adopt the traditional roles. The family is a patriarchal and hierarchal institution thorough which men dominate and exploit women. Men are the head of the household and it is the head that benefits from the work that is done.

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Radical feminists believe that the media is another institution dominated by men. Women are portrayed in the media as being housewives and sex objects for example, adverts for washing up liquid will always have a woman washing up and adverts for baby milk and such will always have a woman holding the baby. The pornography industry is seen by radical feminists as a way of telling men how to control and hurt women. They reject what the call ‘sexual essentialism’- the notion that is a natural force based on biology that inclines women towards natural tendencies such as motherhood. Even ...

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