Difference Between Radical and Liberal Feminism

The main difference between radical and liberal feminism is that radical feminism advocates a radical restructuring of the existing system whereas liberal feminism does not advocate a complete change of the existing system.

Radical feminism and liberal feminism are two major forms of feminism. Radical feminism is a strand of feminism that identifies patriarchy as the root of all gender issues and advocates a complete reordering of the society in order to eliminate male supremacy. Liberal feminism, on the other hand, is a strand of feminism that advocates eliminating gender inequality through women having the same rights as men within the existing system.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Radical Feminism
     – Definition, Characteristics, Main Concerns
2. What is Liberal Feminism
     – Definition, Characteristics
3. Difference Between Radical and Liberal Feminism
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Feminism, Liberal Feminism, Radical Feminism

What is Radical Feminism?

Radical feminism is a form of feminism that calls for a radical restructuring of society, eliminating male supremacy in all spheres of the society. Many consider this to be the most extreme form of feminism. According to radical feminists’ view, patriarchy and male supremacy, in which men dominate and oppress women, is so deep-rooted in society that the only way to bring change is to completely reorder the society. It strictly opposes the existing social and political organization since they are inherently based on patriarchy. Thus, radical feminism aims to eliminate patriarchy altogether instead of making adjustments to the existing system.

Radical feminism formed during the second wave of feminism in the 1960s. This movement tends to be more militant in its approach than other feminist movements like liberal feminism or socialist feminism. Given below are some key issues radical feminism focuses on:

Central Issues

• Reproductive rights for women – freedom to make choices to give birth, to use birth control, to have an abortion, or to get sterilized
• Recognizing rape as an expression of patriarchal power, not a mere seeking of sex
• Analyzing and then changing traditional gender roles in private relationships and public policies
• Understanding prostitution under patriarchy as the oppression of women, sexually and economically
• Evaluating marriage, motherhood, the concept of the nuclear family, and sexuality, and assessing how much of our culture is based on patriarchal assumptions
• A critique of government and religion institutions as centred historically in patriarchal power
• Understanding pornography as an industry, leading to harm to women (some radical feminist disagreed with this view)

Radical feminists drew the attention of the society towards these issues using consciousness-raising groups, organizing public protests, providing active services and organizing art and culture events. Furthermore, Susan Brownmiller, Ti-Grace Atkinson, Phyllis Chester, Corrine Grad Coleman, Mary Daly, Shulamith Firestone, Germaine Greer, Ellen Willis, Carol Hanisch, Jill Johnston, Monique Wittig, Catherine MacKinnon, Andrea Dworkin, Kate Millett, and Robin Morgan are some well-known radical feminists.

What is Liberal Feminism?

Liberal feminists are of the view that gender inequality can be eliminated when women get the same rights as men through legal, political, social and other means within the existing system. Unlike radical feminism, liberal feminism doesn’t advocate a restructuring of the existing system. For liberal feminists, an ideal system or society would be one where each individual can act as a free and responsible moral agent. These individuals will also be free to choose the lifestyle that suits them most without being judged for it.

Furthermore, liberal feminism developed out of the liberal school of thought. It is also consistent with the tradition of liberal democracy and capitalism, with its reformist views. Mary Wollstonecraft, Helen Taylor, John Stuart Mill, Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem and Rebecca Walker are some prominent figures in liberal feminism.

Difference Between Radical and Liberal Feminism

Definition

Radical feminism is a strand of feminism that identifies patriarchy as the root of all gender issues and advocates a complete reordering of the society in order to eliminate male supremacy. Liberal feminism, on the other hand, is a strand of feminism that advocates eliminating gender inequality through having equal rights for men and women in legal, political, social and other spheres within the existing system.

Views

According to radical feminism, gender inequality and other gender-related issues can only be eliminated through a radical restructuring of society, removing male supremacy from all spheres of the society. However, according to liberal feminism, gender inequality can be eliminated when women get the same rights as men through legal, political, social and other means within the existing system.

Existing System

While radical feminism advocates a complete restructuring of society, liberal feminism doesn’t advocate a complete restructure.

Root Cause

Radical feminism identifies male supremacy or patriarchy as the root cause of gender inequality while liberal feminism does not focus on the root cause of gender issues.

Nature

Moreover, radical feminism is a more militant form of feminism than liberal feminism as the former involves revolutionary views.

Conclusion

In brief, radical feminism and liberal feminism are two major forms of feminism. The main difference between radical and liberal feminism is that radical feminism advocates a radical restructuring of the existing system whereas liberal feminism does not advocate a complete change of the existing system. Moreover, radical feminism is a more militant form of feminism than liberal feminism.

Reference:

1. Lewis, Jone Johnson. “What Is Radical Feminism?” ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, 16 July 2019, Available here.
2. “Radical Feminism.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Aug. 2019, Available here.
3. T, Frank. “Liberal Feminism: Definition & Theory.” Study.com, Study.com, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “4242636” (CC0) via Pixabay
2. “Gender equality” By Lestatdelc at English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia