Feminism Means More Than Sexual Equality

Feminism is one of the key values of the Green Party, yet few can articulate even the most basic tenets of feminism fully. This article seeks to aid those who object to "feminism," to overcome inherent prejudice and ignorance, and to really give it a good look. Below is adapted from Feminism; A Reference Handbook by Judith Harlan, ABC-CLIO,1998.

Today's feminists seek access to education through fair consideration for women for scholarships, inclusion in athletic programs, and equal treatment in the classroom; to economics through equal access for women to jobs and careers, equal pay, and equal consideration for promotions and career enhancement as well as family-friendly and flexible workplaces with less hierarchical management structures; and to politics through a 50% voice for women in decision making at all levels of government and power structures.

Feminists also seek a change in control over reproduction through reproductive freedom for all women, including maintaining legal access to abortion and unhindered sex education and access to birth control. They seek control over sexuality through the right of all to define their own sexuality and the freedom to practice it without discrimination, either overt or subtle. They seek an end to violence through ending control over women's mobility and personal freedom, ending domestic violence, sexual harassment, and rape, and limiting the prevalence of pornography which leads to violence against women. They seek a change in control over society through transformation of social institutions which perpetuate inequality of the sexes and values genders differently.

Some history and definitions:

First Wave Feminists

The feminists who fought for suffrage in the United States and beyond, beginning with the meeting in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848 and culminating in the right to vote in 1920, are today call the 'first wave'.These were the women who broke through the barriers of their day to speak in public, to demand property rights, and to claim a political voice. Second Wave

Taking up the cause of women's rights in the early to mid-1960s, these feminists founded feminist organizations and raised the consciousness of the women and men of the country, focusing on winning pay equity for women, access to jobs and education, recognition of women's unpaid labor in the home, and a rebalancing of the double workload of family and outside work for women in the paid labor force. The wave began with the founding of women's liberation groups that took New Left political groups such as the Students for a Democratic Society as their models, joined soon after by other groups that sought political change within the system and through political organizations of their own, forming feminist groups and the mass of the second wave. This second wave is usually considered to have begun about 1963 and run until the backlash of the 1980s, when feminism is seen to have stagnated.

Third Wave

The third wave consists of many of the daughters and sons of the second wave, as well as the second wavers themselves. These feminists grew up with many of the advantages that the second wave fought for, and their issues are today's issues - parental leave and day care for the children of working parents, gaining decision-making positions in corporate and governmental high offices, worldwide sustainable development, and a global awareness of feminist causes. The third wave is a global surge, and in the US is multi cultural and inclusive, supporting women of all heritages as well as the rights of lesbian women and gay men.

Some of these third-wave feminists are issuing a challenge to the older feminists, seeing feminist rhetoric as entrenched in victimization, with an emphasis on the oppression engendered by a patriarchal system. They grew up in a country transformed by second-wave feminist leaders, with established equal employment and education laws, access to birth control and legal abortion, support within police departments for prosecution of rapists, and women holding a vocal presence in politics. Many third wavers see women as fundamentally strong, confident, brave individuals. They seek to establish that image of women within the public consciousness, and they look for greater integration of women into politics, economics, and social forums.

Liberal (Equality) Feminism

Liberal feminists are individualists who stress the importance of freedom, especially the freedom to choose. They see more similarities between women and men than differences and envision a community of equitable opportunity for both sexes. They also see most stereotypically masculine or feminine traits as culturally imposed. They view choice as an absolute right, and they seek control over the body and social circumstance. They strive to avoid the imprint of gender codes and the gender socialization of children, looking instead for an authentic, unen- gineered, and individual approach to life. Some of today's liberal feminists describe themselves as equality feminists and see a link between themselves and first-wave or early second-wave feminists.

Cultural (Difference) Feminism

Emerging in the 1970s and becoming a strong voice by the 1980s, cultural feminism attempts to revalue the feminine aspects that have been devalued by society. It celebrates all things female, whether these derive from social, class, or biological circumstances of women's lives. Difference feminists see many gender traits as biological, or at least deeply structured cultural, traits. They celebrate the differences between women and men, seeing feminine qualities as a source of personal strength and pride and providing affirmation that women occupy the moral high ground. Instead of political change, cultural feminism focuses on cultural transformation, stressing the role of the nonrational, intuitive, collective side of life. This thread of reasoning can be traced through feminists history to first-wave debates within feminist circles.

Those debates centered on the need for women's input in government as guiding, moral voices - the conscience of the nation.(First-wave difference feminists also argued for protective labor legislation for women).

Radical Feminism

Also stressing the differences between females and males, radical feminism values women and likens males to a separate species. Whether the difference is biological or gendered by society is not at issue; the results of male difference and dominance are. According to the radical feminist ideology, the violence of the heterosexual male has led to the patriarchal and hierarchical cultures of today. Further, the male as oppressed and victimized the female through pornography, violence, and the militarization of the world.

Marxist and Socialist Feminism

Feminists who agree with the tenets of Marxist and socialist feminism believe women are seen as a sex class, gendered by society into a secondary position through a systemic sex gender system that dictates social roles, purposes, and norms. These feminists believe that women are exploited as both a sex and a class, and that women are consigned to reproduction and their natures tethered. Men take the roles of goods production and potentially reach freedom. To change this situation, Marxist and socialist feminists seek an end to gendered socialization, and alliance of oppressed groups, and a beginning of a sharing of the wealth.

Ecofeminism

Growing from the idea of women's values as separate from men's and also closer to nature, Ecofeminism revalues and defines feminine traits. Women are seen as in tune with nature and seeking to work in conjunction with it; men have a hierarchical relationship to nature and seek to control it. This view poses the idea that men's control of nature up to now has created a crisis, and ecocide, in much of the world. Ecofeminists look for life- affirming and nonviolent solutions to world problems. Ecofeminists see feminine values as virtues needed by the world's patriarchy to survive and evolve. Ecofeminists may also subscribe to liberal, radical, or Marxist/socialist thought, but focus on ecology, both of nature and human systems.

Black Feminism

Though African American feminists may not have been included in early mainstream second-wave feminism, they have always been a vocal presence in feminist criticism and ideology. Racism, they have said, is a problem that lives alongside sexism. And so is classism (the hierarchy created by a caste-like economic and social class system).They have demanded that feminists consider the problems of racism and classism along with sexism; further, they have explained the interlacing interconnections from racism to sexism to classism. Sexism cannot truly be understood without understanding its racist undertones; by the same token, racism embodies sexism.

They have refuted the stereotypes of black women as matriarchs and superwomen and have spearheaded movements to gain economic and political clout for women of color. African American women support numerous feminist and women's issues organizations, some of them chiefly for women of color. They are also part of the general feministmovement and leadership, both in the United Stated and globally.

Male Feminists