18.1d Difference, Egalitarian & Intersectionality

Question 1

Egalitarian feminism

Answer 1

The main goal of egalitarian feminism is to achieve full equality with men.

Liberal feminists have emphasised the goal of equal legal and political rights in the public realm.

Radical feminists extend demands to full equality in the domestic sphere, including sexual equality.

Socialist feminists believe equal rights have no meaning without full social and economic equality.

Question 2

Difference feminists

Answer 2

Difference feminists disagree with these egalitarian goals and argue that women should not desire to be “like men”.

They believe that men naturally more aggressive, competitive and domineering, whilst women are naturally more empathetic, compassionate and creative than men.

They should seek a pro-woman position instead and celebrate these differences separately e.g in a “sisterhood”.

Question 3

Intersectionality: Post-Modern Thinking

Answer 3

Recent post-modern thinking criticises earlier feminists for giving too little attention to the plight of the most vulnerable groups of women e.g. black, gay and poor women.

This led to the new notion of “intersectionality”, a term developed by Kimberley Crenshaw in 1989, which focuses on the multiple identities and complex issues of modern life.

Question 4

Identity

Answer 4

A belief in intersectionality appears to have weakened women’s gender identity, though this was never its goal.

Rather, it strives to modernise thinking to represent more effectively the widely different experiences and identities of women seen in today’s world.