Describe Gender Inequality And Types Of Feminism (Research Paper Sample)

Feminism Theory
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Feminism Theory
Gender Inequality
Introduction
The core aspect of the feminism theory is based on the idea that women and men should have equal rights when it comes to economic, social and political matters. Theorists suggest that feminism theory is a prerequisite for coming up with effective strategies meant to liberate on women. The theory attempts to comprehensively develop account of subordination, its origin, and supposes essence. Furthermore, feminism theory identifies the main causes of subordination of women.
Feminism theory attempts to elaborate oppression on women, explain causes and consequences, and come up with strategies on how women can liberate themselves (Bendl & Schmidt, 2012). According to Jane Flax in his book ‘Women Do Theory’, he suggests feminism theory is analytic and systematic approach to everyday experience. Flax believes that everyone does the approach unconsciously and if we theorize it, we bring the unconscious to conscious level making it to be developed and refined.
Feminist theory has several function such as to make us understand the power variation between women and men, comprehend women’s oppression such as how it started, how it transitioned over time, and how it relates to different forms of oppression. It may also serve the purpose of overcoming oppression directed towards women. Feminism is related to action that human being undertake. Feminism forms the basis and foundation of action and hence it cannot be neutral in anyway. Feminism theory attempts to change oppressive structures and link concrete ideas with concrete difficulties for political action (Connell, 2011).
In the book, ‘Tapestries of Life’ suggests for a ‘bottom up ‘approach that looks deep into meanings that can be found in women’s live depending on the activities they engage in on a daily basis. Moreover, connecting and discovering such meanings will enable feminists to come up with a map of women’s reality from their own point of view, which is called women’s point of view. Some feminist theorists believes that lives of women are dispersed, fragmented and episodic and depends on events that are outside the control of women. She puts more focus on daily lives of women, meaning they invent daily and over time develop patterns that can be tracked.
Feminism is also defined as a fight to end oppression that has to do with sex that is sexism (Connell, 2011). In other words, it is a struggle that is necessary to suppress ideology of domination that is within the western culture on a variety of levels and commitment to organize again society so that people’s self-development can take precedence over economic expansion, over-imperialism, and material desires.
The main goal of feminists is to do the analysis on gender, that is, how we think, how gender is constituted among others. Gender study includes but not limited to what we frequently considered the feminist issues that are instinctive, women situation and male domination analysis since in contemporary western societies, and relations on gender have been dominance (Powell, 2013). Feminism theories explore and cover aspects of societies especially those that have been unarticulated, suppressed or those that are denied viewpoints within a male-dominated society.
Some feminist theorists believes that for any viewpoint to qualify to be called feminism theory, it must acknowledge that women have been unjustly treated, oppressed, and the society needs to do something about it. Feminism in this scenario is perceived as a response that over the last decades, women have been subjected to resources that build critique destructive situations and destroying of social relationship and institutions and coming up with links between subordination of women to men. The tension witnessed when it comes to feminist thinking clearly reflect the tensions in lives of women, the varied, and transitional nature on how women experience.
Some feminism theorists argue that feminism cultural criticism does not empower people to rise above their own culture nor become feminists ideals martyrs and at no time is a blue print when it comes personal conduct in one’s life. Feminism does not tell an individual what to do, but rather its goal is comprehending and edification, showing conscious of power and complexity.
Feminism theory tries to incline on plight of women in society who for so long have been neglected and their role was to be submissive to men. Gender inequality in the past decades was practiced by all communities globally and until now, absolute equality has not been achieved in many countries. This paper examines the plight of women in society, how gender disparity has influenced their thinking and how the society views them now. The paper then relates on how issues to do with gender relates to the theory of feminism and how feminism impacts on nature.
The Diversity
The Diversity of Feminist Thought (types of feminism)
Liberal Feminism
Liberal feminism deals with gender equality thus; it puts much emphasis on personhood, for example, individual autonomy, rationality, self-fulfillment, among others and comprehension of human nature. Liberal feminism assumes that gender and sex are neutral, that all people in the society have a common nature. It defines a just society as a society that allows a person to exercise his or her freedom and fully fulfill him or herself. Liberal feminism puts much emphasis on equal chances for everyone so that people can develop moral and rational capacities to achieve personhood (Dziedzic, 2012). It disputes the idea in which the society regards women as inferior beings when it comes to physical and intellectual capability of women as compared to that of men. This aspect makes the true potential of women to go unfulfilled. Liberal feminism insists on women being treated with total equality just like men when it comes to civil rights and education opportunities men enjoy. Therefore women liberalization involves freeing women from things to do with negative gender aspects such as gender and sexual inequality. The main disadvantage of liberal feminism is its acceptance of values of men as universal values, and does not analyze sexuality or class.
Marxist Feminism
Marxist feminism was developed by Marx and Engles who were philosophers. Its main key concept revolves around wealth, class and capitalism. The main claim is that the oppression of women is due to capitalism, for instance, introduction of private property. It advocates that the capitalistic system should be replaced by socialist system where means of production only belong to one and all. Marxist feminism lays much emphasis on our social nature since it forms our social existence which in return determines our own consciousness. When dealing with economic factors, Marxist feminism perceives women to be an economic class that is distinctive, rather than as persons, discussing the connection between self-image of women together with their work status. Capitalism is seen as a mean of perpetuating women’s subordination by making them to be dependent on men (Dziedzic, 2012). The main problem of Marxist feminism is blocking the contrast between different distinct economic classes of women and men and its shortfall in making room for issues that are unrelated to functions of work and nature.
Radical Feminism
Radical feminism has to do with lens of gender or sex and sexuality. It was influenced by progressive movements and social nature of the 1960’s. The key concepts involved in radical feminism include hierarchy, power, dominance, sex or gender system, biology, and patriarchy (Powell, 2013). Women’s biology is perceived to be related closely to women oppression and sexual violence manifestation. The basis of this theory has to do with female biology conception, probably, androgyny, separatism and recovery of female nature that is authentic.
The main insight of radical feminism is based on the influences of sex, distinction of gender, and structure on aspects of lives. Gender forms unquestioned framework on how we interpret and perceive the world. It refers to women as a class that is defined by gender or sex system rather than an economic class. It suggests that the root of oppression is sexuality as women are viewed as lesser beings. What radical feminists focuses on is the women’s subordination making it the main primary concern , disclosing how the power of men is reinforced and exercised through harmful practices such as rape, sexual harassment, prostitution, pornography among others. Radical feminism has celebrated womanhood in response to entire domination of women by men.
Psychoanalytic Feminism
Psychoanalytic feminism has to do with lens of psyche. It revolves around psychoanalytic movement and Freud. The key concepts of this kind of feminism are on Oedipus complex, sexuality, superego, ego and id. Oppression on women under this theory is tied to the man in which they deal with Oedipus complex. It advocates on recapturing the oedipal stag, altering parenting habits and insights they should have which were structured while they were young(Hollway, 2012).
Existentialist Feminism
Existentialist feminism has influence on De Beauvoir, Sartre and existentialism. It main key concept is women as other’. Here, women are perceived to be oppressed by virtue of otherness, that is, an object that has a meaning that is determined by a woman. Here, a woman, has to be a self and a subject that transcends labels, essences and defin...