1 - Radical Feminism

• Patriarchy is seen as the most fundamental form of inequality. The world is divided into two 'sex classes' - male and female.
• Irrespective of class and ethnicity, men are the enemy of women. They try to oppress women via violence, fear and intimidation.
• Men use women as sex objects for their own pleasure and control them publically and privately.

  • Public - triple shift, catcalls and fear of walking home
  • Private - domestic violence and marital rape
• Complete destruction of patriarchy:

  • Separatism - live separately to men
  • Consciousness raising
  • Political lesbianism - avoid heterosexual relationships
• Firestone


  Women don't know what it is to be female as femininity is defined by men. Women are told how to look, dress and behave. When patriarchal ideology fails, women are under threat of male violence and sexual aggression which limits their capacity to live as free and independent beings.
• Greer


  Traditional family is an institution of oppression to socialise gender inequality into children via gender roles.
• Kate Millet


  Oppressive and unequal relationships originate in the intimacy of personal partnerships. This is completely political as the unequal amounts of power are determined by sex.
• Brownmiller


  Focus on violence against women - endemic (built into society) from explicit attacks to threats.
• Dworkins


  'All men are rapists' and 'pornography is a celebration of rape and injury to women' as it is both a cause of male violence and an expression of male dominance. Calls women to make their own nation state. Dworkins says, 'if the Holocaust can be denied even today, how can a woman who has been raped be believed?'
• Greer


  'regardless of all other achievements, she is a failure if she is not beautiful'
• Laura Mulvey (1975)


  Focuses on the male gaze - visual arts and literature depict a world and women from masculine point of views, women are seen as objects for men's pleasure (indoctrinated into Western culture)
• Evaluation of Radical Feminists:

  • Somerville - failed to recognise improvements to women's positions as we are now in a postmodern society.
  • Political lesbianism couldn't work due to heterosexual attraction.
  • Dobash and Dobash (1970s) - on domestic violence, found women must perform duties to husband's satisfaction - it is inevitable in family.