state

• • Liberals believe it has a key role in promoting and legislating for gender equality, though radical feminists argue this is insufficient alone in overthrowing patriarchy.
  • social feminists see it as an instrument of class rule and postmodern thinkers, like bell hooks, see the modern state as a legacy of white imperialist rule.
• • Most feminists see the state as a potential force for good, in taking more positive action to tackle gender inequality and continuing sexual abuse of women across the world.
  • Radical feminists would go much further than liberal feminists in preventing oppression and socialist feminists see it as part of an exploitative capitalist system.