The Radical Past of Liberal Feminism - Essay Example

The Radical Past of Liberal Feminism Feminism as the Second Wave of suffragists’ movement started promoting women’s equality from the end of the eighteenth century. The Second Wave soon gained so many supporters among women and even men that the initial idea to fight against female oppression and inequality was diversified and developed into different separate movements. It is hard now to clearly distinguish or even name all of them, however the most powerful and significant opposition was declared by four of them – Marxist feminism, liberal feminism, ‘black’ feminism and radical feminism. Although all groups had the similarity in fighting for women’s rights the approaches to classify the problem and define the methods to improve the women’s position were quite unlike. Any idea which is worth existence in society is inevitably to create an interest group and be originated from political system. Feminism was not an exception. Thus, two confrontational ideas of political system – Marxist and bourgeois – gave the names of the two feminists’ groups which argued different approaches to women’s freedom and equal rights. Critics’ review of the both groups can help clearly understand these differences. Feminista.com online journal critically examines Marxist and liberal approaches to women’s freedom without supporting any of them. They argue that neither Marxist societal focus on women’s financial independence nor liberal feminists’ accusations of women’s unequal position based on biological gender could not help women to change something. (One Purpose, Many Voices). Let us have a deeper look why both approaches were not successful. Marxist feminism bought up the idea of turning the capitalist society into socialist one where no one (see men) has financially higher position and, therefore, women gain financial freedom. Yet, to have nothing means to be free. But who wants to not have any possessions or property for the idea of equal rights? If there is no property there is no control. If there is no control there is no any society, even socialist society. Thus, women should have been strived for gaining higher financial position rather than dismissing men from their financially dominant scale. Many feminists could not support Marxist approach because they were willing to be equal rich instead of being equal poor. Comparing with Marxist approach liberal feminists had quite an opposite focus. While Marxists desired to change a society as a structure liberalists focused on changing individuals in their society. Liberal changes were founded on justifying the women’s low position as a result of inborn biological difference in gender. Girls initially are given different development and education based on bringing up mother-like householders who are biologically subordinate to males. Thus, changing attitude to sex attribute would inevitably lead to changing attribute to the women’s place in society. Liberal feminists could not see better approach to gain the changes than improvement of legislative base aiming to protect women’s rights. Here the bright example of significant divergence in Marxist and liberal approaches can be given. In the matter of prostitution Marxists see prostitutes as oppressed laborers who suffer from exploitive men while liberalists would rather protect prostitutes’ rights to continue doing their work if it brings independence and better life for women. The idea of selling your body to who you want and with money which you want would not be so bad for liberalists! A few significant achievements of liberal feminism prove their more democratic approach had been more acceptable for society and for women particularly. In 1918 the British legislation was enriched with the new Right to vote in the Representation of the People Act which permitted unmarried women over thirty and married women over 21 to take part in voting. Ten years later the thirty-years restriction for unmarried women was abolished. Two Sex Discrimination Acts issued in 1919 and 1975 gave women the possibility to work at positions and wages equal to men. Although the Acts sounded much brighter than was realized in reality their approval was a real achievement for liberalists. The examples of this achievement were really single instances and could be evaluated as precedents rather than norms. Among the critics of liberal feminists achievements Zillah Eisenstein quoted Longman who wrote: ‘The modernization of the law, or the liberalization of it, reflects a transition within patriarchy, instead of its demise.’ (Zillah 2003). Then Longman argues that any changes the patriarchy has to compromise are aimed to preserve the patriarchy itself and present the “new modes of patriarchal control, the loss of former methods of control, and the modernization of patriarchal law”. Although the feminist writer Sylvia Walby celebrated the 1970s Acts in her Gender Transformations: ‘…women increased their access to all jobs and a disproportionate share of the best new jobs.’ (1997, 99) the fact was that women gained domination in professions which only broadened up their householders and mother-like carers’ role. For example, the female dominant role was obvious in such professions as nursing (about 91% in 1970s), school teaching (about 56%), social work (about 65%) and health and social associates (Routh 1980) comparing with higher and more important work positions such as employers and managers/surveyors which were still occupied by males predominantly. (Kennett 2006). Another significant example of the liberalists’ weak winnings is the story of the female architects, sisters Charles. The younger sister, Mary managed to successfully pass the examinations and become the first female architect who was ARIBA member. (Kennett 2006) Her older sister did succeeded too, but they were the only two females accepted to male organisation. Another architect, Elizabeth Whitworth Scott was the only female among males competing to design the Shakespeare’s Memorial Theatre and won the competition. Unfortunately, these few women had enriched the history of architecture with their names as exceptions but not rule. Women continued active study and work being allowed graduating from universities and starting work. But their achievements and role were not so outstanding as males’ ones. They would have really thanked liberal feminists if changed and improved legislation had led to significant changes in reality. Men agreed to give women some image of freedom and independence keeping patriarchy in a new democratic form. This partial independence could put feminism down till the time when women began feel the show-shaped independence and demand the real freedom. The question arose: “What is the reality now?” Women, indeed, felt the consequences of the greater errors of their older sisters and decided to not support any of the earlier approaches. Some of them classified and selected the best ideas from all previous branches of feminism, some call the new ideas. The only similarity is that all of them has called their strivings and desires “The Third Wave”. The Third Wave Foundation started in May 1992 by Walker and Shannon Liss is the response of several unfair trials on rape, abortion and family violence. The Foundation keeps traditional ideas of feminism to promote women’s active social and political life and educate young women how to protect their rights in the modern society. (The Third Wave Foundation.org). However, the third wave feminists do not associate their approach with any of the previous movements denying the term of post-feminism regarding their activity. The organization quite the contrary is aiming to unify all women under the similar task: ‘to create and support spaces internally and externally that have young women in leadership positions.’ (The Third Wave Foundation.org). Due to globalization through development of such media as Internet these women are willing to strengthen their multi-national team through communication and financial support. So, why are such organizations still in need? According to Katherine Spiller (Free Essays Library) women are still in very low position at high economic, business and political levels. Although the educational system is open only a little percent of high – educated women manages to become an active part of social, economic and political life. The situation is similar regardless geographic, political, cultural and social differences. After successful graduating higher schools with university degrees women have to either stay at home, get more household-like job or change their work places. The reasons remain the same: childbearing, family care, lack of time to execute housewife duties. The largest gap between degreed women and practicing women is seen in the professions which take private life out and give opportunity to make a good career and financial independence. According to David Kenneth (2006) such jobs are: solicitors (only a half of graduated women are really employed), engineers (the total number of female engineers has greatly increased for the last few decades but only a half women with engineering degrees managed to keep working), architects (due to the totally male examining boards women suffer great oppression to be officially recognized and licensed), financial and business administrators (only half a women become employed after graduation). The modern feminists’ wave has to inevitably recognize the past feminism movement partial win in a few spheres of social life such as gender equality in sexual relationships, parenthood and education. It also has to recognize the great losses in collapsing patriarchy and male dominance at the highest levels of political, economic and social spheres. Even in cases when males demonstrate the support of females’ strivings to survive with equal opportunities the women cannot but evaluate such demonstration as another alteration of patriarchy. Betty Friedan, the author of “The Feminine Mystique” book denied the interview of the male historian who admired to Betty’s book and was greatly interested in her research: ‘A deconstructing male historian would try to dismiss my credibility in writing The Feminine Mystique by claiming that it was all a communist plot, starting with my Smith student days and my labor immersion, and insisting that I never was a real suburban housewife.’ (Friedan cited Boucher 2003). The women’s dissatisfaction with the previous feminism experience regardless their different approaches has helped them to understand the priorities of the modern feminism direction. The previous unsuccessful Marxist attempts to change the social structure as a whole and weak liberalist achievements in improving existing legislation have proved the idea of changing feminist attitude to the society and to feminism itself. Unlike the previous experience of gathering women in special groups aimed to lobby their interests in society the modern feminism unifies women with the purpose to assist each female individual in solving her vital daily problems. Nowadays women join their hands to give a financial, educational, psychological and legislative support in each individual case. Today’s feminism movement expresses fear of grouping women in order lobby their interest in males’ dominant system. This fear can be fairly explained by painful experience of the former approaches where women were engaged in external declaration of their interest group slogans rather than deep research of their problems. Such organizations available online as Feminista publications and The Third Wave Foundation are interested in revelation of female individual cases of oppression and violence. Thus, the approach has become more individual and can vary depending on every woman’s real problem. The assistance ranges from personal consulting in psychology, sociology or legislation to real financial support in individual education and even local non-government organization willing to promote women’s interest at a local level. Can the modern feminism approach be a signal of considerable changes in society? Are women able to come to reality when males end up their criticism of female starting her own business or great career of vice president of big corporate body? Yet, these questions will remain without an answer for at least a couple of decades. However, the accepted approach of the modern feminism can keep human minds optimistic and success believable: ‘improve yourself and change your mind if you want your society to be improved.’ Bibliography Boucher, Joanne (2003). ‘Betty Friedan and the Radical Past of Liberal Feminism’. Wpunj.edu. Available: http://www.wpunj.edu/newpol/issue35/boucher35.htm. 07 April, 2006 Eaton, Heather. (v.4 number 1). ‘One Purpose, Many Voices. The Plurality of Today’s Feminist Movement.’ Available: http://www.feminista.com/archives/v4n1/eaton.html. 06 April, 2006 Eisenstein, Zillah (2003). ‘The Radical Future of Liberal Faminism.’ Pinn.net. Available: http://www.pinn.net/~sunshine/book-sum/liberal.html. 07 April, 2006 Kenneth, David (2006). ‘Professions and Women.’ Hand out on 03-09 April Kenneth, David (2006). ‘Women, Work and Gender.’ Hand out on 03-09 April Kenneth, David (2006). ‘Women Architects: a Case Study of a Profession.’ Hand out on 03-09 April Routh, G. (1980). Occupation and Pay in Great Britain, 1906-1979. London: Macmillan The Nets Biggest Free Essays Library. (2005). Available: http://www.free-essays.us/dbase/d4/lvw261.shtml. 06 April, 2006 The Third Wave Foundation. (2001). Available: http://www.thirdwavefoundation.org/programs/default.htm. 06 April, 2006 Walby, Sylvia (1997). Gender Transformations. Oxford: Basil Blackwell Read More