Feminist Theory

Liberal

Liberal | Marxist | Psychoanalytic

 

Two Types of Liberal Feminists: Classical and Welfare

Liberal feminism encompasses two genres of political thought: classical liberalism and welfare liberalism. Classical liberals believe that, ideally, the state should protect civil liberties, but also give individuals the opportunity to determine their own wealth within the market. Welfare liberals, on the other hand, believe the state should focus on economic justice rather than simply on civil liberties. They call for government programs, such as Social Security and school loans in order to alleviate huge inequities within society. Both classical and welfare liberals, though, believe that government intervention within their personal lives is unnecessary and obtrusive.

Liberal Feminism Thought Throughout the Years

Liberal feminist thought began in the Eighteenth Century and has encompassed numerous issues such as education, slavery, and voting rights.

Wollstonecraft

Mary Wollstonecraft, one of the earliest liberal feminists, denied that women's emotional disposition was due to nature. Instead, she believed the manner in which women are treated by society is the direct cause of their personality traits. Wollstonecraft believed that if men were forced to be "locked in the same cages" that women are subjected to, men, too, would be over-sensitive, narcissistic, and self-indulgent. She was greatly interested in women's accessibility to education and believed that winning the right to an education greatly increased women's battle for "personhood."

Abolitionism and the Suffrage Movement

Both women and men began the battle for the abolition of slavery, but it became apparent that many men did not want to equate women's rights with issues of slavery for fear of losing the battle for equality for African Americans.. Because of this lack of equal rights for women, many split off from the abolition movement and created separate women's organizations such as the National Woman's Suffrage Association and the American Woman Suffrage Association that fought for a woman's right to vote. Over fifty years after the end of the Civil War, women were allowed the right to vote.

Equality In Economics and Sexuality

Following the passage of women's right to suffrage, the liberal feminist movement remained unchanged. It was not until the 1960's that a new generation of feminists appeared spouting ideals of economic and sexually equality for all.

Directions in Liberal Feminism

Liberal feminists desire to free women from the oppressive, patriarchal gender roles. They stress that patriarchy defines women's lives by placing them in "women acceptable roles" that are in line with feminine ideals. Classical liberal feminists want to overcome these obstacles by erasing gender discriminatory laws and policies from the books, enabling women to compete equally with men. Welfare liberals, on the other hand, want society to believe that women should be compensated for past injustices, as well as eliminating socioeconomic and legal barriers.

**Information gathered from Tong, Rosemarie Putnam, Feminist Thought, 1998.