Liberal Feminism
First published Thu Oct 18, 2007
Liberals hold that freedom is a fundamental value, and that the just state ensures freedom for citizens. Liberal feminists share this view, and insist on freedom for women. There isdisagreement among liberals about what freedom means, and thus liberal feminism takes morethan one form. This entry discusses 1) classical liberal or libertarian feminism and 2) egalitarianliberal feminism.
Classical liberal or libertarian feminism
conceives of freedom as freedom from coerciveinterference. It holds that women, as well as men, have a right to such freedom due to their statusas self-owners. It holds that coercive state power is justified only to the extent necessary to protect the right to freedom from coercive interference.
Equity feminists
are classical liberal or libertarian feminists who hold that, in societies like the United States, the only morallysignificant source of oppression of women is the state. They hold that feminism's political role isto bring an end to laws that limit women's liberty in particular, but also to laws that grant special privileges to women. Some equity feminists see a nonpolitical role for feminism, helping womento benefit from their freedom by developing beneficial character traits or strategies for success,or navigating among their increasing options. Other equity feminists are socially conservativeand argue that, while the state should not enforce them, traditional values function as bulwarksagainst state power and produce independent and self-restraining citizens.
Cultural libertarian feminists
are classical liberal or libertarian feminists who hold that the culture of societies likethe United States is patriarchal and a significant source of oppression of women. They hold thatthe patriarchal culture and the state are complementary systems of oppression. Culturallibertarian feminists hold that much of the oppression women suffer today is noncoercive,however, and thus should not be met with state remedies but with a nonviolent movement for feminist social change. Readers interested in classical liberal or libertarian feminism may want toskip ahead to that section now.
Egalitarian liberal feminism
conceives of freedom as personal autonomy — living a life of one'sown choosing — and political autonomy — being co-author of the conditions under which onelives. Egalitarian liberal feminists hold that the exercise of personal autonomy depends on certainenabling conditions that are insufficiently present in women's lives, or that social arrangementsoften fail to respect women's personal autonomy and other elements of women's flourishing.They hold also that women's needs and interests are insufficiently reflected in the basicconditions under which they live, and that those conditions lack legitimacy because women areinadequately represented in the processes of democratic self-determination. Egalitarian liberalfeminists hold that autonomy deficits like these are due to the “gender system” (Okin 1989, 89),or the patriarchal nature of inherited traditions and institutions, and that the women's movementshould work to identify and remedy them. As the protection and promotion of citizens' autonomyis the appropriate role of the state on the egalitarian liberal view, egalitarian liberal feminists holdthat the state can and should be the women's movement's ally in protecting and promotingwomen's autonomy. There is disagreement among egalitarian liberal feminists, however, aboutthe role of personal autonomy in the good life, the appropriate role of the state, and howegalitarian liberal feminism is to be justified. Readers interested in egalitarian liberal feminismmay want to skip ahead to that section now.
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