What Is Radical Feminism?

Radical feminism is a branch of feminism that seeks to dismantle the traditional

patriarchal power and gender roles that keep women oppressed.

Radical feminists believe that the cause of gender inequality is based on men’s
need or desire to control women.
The definition of the word ‘radical’ means ‘of or relating to the root’.

Radical feminists thus see patriarchy as the root cause of inequality between men
and women and they seek to up-root this. They aim to address the root causes of
oppression through systemic change and activism, rather than through legislative
or economic change.

Radical feminism requires global change of the system. Radical feminists theorize
new ways to think and apprehend the relationships between men and women so
that women can be liberated.

Radical feminism sees women as a collective group that has been and is still being
oppressed by men. Its intent is focused on being women-centered, with women’s
experiences and interests being at the forefront of the theory and practice. It is
argued by some to be the only theory by and for women (Rowland & Klein, 1996).

The History Of Radical Feminism

Radical feminism mainly developed during the second wave of feminism from the
1960s onwards in primarily western countries. It is influenced by left-wing social
movements such as the civil rights movement.

It is thought to have been constructed in opposition to other feminist movements

at the time: Liberal and Marxist feminism. Liberal feminism only demanded
equal rights within the system of society and is criticized for not going far enough
to make actual change.
Marxist feminism, on the other hand, confined itself to an economic analysis of
women’s oppression and believes that women’s liberation comes from abolishing
capitalism.

Although becoming popularized in the 1960’s there are believed to be radical

feminists decades before this time.

For example, some of the actions of the women in the women’s suffrage
movement in the early 20th century can be considered radical.

Likewise, a 1911 radical feminist review in England titled The Free

Woman published weekly writings about revolutionary ideas about women,
marriage, politics, prostitution, sexual relations, and issues concerning women’s
oppression and strategies for ending it.

It was eventually banned by booksellers and many suffragists at the time objected
to it because of its critical position on the right to vote as the single issue which
would ensure women’s equality (Rowland & Klein, 1996).

Radical feminism as a movement is thought to have emerged in 1968 as a

response to deeper understandings of women’s oppression (Atkinson, 2014). The
early years of second wave feminism were marked by the efforts of young radical
feminists to establish an identity for their growing movement.

They argued that women needed to engage in a revolutionary movement which

goes beyond liberal and Marxist movements.

A significant radical feminist group which emerged around this time is the New
York Radical Women group, founded by Shulamith Firestone and Pam Allen.

They attempted to spread the message that ‘sisterhood is powerful’. A well-known

protest of this group occurred during the Miss America Pageant in 1968.

Hundreds of women marched with signs proclaiming that the pageant was a
‘cattle auction’. During the live broadcast of this event, the women displayed a
banner that read ‘Women’s Liberation’, which brought a great deal of public
awareness of the radical feminist movement.

A noteworthy writing prior to this time which may have been influential to the
movement is Simone de Beauvoir’s 1949 book titled The Second Sex.
In this book, she understands women’s oppression by analyzing the particular
institutions which define women’s lives, such as marriage, family, and
motherhood.

Another influential writing is Betty Friedan’s 1963 book titled The Feminine

Mystique which addresses women’s dissatisfaction with societal standards and
expectations.

Her book gave a voice to women’s frustrations with their limited gender roles and
helped to spark widespread activism for gender equality.

What Are The Principles Of

Radical Feminism?
Below are some of the key areas of focus which are essential to understanding
radical feminism:

Patriarchal institutions
Radical feminists believe that there are existing political, social, and other
institutions that are inherently tied to the patriarchy.

This can include government laws and legislature which restricts what women
can do with their bodies, and the church, which has long restricted women to the
maternal role, and rejects the idea of non-reproductive sexuality.

Traditional marriage is also defined as a patriarchal institution according to

radical feminists since it makes women part of men’s private property.

Even today, marriage can be seen as an institution perpetuating inequalities

through unpaid domestic work, most of which is still done by women.

Control over women’s bodies

According to radical feminists, patriarchal systems attempt to gain control over
women’s bodies. Patriarchal institutions control the laws of reproduction where
they determine whether women have the right to an abortion and contraception.
Thus, women have less autonomy over their own bodies.
Kathleen Barry stated in her book Female Sexual Slavery (1979) that women in
marriage are seen to be ‘owned’ by their husband.

She also suggested that women’s bodies are used in advertising and pornography
alike for the male use.

Women are objectified

From a radical feminist standpoint, the patriarchy, societal sexism, sexual
violence, and sex work all contribute to the objectification of women.

They accuse pornography of objectifying and degrading women, displaying

unequal male-female power relations. With prostitution, radical feminists argue
that it trivializes rape in return for payment and that prostitutes are sexually
exploited.

The struggle against pornography has come to occupy such a central position in
the radical feminist critique of male supremacist relations of power.

Campaigns against this are intended to tell women how men are willingly being
trained to view and objectify them (Thompson, 2001).

Violence against women

Radical feminists believe that women experience violence by men physically and
sexually, but also through prostitution and pornography.

They believe that violence is a way for men to gain control, dominate, and
perpetuate women’s subordination.
According to radical feminists, violence against women is not down to a few
perpetrators, but it is a wider, societal problem.

They claim there is a rape culture that is enabled and encouraged by a patriarchal
society.

Transgender disagreement
There is disagreement about transgender identity in the radical feminist
community. While some radical feminists support the rights of transgender
people, some are against the existence of transgender individuals, especially
transgender women.

Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists (TERF) are members of the radical

feminist community who do not acknowledge that transgender women are real
women and often want to exclude them from ‘women-only’ groups.

For this reason, TERFs often reduce gender down to biological sex differences
and do not support the rights of all those who identify as being a woman.

What Are The Goals Of Radical

Feminism?
Structural change
Radical feminists aim to dismantle the entire system of patriarchy, rather than
adjust the existing system through legal or social efforts, which they claim does
not go far enough.

They desire this structural change since they argue that women’s oppression is
systemic, meaning it is produced by how society functions and is found in all
institutions.

They believe that institutions including the government and religion are centered
historically in patriarchal power and thus need to be dismantled.

They also criticize motherhood, marriage, the nuclear family, and sexuality,

questioning how much culture is based on patriarchal assumptions. They would
like to see changes in how these other institutions function.

Bodily autonomy
Radical feminists emphasize the theme of the body, specifically on the
reappropriation of the body by women, as well as on the freedom of choice. They
want to reclaim their bodies and choose to be able to do what they want with
their bodies.

They have argued for reproductive rights for women which would give them the
freedom to make choices about whether they want to give birth.
This also includes having access to safe abortions, birth control, and getting
sterilized if this is what a woman wants to do.

End violence against women

Radical feminists aim to shed light on the disproportionate amount of violence
that women face at the hands of men. They argue that rape and sexual abuse are
an expression of patriarchal power and must be stopped.

Through dismantling the patriarchy and having justice for victims of violence on
the basis of sex, radical feminists believe there will be less instances of this
violence.

Many also argue that pornography and other types of sex work are harmful and
encourage violence and domination of men over women and should be stopped.
They believe that sex work falls under the patriarchal oppression of women and is
exploitative, although some radical feminists disagree with this position.

Women-centered strategies
A main part of radical feminism is that they want strategies to be put in place to
help women. This can include the creation of shelters for abused women and
better sex education to raise awareness of consent.

Many radical feminists strive for establishing women-centered social institutions

and women-only organizations so that women are separated from men who may
cause them harm.

For instance, they may be against having gender neutral public bathrooms as this
increases women’s risk of being abused by a man.

This is also where TERFs can be critical of transgender people as they

do not want them in women-only spaces since they do not see a
transwoman as a woman.

Key Issues and Tactics

Central issues engaged by radical feminists include:

 Reproductive rights for women, including the freedom to make choices to

give birth, have an abortion, use birth control, or get sterilized
  Evaluating and then breaking down traditional gender roles in private
relationships as well as in public policies
 Understanding pornography as an industry and practice leading to harm to
women, although some radical feminists disagreed with this position
 Understanding rape as an expression of patriarchal power, not a seeking of
sex
 Understanding prostitution under patriarchy as the oppression of women,
sexually and economically
 A critique of motherhood, marriage, the nuclear family, and sexuality,
questioning how much of our culture is based on patriarchal assumptions
 A critique of other institutions, including government and religion, as
centered historically in patriarchal power

Tools used by radical women's groups included consciousness-raising groups,

actively providing services, organizing public protests, and putting on art and
culture events. Women's studies programs at universities are often supported by
radical feminists as well as more liberal and socialist feminists.

Some radical feminists promoted a political form of lesbianism or celibacy as

alternatives to heterosexual sex within an overall patriarchal culture. There
remains disagreement within the radical feminist community about transgender
identity. Some radical feminists have supported the rights of transgender people,
seeing it as another gender liberation struggle; some have been against the
existence of trans people, especially transgender women, as they see trans women
as embodying and promoting patriarchal gender norms.

Strengths And Criticisms Of

Radical Feminism
Strengths
Radical feminism is thought to expand on earlier branches of feminism since it
seeks to understand and dismantle the roots of women’s oppression. It is
considered stronger than liberal feminism which only seeks to make changes
within the already established system, which is considered not enough to make
actual change.

Radical feminism has also been responsible for many of the advances made
during the second wave of feminism. This is particularly true when it comes to
women’s choice over their bodies and violence against women.
Due to the activism of radical feminists, sexual violence such as rape and
domestic violence are now considered crimes in most western countries.

It has also been recognized that violence against women is not a series of isolated
cases, but rather a societal phenomenon. Radical feminists have thus increased
awareness of this issue.

Criticisms
A prominent criticism of radical feminism is the transphobia associated with
TERFs. Many people who relate to a lot of the original ideas of radical feminism
may have stopped identifying as a radical feminist due to its association with
TERFs.

It is not only transphobic but is part of a wider movement which encompasses its
feminist stance to partner with conservatives, with a goal to endanger and get rid
of transgender people.

While radical feminism may have been progressive during its peak, the
movement can be criticized for lacking an intersectional lens. It views gender as
the most important axis of oppression and sees women as a homogenous group
collectively oppressed by men.

It does not always take into consideration the different experiences of oppression
suffered by women with disabilities, women of color, or migrant women for
instance.

As with a lot of branches of feminism, radical feminism is often dominated by

white women.
Radical feminists are often criticized for their paradoxical views of bodily
autonomy.

They promote freedom of choice when it comes to women and what they do with
their bodies, but they do not support women who choose to engage in sex work.
They argue that all sex workers are oppressed, without recognizing that a good
number of them use this work to reappropriate their own bodies or even to play
on male domination.

The critical view that radical feminists have about sex work has contributed to the
further stigmatization of this industry and it contradicts their message of ‘my
body, my choice’ and their opposition to conservative views of sexuality.
If they supported bodily autonomy, then they should be happy to see a woman
choosing to engage in sex work, as long as this is what she is choosing to do.

Conclusion:
While radical feminism doesn't;t have one set of ideological beliefs, there is
one effect of radical feminism that would be consistent among all radical
feminists if it were to be fully implemented. That is that there would be a
sexual revolution in society which wouldn't just increase the legal rights of
women, or redistribute wealth, but fundamentally change the way society
works so that it is no longer based on the patriarchy.