Multicultural Feminism

Feminism; the belief that women are and should be treated as potential intellectual equals and social equals to men. For centuries both women and men alike have banned together to eradicate and evolve societies sexist views towards females. Beginning as early as the eighteenth century feminist groups have worked to abolish the inequality and social indifferences of the sexes. Women for centuries have defied conforming to society’s unequal views towards them and have fought for basic human rights that are equal to men in their own ways through liberal, radical, ecofeminism, and multicultural and global feminism.

Liberal feminism made its first appearance in the early eighteenth century, following into the nineteenth century, when women were

Multicultural and global feminism bases itself, even in the United States, on the fact that women are not created equally. The two challenge the racial, cultural, and ethnic issues for women in society that keep them oppressed rather than just sexual oppression. “Depending on her race and class but also on her sexual preference, age, religion, education attainment, occupation, marital status, health condition, and so on, each and every women in the United States will experience her oppression as an American women differently,” (Tong 212). Multicultural feminism in America towards race and class has had a long lasting reputation in the United States. Although there are other factors in culture that society uses to target certain groups of women, many multicultural feminists focus mainly on the issue of race and class being that it has had a major effect towards the feminist movement. Multicultural feminist thought is related to multicultural thought. “… an ideology that supports diversity and is currently highly popular in the U.S.,” (Tong 213). Global feminism differs from multicultural feminism, because they focus on colonial and nationalist policies. They focus on a feminist movement that stretches across the globe in all factors that keep women oppressed rather than just a movement in a specific place. ‘”…the oppression of women in one part of the world is

Typically ecofeminism is associated with liberal feminism, but they do not believe in the equality of both men and women. “Eco feminists do not seek equality with men as such, but aim for a liberation of women as women,” Eco feminists argue that women and nature are culturally tied to each other. Linguistically and symbolically feminist are similar to ecological issues and can help to reshape them. Eco feminists believe that the association with women and nature is a main cause for the sexism and naturism over the centuries. “…they disagree about whether women’s connections to nature are primarily biological and psychological or primarily social and cultural,” (Tong 252). Eco feminists also disagree that women should emphasize or reconnect with nature. Those outside of the ecofeminism group believe that women should keep their ties to nature. “Simone de Beauvoir urged women to ‘transcend’ their links to nature in order to overcome their status as the other, or second, sex,” (Tong 252). Nature ecofeminism pushes the idea that women’s nurturing, intuitiveness and caring nature is what can drive cultural reconstruction. “…implying that traditional female virtues, not traditional male virtues, can foster improved social relations and less aggressive, sustainable ways of life,” (Tong 256). Despite