How Does Feminism Shape Society?

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Recommended: Radical feminism v liberal feminism

Natalia Rzucidlo
ED222
Final Project
12.14.17

With the strong belief and desire to have equality for all people, feminists shape our society in ways to which they fight for the betterment of humans. “Feminist” is a genderless and raceless noun, meaning anyone can be a feminist if they please. Feminism is performed and executed differently amongst varying communities—such as white, black, or brown communities. There are no written procedures one must do or go through to become a part of feminism. The only requirements for feminism are having the personal want for equality, and the personal preference to be labeled as a feminist. Many times, people think of feminism to be a movement in which women try to become superior to men. Along with this, being called a “feminist” to some is frowned upon and seen as a form of domination. These thoughts tend to be due to the lack of understanding feminism. What many people believe to be the hatred for men and the …show more content…

Starting in the 1990’s, third wave feminism brought in various feminist outlooks, some known as “radical feminism”, “Marxist feminism”, or “cultural feminism” (Dorey-Stein, 2015). In radical feminism, the oppression of women is seen as the most central form of oppression and overlooks race, ethnicity, and class. In contrast, “…radical feminism was a movement to transform society, [whereas] cultural feminism retreated to vanguardism, working instead to build a women's culture” (“Kinds of Feminism”, n.d.). While radical feminism was working for social change, culture feminism opted out of it and built alternatives that stayed away from changing the dominant society. Furthermore, Marxism and radical feminism are often seen mirroring one another. Under Marxist feminism is the idea that women are oppressed because of the capitalist system, and that the capitalist system needs to be overthrown for oppression for women to end (“Kinds of Feminism”,

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