Feminism
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divisions, something that no conventional ideology could accept. Conventional ideologies were therefore viewed as inadequate vehicles for advancing the social role of women, and even, at times, criticized for harbouring patriarchal attitudes and assumptions. However, the emergent ideology of feminism was clearly a cross-cutting ideology, encompassing, from the outset, distinctive liberal, socialist and radical sub-traditions, as well as a range of hybrid or ‘dual-system’ feminisms (stemming from the attempt, for example, to blend radical feminism with certain Marxist ideas). Although this level of ideological diversity was intensified, particularly from the 1990s onwards, by amore radical engagement with the politics of difference and the emergence of new feminist tendencies, a number of ‘common ground’ themes can still be identified within feminism. The most important of these are: z z redefining ‘the political’ z z sex and gender z z patriarchy z z equality and difference. Redefining ‘the political’ Traditional notions of what is ‘political’ locate politics in the arena of public rather than private life. Politicshasusuallybeenunderstoodas anactivity that takesplacewithina ‘public sphere’ of government institutions, political parties, pressure groups and public debate. Family life and personal relationships have normally been thought to be part of a ‘private sphere’, and therefore to be ‘non-political’. Modern feminists, on the other hand, insist that politics is an activity that takes place within all social groups and is not merely confined to the affairs of government or other public bodies. Politics exists whenever and wherever social conflict is found. Kate Millett, for example, defined politics as ‘power-structured relationships, arrangements whereby one group of persons is controlled by another’. The relationship between government and its citizens is therefore clearly political, but so is the relationship between employers and workers within a firm, and also relationships in the family, between husbands and wives, and between parents and children.
KEY FIGURE
KATE MILLETT (BORN 1934) A US feminist writer, political activist and artist, Millett developed a comprehensive critique of patriarchy in Western society and culture that had a profound impact on radical feminism. In Sexual Politics (1970), Millett analysed the work of male writers, from D. H. Lawrence to Norman Mailer, highlighting their use of sex to degrade and undermine women. In her view, such literature reflects deeply patriarchal attitudes that pervade culture and society at large, providing evidence that patriarchy is a
historical and social constant. Denver Post/Getty Images
The definition of what is ‘political’ is not merely of academic interest. Feminists argue that sexual inequality has been preserved precisely because the sexual division of labour that runs through society has been thought of as ‘natural’ rather than ‘political’. Traditionally, the public sphere of life, encompassing politics, work, art and literature, has been the preserve of men, while women have been confined to an essentially private existence,
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