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From: gcf@mydog.UUCP
Newsgroups: soc.feminism
Subject: Re: Is there a definition of Feminism?
Message-ID: <86828@aerospace.AERO.ORG>
Date: 26 Sep 90 18:52:55 GMT
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judy@altair.la.locus.com (Judy Leedom Tyrer):
>This is what I think it should mean, but probably not what it does - at least
>not anymore.
>
>feminism (n) - the belief that women and men should be allowed equal 
>        opportunities within society and that these opportunities should
>        not be based on social prejudices based upon sexual stereotypes.
>
>Now, isn't that simple?  

The problem with this sort of definition is that it covers only
part of feminism.  The other part, the cultural critique of
patriarchy or patriarchal residues, capitalism, and so forth, has
also been an important part of feminism.  The equal-opportunity
branch assumes that society is pretty much okay as it is, and all
that's necessary is to give women a fairer chance at the better
slots.  The other branch, or I should say branches, assume that
society is not pretty much okay, and giving a subset of a
discriminated class a better shot at opportunities within it is
not going to solve the real problems.
--
Gordon Fitch  |  uunet!hombre!mydog!gcf