What is radical feminism?

In the article on the types of feminism we already saw that it is quite difficult to talk about feminism as an ideological or political current with common objectives and ideology; after all, for something that speaks of feminisms, highlighting their plurality.

However, that within this set of movements there are many very different trends does not mean that they all have the same weight. Radical feminism, also known by its shortened form "radfem", for example, is one of the most widespread and popular. Let's see what it consists of.

• Related article: "Types of feminism and their different currents of thought”

The emergence of radical feminism

The current radfem appeared in the context of the second wave of feminism, started in the 70s in western countries. Until then, feminist movements belonging to the first wave had focused on denouncing sexist discrimination expressed directly in laws and institutional rules; However, this new generation of feminists understood that oppression of women was not limited to formal sexism and embodied in rules, but permeated all aspects of life.

That is, while the first feminists recognized institutionalized sexism as a fundamental problem, The second wave of feminism pointed out that the problem was of a much more complex and profound nature than that. Sexism was not only in the laws, but also in power relations, in informal treatment and, In addition, in the material disadvantages faced by women as a consequence of centuries of submission to the man.

The problem, then, was strongly rooted both in the material conditions of survival (men with many more properties and more ability to contract, for example) as well as in minds (popularization of the idea that women should please men, etc.). To end this system of oppression, called patriarchy, radical feminism was born: the one that aimed to go to the roots of sexism.

The characteristics of ideology

However... What exactly is radical feminism? Fundamentally, it is a broad stream of feminism that contains other smaller variants, and its basic characteristics are as follows.

1. Collectivism

The liberal feminism that defined the first members of feminisms understands that discrimination problems that affect women do so individually: a specific situation affects a specific woman, who looks for those others who have gone through the same thing to, together, exert pressure from their individualism.

In radical feminism, however, gender and sex inequality is a collective problem that must be addressed collectively. This means that great importance is attached to the need to weave networks of solidarity that go beyond oneself. It is a feature born of the influence of Marxism and that is noticeable, for example, in the way in which the problems are not emphasized in the concrete people, but in the social phenomena that are believed to perpetuate certain actions and attitudes.

For example, in the case of the appearance of scantily clad women in television products, it is very common to blame the actress, singer or presenter in question.

However, radical feminism emphasizes the need to ask why the woman's body is constantly being exploited as if it were just another hearing tool, something that happens less frequently with men. Even if scantily-clad women make money for it, people who go out more benefited from this transaction are the senior managers of the chain, among which the representation feminine is scarce.

In short, there is constant talk not of individual decisions, but of what creates pronounced patterns of inequality: man does not need use his appearance to gain notoriety, but in women it is more difficult and, in any case, you will never have real power over what it happens.

2. The private is political

From the perspective of liberal feminism, oppression is coercive, that is, it is expressed only through direct imposition and violence. For example, the fact that by law many women could not start working without having a permission of her husband if they did not want to commit a crime was a sample of what from this movement was she refused.

For radical feminism, however, sexism is not only expressed through clear impositions and directly expressed as such, but it is also in customs, ideals of beauty, etc. That is why in this current the private is analyzed as a political fact, since it is understood that in this area the dynamics of relationships that oppress women are also reproduced.

For example, if all the big Hollywood blockbusters make films in which women always have the same profile psychological and the same plot role as "damsels in distress" in love who need the help of the hero, that will be seen as a A political problem caused by radical feminism, despite the fact that it is expressed from the private property of large companies that offer their products.

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3. A historical approach based on patriarchy

In radical feminism, patriarchy, which is theoretically formulated as the root of sexism, is not only composed of laws, but also by the cultural and material inheritance that has been bequeathed by generations previous.

Unlike liberal feminism, which ignores historical precedents and limits itself to pointing out injustices in the here and now, radical feminism analyzes the problem understanding it as the product of a system of domination (patriarchy) that is reproducing century after century. This is another of the influences that Marxism has had on this current, although the psychoanalysis used to study the anthropological foundations of oppression has also been an element that has favored this optics.

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4. Turn towards identity politics

In radical feminism it is considered that being a man or a woman conditions irremediably the role that one has in the political debate. That is why this current emphasizes the need for non-mixed groups composed only of women to be formed. work the feminist conscience and find ways to analyze the problems that are not affected by the point of view male.

The idea of ​​finding new ways of expressing femininity that do not start from the male point of view it is highly emphasized especially by difference feminism, one of the main variants included within the radfem.