What is Liberal Feminism?

Liberal Feminism has been called the mainstream formunder the democratic laws that influence and govern
of feminism out of all the sub types.women's lives.
It is said that liberal feminism is an individualistic form,They also bring to the forefront the issues of sexual
concentrating on women having the ability to maintainand domestic violence perpetrated against women.
their equality through being responsible for their ownOther issues that the liberal feminists identify are
actions and choices.disability rights, ecofeminism, family, marriage equality,
The ideology of the liberal feminist is that women willmother's economical rights and media activism.
transform society, through their own personalWriters of liberal feminism, Mary Wollstonecraft and
interactions with the opposite sex.John Stuart Mill were publishing within the first wave
The liberal feminist believes "All women are capableof feminism during the nineteenth and early twentieth
of asserting their ability to achieve equality, thereforecentury.
it is possible for change to happen without alteringThe second wave of feminism during the 1960's to
the structure of society."1970's produced liberal feminist writers such as Betty
The liberal feminist also believe that the equality ofFriedan and Gloria Steinem and Rebecca Walker who
men and women can only be achieved by changesis one of the third wave's liberal feminist's writers.
being brought through political and legal reform. TheyCritics of liberal feminism say, "Individual assumptions
want the eradication of institutional bias andmake it difficult to see ways in which underlying social
implementations of fairer laws towards women.structures and values disadvantage women."
Some of the main issues of liberal feminism includeThey state that even if a woman is no longer
reproductive and abortions rights, sexual harassment,dependent on an individual man, they will still be living
voting rights, education, affordable childcare andin a patriarchal state. Thus institutional changes alone
affordable health care.are insufficient to give women equality in society.
The United States liberal feminists campaign for theThe liberal feminist has also been criticised further for
ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment and thebeing based on white, middle class women's issues. It
Constitutional Equity Amendment. They want towas noted that they had ignored the plight of other
ensure that men and women are treated as equalswomen of different races, cultures or class.