Feminism: explore the strands

Compare all four, compare any two, dig into equality vs difference, then test yourself.

All four strands agree patriarchy exists and harms women, that sex is not gender, and that the personal is political. They split on two questions: where patriarchy comes from and what to do about it. Use the tools below to see exactly how.

Compare all four strands

Click a strand to spotlight its column. Click "All" to show everything.

Compare any two strands

Pick two strands and read them side by side, dimension by dimension.

Equality feminism vs difference feminism

The one argument that runs through every strand. Switch between what they share and where they differ.

Both are feminist and both accept patriarchy harms women.
Both reject the gender roles patriarchy forces on women.
Both want women to be free and equal in worth.

Question

Equality feminism

Difference feminism

Are men and women the same?

Yes - essentially the same kind of person (androgyny).

No - real, natural differences exist (essentialism).

View of biology

Differences are small and mostly learned from society.

Differences are real and should be valued, not erased.

The goal

Same treatment; remove the roles patriarchy imposes.

Value women's distinct strengths; build a woman-centred culture.

Who holds it?

Liberal, socialist, most radical and postmodern.

Cultural feminism, a position inside radical feminism.

Key thinkers (quick reference)

Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Liberal / Socialist

Women depend economically on pleasing men; girls are conditioned into gender roles.

Simone de Beauvoir

Cross-cutting

"One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman" - the sex-gender distinction; woman as the "other".

Kate Millett

Radical

Undoing the traditional family is the key to liberation; the personal is political.

Sheila Rowbotham

Socialist

Capitalism creates patriarchy; the family reproduces the workforce for free.

bell hooks

Postmodern

Intersectionality - mainstream feminism centred white, middle-class women.

Quick check: ten questions

Question 1 / 10Score 0