Regarding the definition of feminism (FEMINISM) , as far as this issue is related to the feminists themselves, it is interesting to know that they do not have a single definition of this title, and in other words, they are not unanimous in the definition of feminist. In this school, there are different groups that while each of them call themselves feminists, they are different from each other in many ways. This fact has caused that the definition of a feminist group is not accepted by another group and therefore there is no agreement on a certain definition. In any case, it is certain that the feminist is known by looking at the world from the angle of a woman and her special interests. For feminists, women are the center of communication. Therefore, by announcing that women are under the subjugation of men, they consider it their duty to try to free them from this subjugation .
Feminists usually accept the opinion that the difference between men and women in society is not inherent and caused by their different biology, and they are generally aware that if we witness that men have an active role in society and enjoy a superior position, and vice versa, women In relation to various fields of social life, it is backward and has a subordinate role, this issue originates from the society itself and indicates its weakness and disease..
However, feminists do not attribute this weakness and illness to the existence of an exploitative class or classes in society .
There are various groups among feminists and as far as the issue is related to the understanding of the concept of women’s freedom and which women can be called free and released from any restrictions. They offer diverse and contradictory opinions. Regarding the diversity of feminist groups, it is not an exaggeration if it is said that it seems that every category and group of women in Europe and America that have paid attention to the issue of women’s oppression have also created a new branch in relation to feminists. For example, feminists of color distinguish themselves from other feminists by mixing racial issues with women’s issues. Or in America, there are black women who, following the opinions of a black writer named Alice Worker, put a new name on their feminist and call themselves WOMENIST and …
Usually, in the classification of feminist groups, liberal feminists or liberal feminists, radical feminists (radical feminists), socialist feminists (social feminists) are mentioned, and of course the existentialist feminist Mrs. Simone Dubois is also mentioned, which from one aspect to another branch of radical Feminists and in other aspects it is close to social feminists. Each of them presents their own interpretation of the women’s issue .
Another issue that should be raised in relation to feminists is that since all feminists identify men as responsible for the oppression of women and the current position of women in society and the so-called “second sex” is caused by They consider men’s desire for power and patriarchal culture. Therefore, in the feminist school, fighting against these issues is said to be the duty of women. It is certain that the issue of classes and class struggle is not considered in the feminist as it is in the Marxist view. Even social feminists, who theorized that patriarchy and capitalism are two separate and completely different systems that collude to oppress women (they have tried to build a bridge between Marxism and feminism and reconcile the two. They do not look for the conditions of women’s liberation in the social revolution. Due to the belief that domination and coercion towards women is a man’s psychological need and the nature of the male sex is intertwined with violence and superiority, some feminists turn the issue into an unsolvable one. Some of their horizons in relation to solving the women’s problem are limited to obtaining legal privileges and having equal opportunities with men in the framework of the current economic and political system. Some feminists consider women’s separation from men to be their liberation, and they often preach the superiority of the “female” world over the “male” world …
To get to know more about feminists, it is better to give a brief explanation about each of the aforementioned feminist groups .
Liberal feminism
Liberal feminism refers to a point of view that follows the liberalism of the 18th century, which defended individual rights and freedoms, and calls for the acquisition of such rights and freedoms for women in a capitalist society. Hence, the liberal feminist sees herself in conflict with men rather than with capitalists. This type of feminism considers women’s freedom in the sense of their equality with men in all fields to be possible within the framework of the capitalist system. It means that the efforts of women in all areas of life will lead to them in the existing system. It is conceivable that for a liberal feminist, logically, the participation of women in the political bodies of the current governments and, for example, reaching the position of prime minister and president should be considered ideal .
Radical feminism
Perhaps the original type of feminism can be found in this type of feminism. In this opinion, sometimes the issue is prominently raised that the subordinate position of women compared to men is derived from patriarchy, that is, a system that has influence in all cultural and social fields of life, and in fact, it was men who dominated throughout history by subjugating them. The woman has caused him to be oppressed and has always placed him in a lower position than himself. From the point of view of radical feminism, this became possible because, considering the biological structure of women and her capacity to become mothers and take care of children, men took advantage of this situation and tried to subjugate women from the very beginning. In this opinion, since women are oppressed and exploited by men regardless of class, racial, cultural, etc. differences, then they have common interests with men and form a class opposite to the class of men .
Different branches of feminist thought can be included in the ranks of radical feminists, but among them, two groups of radical feminists are more famous. The first category is the so-called revolutionary feminists who believe in creating a minimum relationship with men, and the second category is those who basically reject any relationship with men (even sexual intercourse) .
Feminism of Simone de Beauvoir
Simone DuBoir, who is known as a French writer and a close colleague of Jean-Paul Sartre, has presented and explained his feminist point of view in the book “The Second Sex”. By sociologically explaining the differences in the personality and behavior of a man and a woman in the society. It rightly emphasizes the conclusion that the reason for the existence of female and male behavior in the society comes from the society itself and this is not related to the difference in their biological structure. In relation to the causes or causes that have caused the subordinate position of women, or in his own words, her being the “second sex”, Simon Dubois gives the same explanations that were raised in the section related to the radical feminist. That is, while he considers the responsibility of reproduction and motherhood to be a historical obstacle on the path of women’s progress, he considers the main responsibility to be on the shoulders of men, who from the very beginning measured women by their biological status and deprived her of the possibility of autonomous existence. is
Bourgeoisie, according to Simone Dubois, has put women in a “straitjacket”. But he does not believe that with the destruction of capitalism and the establishment of socialism, the conditions for women’s liberation will be achieved. What he says is that a woman should try to prove her “independent identity”. According to him, men have left a wounding effect on the earth and as it is suggested in existentialist philosophy (belief in the originality of existence), they have deprived women of their originality by creating bottlenecks and by depriving her of her rights, and the woman’s situation should be through the project To find the highest and best of its originality.
Social feminism
As mentioned before, this type of feminist, who actually borrows ideas from Marxism regarding the issue of women and mixes them with radical feminist thinking, is known for thinking of two systems, and in this opinion, the reason for women being oppressed and the degree Second, her perception in the society is said to be caused by both capitalism and patriarchy, and it is suggested that these two systems oppress women as two separate systems in relation to each other. Both men and capitalism have a common interest in keeping women under control. Of course, there are those among social feminists who say that there are contradictions between men and capitalism regarding the issue of women .
