The Seven Schools of Feminist Ideology

1. Liberal Feminism: Also known as mainstream feminism. Believes women’s oppression is rooted in legal structures. Strives to attain gender equality through legal and political reforms. Notable figure: Mary Wollstonecraft.

2. Radical Feminism: Believes women's oppression is rooted in patriarchal gender relations. Strives to attain gender equality by destroying patriarchy and revolting against social norms and institutions that ensconce male privilege. Notable figure: Shulamith Firestone.

3. Socialist Feminism: Believes women’s oppression is rooted in class conflicts imposed by capitalism. Disagree with radical feminists about patriarchy as the cause of women’s oppression. They blame wealth disparity and financial dependence on males. Notable figure: Heather Booth

4. Cultural feminism: Believes there are essential differences between men and women in terms of biology, personality and behavior. Women are seen to have different and superior virtues that provide the foundation for a shared identity, solidarity and sisterhood.

Cultural feminists view women as naturally kinder and gentler than men, and argue that if women were in power, the world would be a better place. In the 1960s and 70s, some cultural feminists supported the idea of forming separate women-only cultures. Notable figure: Mary Daly

5. Black Feminism: Believes the experience of being a Black woman cannot be grasped in terms of being Black or of being a woman but must be illuminated via intersectionality- race, class and gender.

Black feminism is critical of white liberal feminism as self centred. It stresses the way white supremacy and patriarchy interact to inform the experiences of oppressed Black women. Notable figure: Kimberle Crenshaw

6. African feminism: Also known as Womanism by some. Believes feminism is largely centred on Western women and excludes African women’s experiences. Strives to attain gender equality and eradicate the economic and political marginalisation of African women by...

.... abolishing patriarchy and addressing cultural issues and traditional norms that protect male dominance. Believes in the inclusion of men in feminist discourse. Notable figure: Naomi Nkealah

7. Individualist Feminism: Also known as Libertarian Feminism. Believes that the government and political hierarchies are oppressive machineries that endanger women autonomy thus advocates for individual freedom of women from state control.

They believe that freedom and diversity benefit women, whether or not the choices that women make are politically correct. They respect all sexual choices, from motherhood to porn. They disagree with liberal feminists who view gender inequality as embedded in legal structures.

They disagree with radical feminists who assert that women oppression is caused by patriarchy in gender relations. They believe the government enforces patriarchy & inequality through regulations thus fight for women liberation from the government. Notable figure: Tonie Nathan