Sex meant the bilogical sex of a child−was it born anatomically a male or a female member of the human species? Gender was the culturally and
socially shaped cluster of expectations, attributes, and behaviors assigned to that category of human being by the society into which the child was born
1983: 7.
Because of this gender streotype, women undergo social injustice that they do not have equal opportunity in social life. Society holds the false belief that
women are, by nature, less intellectually and physically capable than men, it tends to discriminate against women.
They make movement called as feminism. This movement splits into three time periods or called as ‘waves’ and have different aims. The first-wave
feminism starts in the 19
th
and early 20
th
century. The goal of this wave is to open up opportunities for women, with a focus on suffrage. The second-wave starts in
1960s until 1980s. In this phase, sexuality and reproductive rights are dominant issues, and much of the movements energy was focused on passing the Equal Rights
Amendment to the Constitution guaranteeing social equality regardless of sex.The third-wave starts in the 1990s until 2000s and it is informed by post-colonial and
post-modern thinkingpacific.edu, August 9, 2016. Overall, all feminism waves concerns to change the social structure to make it less oppressive to women. Some
feminist s declare that their goal is to understand women’s oppression in term race,
gender, class, sexual preference and how to alter it. Feminism means that we seek for women the same opportunities and
privileges the society gives to men, or . . . that we assert the distinctive value of womanhood against patriarchal denigration. While these positions need
not to be mutually exclusive, there is strong tendency . . . to make them so Evans, 1995: 2.
Therefore, the basic goal of feminism is the liberation of women. As Humm states in her book that the liberation of women is the chief goal of feminist theory.
Contemporary women’s liberation or feminist action, is consciously revolutionary. It breaks with reformism; it is internationalist and it simultaneously
attacks the state, cultural ideology and the economy 1995: 151.
3. Theory of Radical Feminism
Radical feminism arises in the second-wave feminism. The second-wave starts in 1960s until 1980s. In this phase, sexuality and reproductive rights are dominant
issues, and much of the movements energy was focused on passing the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution guaranteeing social equality regardless of sex
pacific.edu, August 9, 2016. Unlike other feminists who perceive themselves as reformers, radical feminists perceive themselves as the revolutionaries rather than
reformers. Unlike reformist feminists, who joined fundamentally mainstream women’s
rights groups, these revolutionary feminists did not become interested in women’s issues as a result of working for government agencies,
being appointed to commissions on the status of women, or joining women’s educational or professional groups. Instead, their desire to improve women’s
condition emerged in the context of their participation in radical social movements, such as the civil-rights and anti
–Vietnam War movements
Tong, 2009: 48.
In its early movement in 1960s and 1970s, the radical feminists ’ goal is to
address oppression towards women in patriarchy society.Radical feminism pays attention to womens oppression as women in a social order dominated by men.
According to this approach, the distinguishing character of womens oppression is their oppression as women, not as members of other groups such as their social
class. Therefore, the explanation for womens oppression is seen lying in sexual oppression. Women are oppressed because of their sex.
Early radicalism is gender difference school in that it sees both male and female character as marred by society: by patriarchy and by capitalism; by
‘the system’, as would probably have been said then. But the sexes had been harmed in separate ways, and women the more. In contrast to other feminist
analysts, early radicals were, though less than their successor, concerned to point the finger of blame at men; it may be that the notion of patriarchy
entails this, though it would depend on how its regime was thought to have begun Evans, 1995: 64.
It is clearly stated that radical feminists think that the root of oppressions toward women is men’s dominance. Radical feminists aim to break the rigid
gender roles that society has imposed to free both men and women. As Humm continues that they sometimes believe that they must rage a war against
patriarchal society and the gender system. Radical feminists focus on the roots of male domination and claim that all forms of oppression are extensions of male
supremacy Humm, 1994: 183. In the movement to pursue women equality, there comes two different perspectives. The radical feminism then splits into two areas.
a. Radical Libertarian Feminism
According to Rosemarie Putnam Tong, radical libertarian feminists think that people, men or women should explore both feminine and masculine sides of
themselves. Every woman should have a sexual experiment whether with herself, with other men, or with other women. Moreover, there are four basic ideas of
radical libertarian feminism noted by Tong in Feminist Thought: A More Comprehensive Introduction Third Edition. The first idea is being androgynous.
The term androgny itself means: PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
Androgyny, an ancient Greek word−from andro male and gyn female− . . . seeks to liberate the individual from the confines of the appropriate. . . . [It]
suggests . . . a full range of experience open to individuals who may, as women, be aggressive, as men, tender; it suggests a spectrum upon which
human beings choose their places without regard to propriety or custom Eisenstein, 1995: 60.
Based on the quotation above, being androgyny means having the good characteristics of male and female. By being androgyny, a wowan has extricated
hersef from rigid gender system. Radical libertarians claim that an exclusively feminine gender identity is likely to limit women’s development as full human
persons. Thus, they encouraged women to become androgynous persons, that is, persons who embody both good masculine and good feminine characteristics
or, more controversially, any potpourri of masculine and feminine characteristics, good or bad, that strikes their fancy Tong, 2009: 50.
The second one is allowing lesbianism. Radical libertarian feminists argue that heterosexuality is a form of women’s oppression where there is a tendecy
women are positioned lower than men. They become the pioneer of lesbian media of women. Lesbian theorists argued that lesbianism is much more matter than a
matter of sexual preference. As Eisenstein writes based on radicalesbians’ argument:
She is the rage of all women condensed to the point of explosion. She is the woman who, often beginning at an extremely early age, acts in accordance
with her society . . . cares to allow her . . . . She may not be fully concious of the political implications of what for her began as personal neccessity, but
on some levels she has not been able to accept the limitations and
oppressions laid on her by the most basic role of her society−the female role 1983: 51.
Further, according to Eisenstein the term lesbian defines someone who has
withdrawn herself from the conventional definitions of feminity. She has refused PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
