To what extent is feminism a single doctrine? 45 marks

Feminism cannot be defined as a single doctrine due to the inherent contradictions within the ideology. Whilst there is initial agreement in destroying patriarchy, an oppressive system that exploits women, and to achieve greater gender equality; feminism is a fractured ideology and cannot be considered a single doctrine. Feminists are internally divided over the aims and means to achieve such within the ideology. Liberal feminists, for example, such as Wollstonecraft, advocate greater equal rights in the public sphere but oppose politicising the private sphere, since the latter interferes with one’s autonomy and privacy. This in turn is strongly opposed by radical feminists, such as Millet, who argue that the “personal is political,” and that most injustices and acts of oppression occur within the private sphere. Due to this internal conflict, radical and liberal feminists cannot agree on the methods by which to achieve greater equality for women. In this sense therefore, feminism cannot be classed as a single doctrine for the multi-faceted nature of the ideology.
Moreover, feminism is also a fractured ideology in that there are interest groups which conceptualise their aims differently. This is best exemplified by socialist feminists, such as Pankhurst, who advocate the destruction of capitalism and patriarchy since they are symbiotic and must be brought down in tandem. As a result, liberal and radical feminists oppose this viewpoint since liberals affirm that greater representation within the public sphere cannot be done if capitalism is abolished. Furthermore, feminism cannot be considered a single doctrine due to the recent splintering of the ideology through the emergence of Third Wave feminism. They argue that there are inherent differences between men and women and thus seeking a male-identified idea of equality is not conducive to the goals of feminism. Rather, women should strive for the creation of a more matriarchal society.