The Benefits Of Radical Feminism

There are several strands to feminism yet they all share a number of features. All feminists see society as being divided and based on exploitation – the exploitation of women by men. Haralambos and Halborn (2004) state that “…Feminists see the exploitation of women by men as the most important source of exploitation” in society. Many feminists characterize contemporary societies as patriarchal which means that all institutions in these societies are dominated by men and work to maintain the systematic and deliberate oppression of women. Feminists have argued that men have power in families, they tend to be employed in better and higher paid jobs than women, and they tend to monopolise positions of political power. A study from Politics Review …show more content…
The belief of radical feminists is that patriarchy is a feature of all societies and only the most extreme measures can undermine the basis of male power and control. Radical feminists tend to dismiss the achievements identified by Liberal feminists as irrelevant and see Marxist feminism as itself a form of patriarchal ideology. Radical feminist theorist Lenskyj (1991) suggests that the only way to get equality in sport is to work “towards establishing autonomous clubs and leagues that are completely outside state controlled amateur sports systems”. Radical feminists emphasise the importance of women only clubs and leagues, some of which are openly lesbian or lesbian-positive that are free to modify the rules and organize their play along explicitly feminist principles of participation and recreation. An example of this feminism in action is in Canada which include the Notso Amazon Softball League. Founded in 1983. This softball league is a non-registered, non-profit organization that provides sports and recreation to the Greater Toronto Area. Specifically, the league provides recreational softball for females, trans* and gender neutral individuals of all abilities. This example itself shows the difference in feministic strands and more specifically the radical approach which adopts an unequivocal women centred perspective that recognizes and celebrates differences among women and at the same time seriously questions male dominated and male defined sport. (Hall, M.A.