What is the difference between liberal and radical feminisms?

Mar 3, 2022

content warning: racism

You may have heard the terms "liberal feminism" and "radical feminism" before, but do you know what they mean? In my years in feminist academia and praxis, I reference these two terms very frequently. They're also more common in non-academic feminist spaces, so you should know the definitions and what they mean in practice too.

Liberal feminism

Underlying belief: Practical advancements (like policy reforms) and finding ways to work within the current system are the best way to achieve feminist visions and goals.

Advocates of liberal feminism see radical approaches (like tearing the entire existing system down and replacing it) as too visionary, too unachievable. By using our agency to do what we can within the current (patriarchal, capitalist, imperial) system, positive change becomes more realistic.

Critics of liberal feminism see it as selling out and giving in to the oppressor. If we don't interrogate, challenge, and ultimately rebuild the systems that perpetuate oppression, we will never achieve feminist goals. Liberal feminism often leads to the most privileged women (upper-class, able-bodied, straight, cis women) seeing advancements and increased power, while the most marginalized women (working-class, disabled, queer, trans women) and gender non-conforming folks and their experiences get ignored.

Radical feminism

Underlying belief: True equity can only be achieved by tearing out systems at the root and restructuring a better society.

Advocates of radical feminism see it as the only way to truly achieve feminist goals. Radical feminism is more constructive because its often intersectional approach serves to help more women, and its hesitancy to water down its goals prevents feminists from selling out just to take a few baby steps forward.

Critics of radical feminism see it as too abstract, too intense, and too unachievable. Radical feminist goals are so far out of reach that it makes more sense to focus our activism on practical changes. Radical approaches can come off as too extreme and prevent non-feminists and oppressive forces from helping us achieve our goals.

False binary

When we talk about a liberal versus a radical approach to feminism, it's easy to see these two approaches as completely separate and distinct from one another. Unsurprisingly, this binary is misleading and inaccurate. Binaries have a way of doing that (as is the case with the female and male sex binary)!

Some feminists will actively identify as one or the other, or otherwise make it clear which approach they adhere to. That being said, not all feminists use this language.

Some feminists incorporate purely liberal or purely radical feminist values into their beliefs and actions, but most often people will fall on a spectrum between the two. Although it is worth noting that radical feminism has gained much traction in recent decades and liberal feminism is more commonly seen as white-washed and counterintuitively upholding systems of power, including white supremacy.

Depending on who you ask, liberal and radical approaches to feminism can mean different things.

So, you might be asking yourself... How are these terms helpful then? These two terms are the most helpful when used as a lens to better your understanding of feminist history and contemporary activism.

When we look at the work of traditionally-revered feminists in American history, knowing that Betty Friedan's work employed a liberal feminist approach helps us contextualize and critique it. A common critique of liberal feminism was its reductive focus on middle- to upper-class white women. Knowing this helps us identify ways in which Friedan's work further ignored and marginalized the lived experiences of American women of color at the time.

Having these terms also helps guide our learning to recognize different kinds of feminisms. Once you've learned more about the different approaches to feminism, you will get closer to choosing which approach more aligns with your values.