Chapters 2 and 3 Summary and Analysis

"Feminism - A Movement to End Sexist Oppression"

This chapter begins with the assertion that it continues to be difficult to find a universally accepted definition of "feminism." She suggests that such a definition cannot be grounded in the desire for equality with men, since there are degrees of "equality" within the male gender; in other words, with which men do women want to have equality? She also suggests that defining feminism as enabling total personal freedom for women is limited - it is, she contends, grounded in preserving the patriarchal, capitalist, individualist status quo (see "Quotes", p. 30). She adds that defining feminism in terms of creating a sense of community for otherwise isolated women has a degree of value, but that the longing for such community is more common in white, middle class (and therefore disenfranchised) women than...