Discrimination and oppression against women is not a new concept. It has been going on since time immemorial. Men have always considered women inferior and devised various means of exploiting them. The spread of awareness has helped women initiate social movements against such discrimination. Feminism and intersectional feminism are two such concepts that arose from these movements.
Feminism vs Intersectional Feminism
The main difference between feminism and intersectional feminism is that feminism seeks equality for women and men. On the other hand, intersectional feminism seeks to determine the inequality of gender, race, class, and others against women. Intersectional feminism is a more inclusive term and encompasses every section of inequality against women.
Feminism is a concept that advocates gender equality in interpersonal, financial, and political spheres. Feminism is an integrative approach to gender, sex, gender identity, gender expression, and sexuality as understood via social views and political participation. It has its origin against the stereotypes held by society in the unequal treatment of men and women.
Intersectional feminism is the complicated, progressive method in which the impacts of many forms of discrimination combine, overlap, or intersect. This concept talks about two women of different facing the same problem differently. Many types of prejudice can be enhanced in various ways when combined. These overlapping and crossing social identities can be both liberating and oppressive.
Comparison Table Between Feminism and Intersectional Feminism
What is Feminism?
Many consider Mary Wollstonecraft to be the originator of feminism. Feminist theory focuses on gender politics, power relations, and sexuality to identify gender inequalities.
Much feminist theory is concerned with advancing women’s rights and interests. Discrimination, stereotyping, objectification, oppression, and patriarchy are all topics studied in feminist thought.
The three main feminist lineages are liberal, radical, and socialist/Marxist feminisms. Newer types of feminism have evolved since the late twentieth century.
Previously, most women lived within the boundary of their houses and had no rights to property or public life. Several nations forced women to cover their heads and allowed husbands to sell their wives. Also, they were devoid of education and professional life.
Feminism is the idea that each gender should have the same rights, power, and opportunities. Although originating from the West, feminism today is a worldwide term. In a male-dominated society, where men dominate every facet of life, feminism finds its way.
Since the conceptualization of feminism, many social movements have started to fight for women’s rights. Feminism puts efforts in combating gender stereotypes and ensuring that women have equal educational, work-life, and social equalities and results as men.
What is Intersectional Feminism?
Intersectionality was a term first used by American professor Kimberle Crenshaw to highlight that the discrimination faced by black women are different and much more than white women.
Women’s rights advocacy often focuses on specific, cisgender, heterosexual, high-caste, or physically abled women. Our history textbooks do not teach us about most anti-caste activists, disability rights activists, transgender persons, LGBTQT+ rights etc.
Because of intersectional feminism, we see the junction of multiple marginalized identities, such as class, caste, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, and religion, among others. When there are overlaps, they tend to fade into the background and become marginalized.
In the Indian context, it means that we understand that an upper class, upper caste, straight, cisgender Hindu woman without a disability certainly holds more privilege than any woman who deviates from any one or more of these factors.
It is important to remember that when these factors depart from the ‘norm’, an entirely new range of discrimination emerges, and we need to expose and fight against these discriminatory practices.
Intersectional feminism surrounds us from everywhere. One example of this, urban women with disabilities have a 9% lower literacy level than their male counterparts. Moreover, women with disabilities suffer more sexism.
Main Difference between Feminism and Intersectional Feminism
- Inequity between men and women is the focus of feminism. The goal of intersectional feminism is to eliminate inequalities between affluent and impoverished women.
- In the sense that it only considers gender, feminism is a limited ideal. Intersectional feminism is a comprehensive concept that considers race, caste, class, gender, and other factors.
- The three feminist perspectives are as follows: Liberal, radical, and socialist feminisms exist. Intersectional feminism has three doctrines: structural, political, and social.
- The central theme of feminism is misogyny toward women. Racism and sexism against women are central to intersectional feminism.
- Feminism began in the nineteenth or twentieth centuries. Often, feminists credit Mary Wollstonecraft with launching the movement. In the twentieth century, intersectional feminism was born. Kimberle Crenshaw, an American professor, used the term and became the pioneer of this movement.
Conclusion
Feminism is supposed to be inclusive, which is a true sense is not. In short, we can say that the concept of feminism is flawed but is evolving. We cannot afford to talk about women’s issues and only speak about issues faced by the most privileged of these women.
As women, every part of our identity comes with problems, apart from gender. As a result, intersectional feminism is a dire requirement.
Intellectuals use the term feminist to describe those who fight for equality between women and men. In addition to ensuring access to legal abortions and ensuring gender equality, feminists have fought to protect women and girls from rape, sexual harassment, and domestic violence. Feminist movements have frequently included changes in female dress norms and admissible physical activity.
References
- https://philpapers.org/rec/WALTNF-3
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40617-019-00341-w