Liberal Feminist Analysis

When I think about feminist, I can’t help myself but to think that feminist just hate men. After reading the book, Thinking about Women: The Sociological Perspective on Sex and Gender, I wondered if I was really a feminist. I went on Gotoquiz.com, a website that asked variety of questions to determine if someone was a feminist. I was appalled when the results said that I was a “full blooded feminist”. I believe in women’s rights and equality for all women around the world. Liberal feminism emphasizes the importance of equality for all people around the world, who can exercise individual freedom (Andersen, 367). However, liberal feminism does not explain the start of gender inequality, nor does it explain the effects of race and class stratification on women’s lives (Andersen, 382). Liberal feminist states

that all people should have equal rights, but it doesn’t explain how it has different effects on subordinate groups like middle-class women and women of color. For example, if a white women were to fight for equal rights pay then she would only be at a disadvantage because of her gender, but privileged because of her race. However, African Women are heavily affected by race, class, and gender.
Race, class, and gender make up the interlocking systems of oppression or the matrix of domination (Collins, p.3).

Collin states that when thinking about oppression, black feminist thought includes “paradigmatic shift” because it rejects additive approaches to oppression (Collin, p.1). This means that equality does not just start with gender then add other variables such as race, class, and sexual orientation. . Although, there are different forms of domination, they are all part of the “one overarching structure of domination.” (Collins, p. 2). Collin does not believe that oppression only occurs to black-white and male-female groups. Rather, oppression is related to age, sexual orientation, and ethnicity (Collin, p.3). Placing African-American at the center of analysis can open up new ways of thinking about feminism. For example, black feminist state that it would be difficult for them to remove race and sex oppression because it occurs to them simultaneously (Combahee River, p.3). Instead of focusing on how one group is affected the most, Collin’s matrix of dominance focuses attention on how these systems of oppression interconnect in different people’s

lives.
The matrix of domination explains why feminism had become so divided. For instance, a person’s “matric of domination” will be very different depending on who they are. Collin’s matrix of domination rejects the ideal white liberal feminism because it ignores race and class factors when considering equality for women (Anderson, p.382). Collin states that “Each group speaks from its own standpoint and shares its own partial, situated knowledge” (Collin. P.11). This means that we learn to view our experiences as partial and unfinished. This also emphasizes that no one group can be placed at the center to speak on the behalf of all women. Therefore, I do not believe I am a liberal feminist, I am feminist who believes in the matrix of domination. I cheer for equality of all women and liberal feminism does not address issues pertaining to minority groups. All in all, liberal feminism cannot speak on the behalf of all women because different people experience different forms of oppression.