Social Feminism

In light of the history of three influential women's organizations in the United States, England, and France, Naomi Black offers a provocative new interpretation of feminism. She perceives two inherently different types of feminist thought: equity feminism, which incorporates women into existing male-dominated ideologies such as liberalism, Marxism, and socialism; and the less familiar social feminism, which emphasizes women's distinctive experiences and values. Examining the development of organizations previously considered traditional and nonpolitical—the League of Women Voters, the Women's Co-operative Guild, and the Union féminine civique et sociale—black concludes that the social feminism which characterizes these groups is a genuinely radical approach to social change.