Feminist

Patriarchy Patriarchy in Feminist Thought

Introduction to Feminist

The women’s rights movement brought with it new ideas about patriarchy. Feminist thinkers believed that patriarchy signified the cultural and social domination of women by men. Feminist thinkers in the United States questioned why sexual inequality persisted even after women had won the right to vote and had achieved legal equity. They also debated whether or not patriarchy is universal to all societies throughout history.

Some American feminists believed that with time and some prodding societal attitudes would catch up with the legal and political equity women had achieved. Other, more radical feminists argued that patriarchy would not diminish, and women should either live in separate societies or secure legal and political protection from men’s violence against women, which they believe is prevalent. Still others believe that the differences between the sexes are determined by the culture of a society, and therefore can change. They believe that winning political equality alone will not alter cultural beliefs about the roles of the sexes and that feminists must take action if they want to change those attitudes. ” (1)

Resources

Notes and References

• Information about Feminist in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia

Guide to Feminist

The Legal History of Feminist Legal Theory

This section provides an overview of Feminist Legal Theory

Resources

See Also

• Legal Biography
• Legal Traditions
• Historical Laws
• History of Law

Further Reading

• Feminist Legal Theory in the Oxford International Encyclopedia of Legal History (Oxford University Press)
• The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Political and Legal History (Oxford University Press)
• Feminist Legal Theory in the Dictionary of Concepts in History, by Harry Ritter
• A Short History of Western Legal Theory, by John Kelly