Cultural Feminism: 4 Key Ideas in Cultural Feminism

Cultural feminism is the idea that there is a particular female essence or nature to being a woman that innately distinguishes them from men—and in some theories, creates a societal advantage. Cultural feminists believe more credence should go to a woman’s perspective and that their previously perceived gender “weaknesses” are strengths that make them far more evolved.

Cultural feminism stemmed from the radical feminism of the 1970s. However, the beginnings of the concept of cultural feminism started to take shape in 1843. In her book Woman in the Nineteenth Century, journalist, editor, and women's rights advocate Margaret Fuller initially raised the idea of how men could “inherit the earth” simply if they elevated themselves as emotional beings.

Later, activist Jane Addams and novelist Charlotte Perkins Gilman also discussed the idea of women’s inherent gentleness as a necessary attribute for cooperation and nonviolence in government leadership.

While radical feminism gave way to cultural feminism, the two viewpoints differ. Radical feminists believed that the world expressly ran through the male experience and that gender roles could not shift because they were so far ingrained in women. Only by overhauling the societal system, they argued, could they ever achieve true progress.

While radical feminism believed in uprooting the ideas of gender differences, cultural feminists believed that it was the differences themselves to celebrate and emphasize.

The key notion of cultural feminism is that it expressly encourages the feminist perspective in terms of a woman’s perceived traits. Some key components of feminism include:

1. 1. Essentialism: This feminism movement emphasizes essentialist ideologies—that men and women are not actually equal, but the differences between them are what make them unique. A woman’s nature makes her special, and ultimately, the male’s oppression of women further suppresses their natural talents and abilities.
2. 2. Separatism: Women need spaces that are wholly their own, where they can fully thrive in their own creative, safe environments free from male participation and involvement. Women’s Liberation Movement group member Brooke Williams initially used the term “cultural feminism” in 1975 as a way to describe the depoliticization of radical feminism and distinguish the two ideologies, believing that an alternate female culture defeated the purpose of feminism.
3. 3. That female nature defines their culture: Cultural feminism believes that women’s culture may originate from either biology or society. For instance, women get labeled more gentle and pacifist in nature, meaning they would make better leaders. Or women have a closer connection with the Earth and are, therefore, parallel with nature, making them better at making environmental-based decisions or considering the future of humankind.
4. 4. “Weakness” as a strength: Cultural feminism works to redefine the previously held notions of what defines strength. For example, traits like emotional intelligence and sentimentality are socially beneficial.

Officially appearing as a movement in the 1970s, this theory mainly focuses on how women can and should use gender roles to their advantage. Radical feminist philosopher Mary Daly used the term “cultural feminism” in her work Gyn/Ecology: The Metaethics of Radical Feminism as a way to reference the female energy women possess. Women have a certain ethic of care, where they are more likely to cooperate and keep the peace, which, in turn, would make for a better world.

Essayist Adrienne Rich also believed that a woman’s creativity was under complete control of the patriarchal society. Cultural feminist theory borrows from lesbian feminism, which centralizes the idea of female-centered culture and connectedness.

While the heart of cultural feminism is to help and encourage women to excel as they are, there are a few criticisms of this feminist movement. Some critiques and responses to cultural feminism include:

• It amplifies heteronormativity. Cultural feminism works within heteronormativity and ignores certain branches of feminist thought.
• It cooperates with the negative aspects of capitalism. Marxist and socialist feminism believes that the capitalist system benefits patriarchal hierarchies and expressly encourages the oppression and subordination of women. In contrast, cultural feminists believe engaging in female-led capitalist systems will eventually help level the playing field.
• It creates a new hierarchical society. By revaluing the role and presence of women as more beneficial than men’s more “primitive nature,” cultural feminism essentially attempts to install women as the dominant creatures of society rather than attempting to achieve true equality.
• It doubles down on sexism and stereotypes. Cultural feminist activism revolves around the idea that women must redefine and revalue the negative traits that patriarchal systems have bestowed upon them. Women are “nurturers,” and it is that trait they must use to enact progress. However, historian Alice Echols believed that some of these generalizations are harmful. For example, the idea that a woman should practice sexual conservativeness and repression to punish men undermines female liberation. Philosopher and feminist theorist Linda Martín Alcoff mentions in her 1988 publication “Cultural Feminism versus Post-Structuralism: The Identity Crisis in Feminist Theory” that this view expected women to embrace and lean in to these gender roles, while men were not held to the same standard and able to act of their own free will.
• It focuses on separatism. As some cultural feminists in the 1960s lost hope of real social change, the idea emerged for an alternative culture—more female-only spaces where women could exist and lead without any male influence. However, this social construction ignores structural patriarchy as a whole, instead putting physical separation between women and men rather than addressing the root issue of women’s rights and their place in society. This idea is also at odds with liberal feminism, which works to make one inclusive system for everyone rather than creating separate branches to achieve progress.
• It neglects race. Cultural feminism does not consider varied cultural differences or experiences of women of color or in other countries. Cultural feminism centralizes the plight of the upper-class white women’s experience rather than being truly inclusive of different ethnicities and status.

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