Liberal Feminism

Conceptual Overview and Discussion

The historical roots of liberal feminism can be traced back to the liberal tradition of the 17th and 18th centuries with its emphasis on social justice and the creation of a good and just society, supported by a system of human rights. Many early political theorists, such as Mary Wollstonecraft, emphasized the rights of women as well as those of men, identifying the problems created by sex role stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination, and arguing that these were oppressive for women, preventing them from fulfilling their full potential. The main focus of the theoretical approach is on the similarities between men and women with the assumption that if they are treated the same and are provided with similar opportunities there will be no gender difference in behavior or attitudes. It is an individualist form of feminist theory because it is assumed that the actions and choices that individual women make will contribute to their achievement of equality. From this perspective, gender equality does not require changing the structure of society, because inequality is not viewed as the result of general or systemic relations of oppression within social structures. Although men may benefit from female oppression, the approach does not assume that men as a social group are responsible for these injustices or for sustaining their privileged position. Emphasis is also often placed on processes of socialization that create different sex/gender roles. Any differences in the behavior or attitudes between men and women are thought to be due to such sex role socialization and orientation rather than to any innate biological or psychological difference.

Within organization studies, liberal feminists have generally campaigned for the removal of discrimination and bias and the implementation of equality laws. Organizations are viewed as gender neutral, because it is assumed that if they are properly developed and structured then gender equality can be achieved. The belief is that sexist prejudices and discriminatory policies and practices impede the proper functioning of bureaucratic organizations and upset the rationality of capitalist labor markets. Liberal feminism advocates the development of meritocratic institutional systems in which progress and achievement are based on individual qualities rather than on gender. Although liberal feminist research within organizations tends to favor positivist epistemologies that are assumed to be gender neutral, there are examples of qualitative case study research that also adopt this theoretical [Page 526]framework. The focus of this type of feminist research is often the persistence of sex segregation and the identification of reasons for such segregation. Gender is viewed as a variable within the research design, and usually a comparison of male and female employees is conducted.

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