Editing Radical feminism (section)

== Theory and ideology ==
Radical feminists assert that global society functions as a [[patriarchy]] in which the class of men are the oppressors of the class of women.{{sfn|Echols|1989|p=139}} They propose that the oppression of women is the most fundamental form of oppression, one that has existed since the inception of humanity.{{sfn|Shelley|2000}} As radical feminist [[Ti-Grace Atkinson]] wrote in her foundational piece "Radical Feminism" (1969):

<blockquote>The first dichotomous division of this mass [mankind] is said to have been on the grounds of sex: male and female&nbsp;... it was because half the human race bears the burden of the reproductive process and because man, the 'rational' animal, had the wit to take advantage of that, that the childbearers, or the 'beasts of burden,' were corralled into a political class: equivocating the biologically contingent burden into a political (or necessary) penalty, thereby modifying these individuals' definition from the human to the functional, or animal.{{sfn|Atkinson|2000|p=85}}
</blockquote>

Radical feminists argue that, because of patriarchy, women have come to be viewed as the "other"<ref>{{Cite book|last=Beauvoir, Simone de |title=The Second Sex|date=2011|publisher=Vintage Books|isbn=978-0-09-959573-1|oclc=1105756674}}</ref> to the male norm, and as such have been systematically oppressed and marginalized. They further assert that men, as a class, benefit from the [[systematic oppression]] of women. Patriarchal theory is not defined by a belief that all men always benefit from the oppression of all women. Rather, it maintains that the primary element of patriarchy is a relationship of dominance, where one party is dominant and exploits the other for the benefit of the former. Radical feminists believe that men (as a class) use social systems and other methods of control to keep women (as well as non-dominant men) suppressed. Radical feminists seek to abolish patriarchy by challenging existing social norms and institutions, and believe that eliminating patriarchy will liberate everyone from an unjust society. [[Ti-Grace Atkinson]] maintained that the need for power fuels the male class to continue oppressing the female class, arguing that "the ''need'' men have for the role of oppressor is the source and foundation of all human oppression".{{sfn|Atkinson|2000|p=86}}

The influence of radical-feminist politics on the [[women's liberation movement]] was considerable. [[Redstockings]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Welcome to Redstockings|url=http://redstockings.org/|access-date=2020-09-15|website=redstockings.org}}</ref> co-founder [[Ellen Willis]] wrote in 1984 that radical feminists "got sexual politics recognized as a public issue", created [[second-wave feminism]]'s vocabulary, helped to legalize abortion in the US, "were the first to demand total equality in the so-called private sphere" ("housework and child care&nbsp;... emotional and sexual needs"), and "created the atmosphere of urgency" that almost led to the passage of the [[Equal Rights Amendment]].{{sfn|Willis|1984|p=118}} The influence of radical feminism can be seen in the adoption of these issues by the [[National Organization for Women]] (NOW), a feminist group that had previously been focused almost entirely on economic issues.{{sfn|Willis|1984|p=138}}