van Zoonen's three feminisms

Liesbet van Zoonen defines three degrees of feminism in her chapter regarding Feminist Perspectives on the Media. Liberal, radical, and socialist are the three degrees of feminism outlined in this chapter. In the section regarding liberal feminism, van Zoonen argues that the media portrays women as either practicing the traditional roles of the gender or as a "sex-object." This view is very similar to Barker's comment on how women are either "housewives" or "sexy bodies." Both authors agree that these are the two jutxaposed viewpoints that are represented in media. As I have argued in an earlier blog, both views can be melded into one image in the media to portray an empowerment of women. However, for the sack of van Zoonen's argument of liberal feminism, we must examine this perspective of feminism. She argues that women should move towards equal opportunities within the labor world. Also, the mass media should attempt to blur the lines of gender roles and create overlapping images. By not using gender bias language and images, women will be able to gain equality within society.
The radical feminism argues the basis of biological roles of gender. Since the time of Adam and Eve, man has been summoned by God to dominate woman. This is due to the fall and sin of man. Therefore, the position of a man or woman is predetermined by the genetic make-up of his or her biological make-up. Radical feminism challenges these notions of biological domination and encourages women to fight the genetic bias. However, this is only an ideal society for women. Being radical, it implies that it focuses on the extreme end of the societal change for women's rights. Basically, there is no room for men in the radical feminist world.
The final degree of feminism is the socialist aspect. Socialist feminism hones in on the bigger picture of gender. It does not solely focus on the narrow lens of genetics or domination, but broadens its spectrum to issues such as economics and societal hierarchy. This aspect focuses on the equal distribution of labor and monetary gain so that men and women are equal at the end of the day. This allows for a more mutual platform to nurture the family. In other words, men and women work equally outside the home so that they can be equal participants inside the home. In this area of feminism, both men and women will be responsible for nurturing the children, taking care of the home, and being the outside representation of the family.