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Contemporary Feminist Theory

Feminist theory crosses the boundaries of genre to influence sociology, philosophy, theology and everything in between. Historically, the main expressions of feminist activity were seen by the general public as extremist and radical. Today though, feminist principals underpin all areas of modern life, in an appropriately measured way. Radical feminism was certainly the main impetus for the birth of the cultural revolution, which we now know as contemporary feminist theory.

A historical framework of feminism was established by pioneers of the movement, including Simone de Beauvoir and Betty Friedan, and was then expanded upon by vigorous campaigners in the 1970s. During this critical era, the key idea which emerged to unite feminists to support a common cause was the assertion that differences between the roles and aptitudes of the sexes are socially constructed agents of female oppression. Modern theorists retain this view as a basic premise from which contemporary feminist discourse is launched.
The distinction between sex and gender roles is another key premise underpinning contemporary feminist reasoning. The more radical arm of the feminist movement attributes the stereotypical representation of women in terms of sex roles to a calculated and organized attempt to oppress females. A less radical and more contemporary view is that the socially normative allocation of sex roles is less a deliberate maneuver and more an ignorant one, though the ultimate result is the same socio-political control, socio-economic marginalization and socio-cultural discrimination against women.

Feminists argue in favor of reducing (or preferably eliminating) the gulf which currently exists between the social groups of men and women. Additionally, the ascription of "sex" type at all is challenged by contemporary feminists, since the roles associated with physiology among humans are being increasingly refuted by individuals and communities who cross the boundaries of gender. The social construct which places males possessed of male anatomy, and females possessing female anatomy, into gender roles as "men" and "women" is being challenged more and more by contemporary feminist theorists.

The key problem which arose from radical feminism in the seventies related to an increasing embracing of androgyny among women. This trend simply replaced an old stereotype with a new one. The effect was the same subtly coercing females to subscribe to a new socially constructed

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