Feminism

1. Axioms

The following axioms function as non-derived premises within feminism. They express foundational assumptions about moral equality, social structure, and gendered power.

1. Moral equality: Women and men (and, in many strands, all gendered persons) possess equal moral worth and standing.
2. Gender shapes life outcomes: Gender significantly influences opportunities, constraints, and social expectations.
3. Power is historically gendered: Many institutions, norms, and roles have been organized in ways that disadvantage women.
4. Injustice can be structural: Inequity is not only personal prejudice; it can be embedded in systems, incentives, and traditions.
5. Change is ethically required: Where gender-based injustice exists, reform is a moral obligation rather than a neutral preference.

2. Derived Doctrinal Commitments

From these axioms, feminism derives interpretive and normative commitments about society, policy, and culture.

• Critique of gender norms: Social expectations around gender are examined for harm, coercion, and unequal burden.
• Autonomy and agency: Individuals should have meaningful freedom to shape their lives without gendered constraint.
• Institutional analysis: Law, family, work, education, and culture are analyzed for gendered disparities.
• Representation and voice: Participation in decision-making is treated as a core condition of equality.
• Intersectional extensions (common in modern feminism): Gender interacts with race, class, sexuality, and other categories to shape distinct experiences.

3. Ethical Framework

Ethical reasoning in feminism typically prioritizes fairness, dignity, and reduction of gendered harm.

• Equality and equity: Fairness may require equal rights, equal opportunity, and sometimes corrective measures where disparities persist.
• Anti-domination: Coercion, exploitation, and systemic subordination are treated as morally wrong.
• Care and social responsibility (common in some strands): Ethical life includes attention to dependency, caregiving labor, and the distribution of burdens.

4. Practices

Practices function as social and cultural interventions aimed at equality and protection from harm.

• Advocacy for legal and institutional reform
• Education and consciousness-raising
• Mutual aid, solidarity networks, and community support
• Workplace and organizational policy development
• Public critique of harmful norms and representations

5. Internal Diversity

Feminism contains significant internal variation downstream from shared axioms.

• Different priorities: legal equality, social norms, economic structure, or cultural transformation
• Liberal, socialist/Marxist, radical, and other theoretical traditions
• Disagreements over strategy: reformist, abolitionist, separatist, or pluralist approaches
• Variations in how gender is defined and how it relates to sex, identity, and social roles