Equity feminism

Equity feminism is a form of liberal feminism that advocates the state's equal treatment of women and men without challenging inequalities perpetuated by employers, educational and religious institutions, and other elements of society. The concept has been discussed since the 1980s. Equity feminism has been defined and classified as a kind of classically liberal or libertarian feminism, in contrast with social feminism, difference feminism, gender feminism, and equality feminism. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy refers to Wendy McElroy, Joan Kennedy Taylor, Cathy Young, Rita Simon, Katie Roiphe, Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Christine Stolba, and Christina Hoff Sommers as equity feminists. Camille Paglia also describes herself as an equity feminist. Christina Sommers, in particular, explored the topic of equity feminism in her book Who Stole Feminism? In this text, Sommers summarizes how the aim of equity feminism is to attain economic, educational, and political equality of opportunity. Sommers claims that feminists are separated between two categories: equity feminists and gender feminists. She states that the difference between gender feminists and equity feminists is that gender feminists aim to change, or question, traditional gender roles. Whereas equity feminists want equal treatment and rights. Steven Pinker, an evolutionary and cognitive psychologist, linguist, and popular science author, identifies himself as an equity feminist, which he defines as "a moral doctrine about equal treatment that makes no commitments regarding open empirical issues in psychology or biology". In the United States, Alice Paul and Crystal Eastman, two women in the National Women's Party, were involved in drafting the Equal Rights Amendment, with the goal of achieving "constitutional protections from discrimination" for all women. Distinctions have been made between conservative and radical forms of equity feminism. Many young conservative women have accepted equity feminism.