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Feminist thought and action has evolved quite dramatically over the past century. What was once a struggle to achieve equal political rights, such as voting rights for women, has become a more wide-ranging set of goals to achieve equality between men and women in all realms. Over the past four decades, feminist thought has diversified into three rather distinct groups: liberal feminism, Marxist feminism and radical feminism. Each espouses equality for women, although each sees the roots of gender inequality and the necessary remedies differently. There have been many landmark victories in the struggle of feminism, but the battle is far from over. Even in the major political parties in Canada today, roadblocks still exist. When employing a liberal feminist perspective, it is clear that many of the Canadian Alliance’s social and economic policies are contradictory to the aims of feminism. A major problem with the party’s policies is its support for the “traditional family,” which has historically contributed to the gender gap. Also, the absence of gender equity policies limits the degree to which woman are able to achieve equality. Finally, the Canadian Alliance’s strong opposition to publicly funded programs such as national daycare may decrease the chances for women to break free of a male-dominated society. Liberal feminism is perhaps the least ambitious of the branches of feminism. As Dickerson and Flanagan state, the liberal branch of feminist thought focuses on equality of rights, or the extension of men’s rights to women. [1] Unlike other branches of feminism, liberal feminism focuses mainly on achieving equality through legislation and political action, and it does not include many of the biological arguments presented in other strains of thought such as radical feminism. The liberal feminist approach focuses on re-working legislation and bringing about innovation in policies in order to change societal institutions such that women can play an equal role alongside men. [2] Given this brief description of the main aspects of liberal feminism, it is possible now to discuss the ways in which the policies of the Canadian Alliance Party of Canada run contrary to feminist goals. One of the themes running through Canadian Alliance policy documents is the importance of the family to society. This may be true, but the Alliance makes it evident that what is meant by family is the “traditional” family. Historically, the traditional family has been understood as one in which the male of the household is the dominant figure, while the mother is a nurturer, looking after the non-economic needs of the household and children.
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