Bronwyn,
'Women are competing with men and they are doing it on men's terms.
'
Ha, when a woman acts 'like a man' huh. These aren't 'men's' terms.
Women have these very same traits, it's the nature of power, aspiration and leadership that nurtures them.

When a man is being compassionate, cooperative and nurturing with his children, is he acting like a woman?

'The collective, co-operative and nurturing traits, which many hoped feminism would bring to the fore and help create a better and fairer society and improved conservation of our natural environment..'

Your categorisation of all supposedly 'negative' traits as male and all 'positive' traits as female, where the females only ever exhibit 'negative' traits because of a male construct is offensive really.

'Women are now trapped alongside men in the unrelenting pursuit of beating their competitors and increasing the bottom line.
'
Whenever I see people being 'trapped' in gender roles, or 'trapped' into materialism a red flag appears. People who chase material wealth are not trapped. People who choose to be prime carer are not trapped. They might be exhibiting vanity or greed, or envy, or just care too much what others think of them, but they are not trapped. That's a cop out. It's what socialists use to dismiss capitalism, what feminists use to portray victimhood.

'undervalued and unappreciated '
I keep hearing this, but never see any evidence for it. It's a violin statement. It's all wrapped up in martyr statements such as 'a woman's work is never done'. It's counter-productive victim-speak.

SJF,

'Radical feminism, which emerged from the diverse women's movement of the 1960s, focused on patriarchy as the source of women's oppression.'
I see I'm not the only one who would consider you a radical feminist. I know you will probably dismiss this as a personal attack, but I wonder whether you agree with this characterisation. See I'm always looking to find what is a radical feminist, as every argument I come up with to other feminists on OLO I get the reply, yeah but only radical feminists believe that

As usual Runner nails it.

Seriously, the article didn't exactly say what a feminist stands for. Overarching, all-encompassing motherhood phrases don't wash. "Equality and justice, choice and respect" sounds like something Batman would say if asked why he spends so much time out of the office.

Seems to me feminists are their own worst enemy. It'd be easier to find two economists who agree with each other. Most articles I read are pitched against efforts not of men or government but...other feminists, or women claiming special insight. Bettina Arndt writes some amusing stuff but gets attacked for going easy on guys. Greer - well, she fits the stereotype and then some. Faludi, Cox, all have unique perspectives.

STILL don't know what yours is though Monica.

Usual Suspect

‘See I'm always looking to find what is a radical feminist, as every argument I come up with to other feminists on OLO I get the reply, yeah but only radical feminists believe that.’

As I’ve never said that to anyone, wouldn't it be better to address this enquiry to someone who has? On the contrary, I've always criticised the use of 'radical' versus 'moderate' anything as being a tool of polarisation, not clarification.

Also, re the RSL example … I’m not quite sure if the RSL’s history did unfold the way Cornflower tells it. However, for the sake of argument, if the RSL ever found itself in danger of closing its doors due to lack of relevance, then it’s amazing how a shrine-junkie, Anzac-mad PM can turn an organisation’s fortunes around.

I guess this is the big fear of anti-feminism – that a sympathetic government might one day re-ignite the innate justness of feminism’s cause and give it a similar RSL-style Lazarus treatment. That’s why eternal anti-feminism vigilance must be maintained.

On the positive side, though … All these rhetorical debates on why/whether/has feminism lost its relevance have the paradoxical effect of ensuring feminism’s relevance … by having it continually talked about.

So I do hope you can keep that spleen of yours in good venting order.

SJF

"The way this reads, you are placing most of the responsibility for this ‘failure’ in the hands of feminism – which is a tad unfair (that’s if I’m reading it correctly)."

No, I'm not placing 'most of the responsibility' for this failure on feminism. My point is that people who think feminism has achieved its goals and is no longer relevant are sadly mistaken.

To begin with, I find it difficult to discuss feminism as a homogenous movement, because to me there are two very different schools of feminist thought. There's the one to which I subscribe, and I'm sure you do too, that feminism is about changing (or at least moderating) the androcentric model on which most western societies are currently based, that is one in which the values of aggression, competitiveness, individualism and profiteering are predominant.

The other school of thought, as I see it, is that the struggle to change society is unimportant and that all that matters is changing women's positions within that society. I realise this is overly simplistic but I still see a clear dichotomy. I could accept this latter interpretation of feminism, and in fact did for many years, if it meant that change was affected once women achieved more equity within the power structure. My disappointment is that I just don't see enough evidence of that happening.

"There is just so much a movement can achieve with the collective foot of society’s threatened conservative forces permanently on its neck."

I couldn't agree more (and love your description!) That is why I find it so disappointing when it seems the next generation of women think the battle's been fought and won and won’t be there to pick up the baton.

“…aggression, competitiveness, individualism and profiteering” aren’t exclusively male traits, Bronwyn. You haven’t met my sister. Maybe she was coerced into behaving “like a man”?

Have to say though she enjoys the benefits.

Interesting set of responses.
Over the last six decades it's been my lot in life to be at the extreme cutting edge, to be the one with radical and new opinions. Even so as a radical feminist I am neither lesbian nor hairy. The first because not so inclined, the second because of good genes.

If we women in our society have achieved all that the feminists desired why is it that young women as they start their careers post uni come to me and complain about the terrible culture that is work?

And the stats still say that women are not as well paid as men, even working the same job!

And has no-one posting here read the material that came out in the last 12 months about Clinton? And now about Palin?

When women have had control of their fertility for over a century, and when men take up the burden of caring for themselves then perhaps we could say that feminism is achieved.
In the meantime the changes will come in waves. First the struggle for the vote, then the struggle to control our bodies, and next I don't know, since many women will now be distracted by working to save the planet.