Is feminism a left-wing thing?

I like that, Alex!

I specified that stance because sometimes libfem is equated to pro porn and I'm not!

I am also anti-porn, pro-Nordic model, Yonic, but I like to think that one day, we will live in a world where we won't need to think about Nordic models, because we will have educated our sons, all our sons and brought them up to respect women, so that both porn and visiting a prostitute will be anathema to them, completely unthinkable. Idealistic? Perhaps so, but then, the idea of flying through the sky was once considered an impossible dream.

I agree with Yonic, although I do rather like AskBasil's playing field analogy.

I also identify with different aspects of different schools of feminism. I don't know whether other people would consider me lib/ rad/ just feminist. I don't really care what they think anyway.

I think of myself as leftwing, but that does not mean that I agree with all leftwing policies, and it certainly doesn't mean I am blind to the misogyny of leftwing men. It is not black and white - there are many many shades of grey in between.

"There is a lack of acknowledgement from both lib fems & right wing women as to the social construction of 'women's issues'."

Disagree. I can look at the current set up of society, see how it disadvantages women and still think the most practical approach is to work to change it incrementally rather than trying to start again.

I understand this defines me as a lib fem, despite me being anti porn, pro Nordic model etc. I usually self define as feminist rather than lib fem as, again like many I suspect, my views are a mixture.

I agree with what askbasil said about the intersection of liberal/radical feminism with right/left UK politics.

Liberal feminism (as in seeking equality by lobbying for legal changes in the current system) is compatible with right wing neoliberal economic & social ideology & policies.

The theory goes that if women have equality of opportunity we will have equality of outcome.

There is a lack of acknowledgement from both lib fems & right wing women as to the social construction of 'women's issues'.

Marxist/socialist feminism is obviously left wing.

Radical feminism sits more comfortably with left wing politics in the UK. Both take a more structural approach to looking for solutions for discrimination/oppression women face.

There is also a commonality in language amongst these groups.

Afaicr both Andrea Dworkin and Beatrix Campbell have written books on right wing/ Tory women.

From what I remember the Campbell book talked about how 'Tory' women differed from 'feminist' women over the sahm/wohm divide. This was the 80s though and I think that has probably flipped now.

No, of course not. And I really resent the idea that women who are not lefties aren't 'proper' feminists, or only subscribe to choice feminism.

It's an interesting idea though and while I couldn't do it, I can understand the thought behind it.

For sure plenty of tory women have come out v strongly about grooming of girls, DV, other sex crime stuff. So kind of any women are (usually) better than any men, when it comes to women's rights. So given a choice between a tory man and a tory woman (or a lefty man and a lefty woman), then the feminist choice is to pick the woman. Makes sense. Exception being Nadine Dorries, obviously. But in general, yes it makes sense. And of course even with Nadine, the male Tory you got instead might well have similar views they're just not flagged so much coming from a man. Which again indicates I guess that it's more usual for women to have views that are on the side of women IYSWIM.

I couldn't vote for a tory but in this area there's only ever going to be a tory winner so I have happily put my tick next to a female green / liberal (although not any more) / labour person over a male one of the same ilk.

Ironically our tory MP is a woman anyway

That was the first general election I was able to vote in. I didn't vote for her and never did.

The first thing I ever voted in was the first devolution referendum earlier in 1979 where I voted no (as I did in the second one and the indie referendum)

Or Mr Galloway.

I don't agree with all female candidate lists for MPs. I would not vote for a female candidate just because she is a woman. Nicola Sturgeon for example and Mhairi Black are female but I would not make a common cause with them on anything.

Er, no, it's not.

HTH

Agree broadly with what others have said.

Plenty of "right-wing" women have a lot of interest in / fight for a better situation for women and girls here and elsewhere in the world. Things like sexual violence, DV, abortion rights, these things all happen to / are needed by women across all parts of society / all political views. And similarly to look at fellow females around the world and empathise and feel horror at stuff that is happening again is not the preserve of a certain political flavour.

Also part of the idea to vote for a woman - of any party - than a man of "your" one, from a feminist perspective, because the woman is way more likely to have women's issues on her radar / have more of an instinct in tune with other women as to what is "right" or not on stuff. Hard to do in practice, obviously, and you've got some who are awful for women's rights!

Having said that I do think a lot of feminists are lefties.

Other side of the coin is the distressing prevalence of sexist tossiness / misoygny / poor treatment of women amongst lefty men. So right wing doesn't necessarily = not feminist any more than left wing = feminist. IYSWIM. I wouldn't be surprised to find some anti-feminist lefty women either, they must be out there.

I agree Blistory.

I'm a feminist and I'm not left wing.

I'll admit to being a liberal feminist quite happily without feeling that I need to justify it as a valid form of feminist theory. I'm also happy that my practical, day to day application of liberal feminism coexists quite well with some of my radical feminist beliefs and the two combined give me a bigger toolbox to work with.

I have no discomfort with the idea that sometimes the needs of a particular individual are bigger than the needs of a group as a whole whilst still being able to believe in a general sense about the importance of community.

The notion that right wing = individual and selfish and left wing = community and sharing has always struck me as too simplistic and takes no account of the complexities of human beliefs and experiences.

Well here's a particularly nonsensical article by a journalist who probably has impeccable left- wing credentials. I saw about 5 minutes of this with my husband who politically is more to the right than me. His reaction was to ask me if he could turn it off as, in his words " buying a woman for sex , it's just wrong isn't it?"

A Very British Brothel review – ‘Suddenly, running a massage parlour seems a jolly, public-spirited pursuit’

gu.com/p/4b867?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Copy_to_clipboard

I assume the OP means me. I don't identify as a feminist, either left wing or right wing.

I suppose I also "subscribe to the idea of individualistic capitalist advancement, but just want women to have as good a shot at that as men."

Economically I'm centre or just to right of centre (I am not impressed by say Nicola Sturgeon's views that we can just spend our way out of recessions)

On social policy I am left of centre. I am however definitely not pro-porn or pro- prostitution. That does not make me, as advocates of both might try to argue , a narrow -minded, anti-sex Christian.

On the contrary sex should be a free and joyful thing ; whether that's casual or comitted is not my concern. Porn and prostitution is neither free nor joyful and both are incompatible with human dignity..

When I was 17 I went to my first women's conference. I sat at a table and was surrounded by young conservative's. It was the first time I realized you could believe in women's rights and not be left wing. It was also the first time I realized people under the age of 60 voted for conservatives.

I have difficulty with the idea that some forms of feminism are 'flawed' because of differences in right/left wing political thinking.

Unless the aim is to make a specifically left-wing-only movement. Which it might be, for some.

I agree with yonic

I'm a feminist and am not left wing. It is perfectly possible. In fact, I suspect that I am like a lot of people (though not necessarily on here) in that my views are a mixture of left and right. I tend to be rightish on economic views but leftish on social views.

Left wing/right wing as measures of beliefs are over simplistic.

Yonic's final paragraph sums me up.