Difference feminism is a term developed during the equality-versus-difference debate[1] in American feminism to describe the view that men and women are different, but that no value judgment can be placed upon them and both sexes have equal moral status as persons.[2]
Most strains of difference feminism did not argue that there was a biological, inherent, ahistorical, or otherwise "essential" link between womanhood and traditionally feminine values, habits of mind (often called "ways of knowing"[3]), or personality traits.[4] These feminists simply sought to recognize that, in the present, women and men are significantly different and to explore the devalued "feminine" characteristics.[5] This variety of difference feminism is also called gender feminism.[6][7]
However, some forms of difference feminism – such as Mary Daly's cultural feminism – argue that women and their values are superior to those of men.[5][8] There is ongoing debate about whether Daly's feminism is essentialist.[8][9]
^ abSandilands, Catriona (1999). The Good-Natured Feminist Ecofeminism and the Quest for Democracy. pp. chapter 5: "Cyborgs and Queers".
^Hoagland, Sarah Lucia; Frye, Marilyn, eds. (2000). Feminist interpretations of Mary Daly. Re-reading the canon. University Park, Pa: Pennsylvania State University. ISBN978-0-271-02018-1.