I. Definition of Feminism: Feminism is both a concept and practice (Feminists do not just preach equality between men and women but also try to promote its achievement). Broadly defined, it is a state of awareness that women are oppressed and exploited in all social institutions. Feminism does not just stop at recognizing that there is oppression of women. It believes in raising consciousness and initiating action for bringing about change. They raise questions and resort to protests when women's rights and self-respect are hurt.

II. Objectives of Feminism:

(i) Feminism rejects the notion (idea) that biological differences between men and women should form the basis for treating them differently. They trace the roots of gender discrimination to the social inequalities that are inbuilt in human societies. Feminists use terms like patriarchy, male domination, female subordination and women's oppression to explain gender discrimination, which operates in our society. Patriarchy as the word itself indicates, is a system where the father or the patriarch has the control. This control gives him power over other members of the family and creates a belief that men have unlimited power over women.

(ii) The classification of women's role as reproductive and men's roles as productive has created a situation where the man came to be recognized as the person contributing to household survival. Even though child bearing and child rearing are very important for the survival and continuation of a society, these roles are always sidelined. This is done by giving women's labour in these tasks very minimal social and economic value.

(iii) Besides reproductive work, women also run the household. Tasks such as cooking, cleaning, shopping, care of the sick and guest care involve a great deal of physical and mental labour. Just because this labour is unpaid and invisible it is not socially recognized. Feminists argue that this distinction between work as productive and unproductive must cease to exist and women's contribution, paid or unpaid, must be recognized as work. The feminist slogan All women are workers is a clear indication of the need to recognize and respect housework as something as important as other types of work.

(iv) Feminists reject the idea of women as the weaker sex and raise the slogan woman's biology is not her destiny (just because a person is born a female she need not be forced to play not prevented from playing a particular role).

(v) According to feminists gender related prejudices (narrow-mindedness/intolerance) and practices are deep rooted in all social institutions. Gender division of responsibilities, which was initially an arrangement worked out for convenience turned into an oppressive tool over a period of time. It is true that during certain periods of their life such as pregnancy, childbirth and child rearing women are temporarily away from active participation in public life. Over a period of time, this temporary separation was virtually converted to an exclusion from public life and women came to be relegated to a secondary position.

(vi) Women play two work-roles (both as home-makers and paid workers outside the home) in contrast to men who play a single work-role. Such women work for longer hours, yet social attitudes towards them are essentially biased. Women are treated primarily as 'wives' and 'mothers' and not as 'workers' or 'producers'.

(vii) Conclusion: In brief, we can say that Feminism is an ideology that believes in the equality of men and women. Feminists are aware of the fact that women are oppressed and exploited in all social institutions and fight this discrimination. The goal of feminism is to establish a gender equal society.