As an ideology and a social movement, feminism is concerned with the attainment of gender equality in the political, economic and social spheres of life.

The ideology of feminism has as its primary focus the position of women in society. Although the term itself is derived from the Latin word femina meaning women or female, it should not be confused as being a synonym for women or being an ideology exclusively subscribed to by women. After all, there are unquestionably women who are not feminists and men who are. The basic idea of feminism is that women experience a disadvantaged state in society as a consequence of the patriarchy, male domination of women, which has historically characterized all social relationships. Feminists contend that patriarchy continues to be manifested in the systematic deprivation of individual choices, political power, economic opportunities, and intellectual recognition currently experienced by women. A distinguishing aspect of feminism which separates it from all other ideologies is its emphasis on examining the dynamics of power in the private sphere, the family, in reference to how it contributes to the systemic gender inequality found in all facets of society.

Although the contemporary feminist movement did not become a prominent force in modern politics until the late 1960s, its existence dates back much farther. In fact, it belongs to the family of ideologies which were produced by the French Revolution such as nationalism and liberalism. Although feminist ideas may have originated in the seventeenth century, the first real feminist movement did not take place until the latter half of the nineteenth century when women took action to attain the most fundamental equalities. One of the primary goals of this movement was the pursuit of the right to vote which was granted to women in most of the Western states around the end of the First World War. During this first wave of feminism, feminists sought to pursue their goals within the existing social structures. However, as it came to be realized that these structures represented the foundation of the problem, the second wave of the feminist movement began in the late 1960s. It marked the pursuit of greater gender equality by attempts to abolish the systemic biases that prevent women from enjoying the same opportunities as men. Contemporary feminist policy issues include pay equity, reproductive choice, day care, and so on.

There are many diverse streams of feminism as are seen in other ideologies. Some of these are off streams of other ideologies such as liberalism or Marxism, while others appear to be totally independent of any other ideology. For example, radical feminism diverges fundamentally from the values found in all other ideologies. Whereas, liberal feminism stresses the fundamental values of liberalism, such as the limited state and maximum individual freedom, while seeking to extend the rights enjoyed by men to women. It has as its most basic premise the inherent equality of the two sexes. Socialist feminism is consistent with the values of socialism and stresses the need to restructure the relationship between the two sexes in order to reflect gender equally. Marxist feminism also draws on the values of another ideology, as it accepts the fundamental aspects of Marxism and further posits that patriarchy is rooted in, or at least sustained by, the structures of capitalism.

Radical feminism is quite different in nature from all these other streams of feminism. It emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and it proclaims that the family itself is a major problem in the advancement of women's rights. This is because the social institution of the family is said to lead women to define themselves in terms of their relationship to men. Unlike the other strains of feminism, radical feminism does not like to see men involved in the feminist movement because they contend that men are the oppressors and therefore, cannot take the concerns of women seriously. Another diverse strain of feminism is ecofeminism. It has deep religious and spiritual overtones, and posits that the male domination of women and the environment are intrinsically linked. Furthermore, violence and the social construction of discrimination against the two are contended to be derived from the same roots; primarily, the dual inert nature of the two.