Bio: (1945-2012) Canadian-American feminist theorist. Shulamith Firestone grew up in Canada and moved to the United States to study art in Chicago. After graduating, Firestone left for New York in 1967 and immediately became involved in the feminist struggle. She is a representative of the current of radical feminism and was the founder of three associations of radical feminists: New York Radical Women, Redstockings, and New York Radical Feminists.

In several articles, and in the book The Dialectic of Sex: The Case for the Feminist Revolution (1970a), Firestone expounds on a feminist theory that views male domination over women as the most basic form of domination, while all other forms of exploitation and domination (capitalism, racism, imperialism) emanate and arise from patriarchal domination. The patriarchate used biological differences - pregnancy and childbirth - as a justification for domination. Biological differences between the sexes led to the creation of what Firestone calls the "biological family".

In all societies, no matter how different, the biological family has four common and universal characteristics: 1) biological "handicap" of women due to menstruation, menopause, childbirth, and child care; 2) a long period of growing up of children prolongs a woman's dependence on a man; 3) women's dependence on men produces power relations and the psychology that supports that power; 4) the biological family creates a full class order which forms the basis of the general class order. Women, on the other hand, consciously adapt to imposed social values ​​in order to survive in the male world. Women function as a separate ghettoized class, so it is necessary to spread "consciousness-raising" of women in order to overcome structural inequalities. Firestone advocates the elimination of sexual / gender inequality through the elimination of biological differences through artificial reproduction; the rearing of children within the wider community; the socialist economy; and the abolition of the nuclear family.

Main works

The Dialectic of Sex: The Case for Feminist Revolution (1970a);

Notes from the Second Year (1970b).