Feminism is based on the concept that women should have the same economic, social and political rights as men. Freedman, in her "Essential Feminist Reader," gives her own definition of the word and qualifies it with four components essential to it, namely: equal worth, male privilege, social movements, and intersecting hierarchies. Her insightful exploration of these elements within the context of present-day aims and goals of feminism provides the framework for an even larger discussion of why feminism is so feared in society, why it is so important to continuing the struggle for equity between women and men, and why, ultimately, it is the key to helping solve the looming global dilemmas that affect all of us. With the help of Estelle Freedman, I will journey through the ways that women fill the dual roles of "mother" and "worker." Along with Freedman, the theories of Maternalism, Liberal Feminism and Marxism Feminism will demonstrate how they either support or hurt women in becoming both "mothers" and "workers." Despite all three of these theories having the intention to help women become more equal to men, I believe that Maternalism and Liberal Feminism are the weakest arguments and ultimately inhibit women's ability to have equal worth. Liberalism Feminism focuses on women's ability to obtain legal and political rights. Like Liberalism's focus on property rights for an individual, one aspect of Liberal Feminism focuses on women's right to own property. This theory holds that women and men are self-owners capable of acquiring property rights over things. As such women and men, equally, have the right to freedom from coercive interference with their person and property. Liberal feminists are largely interested in marriage rights and property rights as well as legal and political rights. The founders of this theory were often women who had much to lose if their husbands were to leave them. In the early 19th century, women were not allowed to own property. During this time when women married, anything they had acquired on their own or inherited from their family, instantly belonged to their husband. Liberal Feminists were striving for political and legal rights and did not focus much attention upon either the aspects of motherhood nor labor. Because Liberalism Feminism lacked involvement in these two fields, it led to a great deal of preclusion from most women in society. Women, who were worried about keeping their children alive, were not so much worried about their ability to get an education or to obtain property rights. The flaws with Liberalist Feminist thought derive dir