Feminism: Resistance to Male Hegemony
Hegemony And Gender Bias Traditionally, one group's power over another is conceived of as controlled through force, including direct violence, "the force of law", threat of war, economic sanctions etc.: men were allowed to beat their wives, fathers could legally dictate who their daughters married, rape was often legal or condoned (a man could rape his servants, a husband could rape his wife or wives), women were forbidden to vote or hold property, birth control is outlawed etc.
Thus, traditional feminists fought for equality under the law: the right to hold property, the right to sue for divorce, the right to vote, the right to equal pay for equal work.
More modern conceptions of power revolve around Ideology: the ability to define their own image through literature and media.
Thus, more modern feminism addresses prevailing beliefs -- conceptions/perceptions of male and female -- as much as laws.
(Note: "Modern" conceptions of feminism argue the feminine should be equal to the masculine, but Post-Modern conceptions of feminism challenge the very concept of "feminine" or even "woman" as themselves ideology.)