Although feminism has been actively discussed and applied to nursing in Western societies since the 1980s, it is little known among Korean scholars as well as Korean nurses. This article explores the use of feminist perspectives in nursing science in other developed countries and suggests how feminism could be applied to nursing science in Korea.

The literature related to nursing and feminism were reviewed in terms of nursing practice, education, and research.

This article describes what feminism is and how feminism and nursing have evolved historically over time in other countries, especially in Western societies. In addition, it discusses how it can be applied to nursing practice, education, and research in Korea.

Accepting feminist perspective in Korean nursing could benefit in empowering nurses by valuing nursing, by raising self-esteem of nurses, and by raising the consciousness of socio-political realities. Eventually it could benefit in changing and developing nursing science in Korea.

The purpose of this study was to explore women caregivers' lived experiences in caring at home for a family member with dementia and to identify conditions that oppress women in the context of family caregiving.

This study was conducted within the feminist perspectives using qualitative secondary data. Ten secondary data conveying self reflective contents were selected from the 25 original data obtained in 1999 to 2000.

Six themes that emerged from the qualitative thematic content analysis were; androcentric view of family caregiving, undervalued family caregiving by the family members, Self rationalization in the context of family caregiving, family-centric care mechanism, exemplary caring within the family context, and inter-familial relationships among women.

The main focus of feminist research is to provide empowerment for the women research participants and to bring about social change of oppressive constraint through some actions. On the basis of the research findings, therefore, action strategies from feminist perspectives were suggested in some aspects of health care delivery sectors, nursing education and research sectors, and administrative sectors.

The purpose of this article was to describe feminism and to propose the integration of a feminist method into qualitative nursing methodology in order to expand the body of nursing knowledge.

The world view of feminism including philosophy, epistemology and methodology was outlined, and a feminist grounded theory and feminist ethnography were suggested as a way of strengthening nursing research methodology using literature review.

Four different philosophical perspectives of feminism, that is, liberal feminism, radical feminism, Marxist feminism, and social feminism were described. Also epistemological perspectives including feminist empiricism, feminist standpoint, and postmodern feminism, were explained and were related to the methodology and methods of feminism. To enhance the strengths of nursing research within the feminist perspectives, feminist grounded theory and feminist ethnography were exemplified in the paradigm of qualitative nursing research.

This paper suggested that incorporation of feminist approaches within nursing is a valuable attempt to expand the body of nursing knowledge and to enhance the quality of nursing care services by rectifying male-oriented knowledge and by empowering women in the care of other people as well as themselves.