Barbara Walters, Joy Behar Clash Over Rick Santorum's 'Radical Feminism' Remarks (VIDEO)

During Monday's show, the ladies of "The View" found themselves in a heated discussion about GOP candidate Rick Santorum's controversial comments about feminism.

In his book "It Takes A Family," Santorum criticized what he called "radical feminism" for "convincing women that professional accomplishments are the key to happiness."

"View" co-host Barbara Walters first responded to Santorum's remarks. Walters said that she did not think Santorum was "terribly off the point." According to Walters, there was a time when "feminists made the women who stayed home and had children feel inferior." Walters said that "we are finally changing so that we realize...that you can make a choice."

Co-host Joy Behar staunchly disagreed with Walters. She said that the feminism movement empowered women to have choices. She also called Santorum a "coward" for saying that his wife, Karen, wrote the paragraph about "radical feminism" in his book. Behar looked at Walters and told her more than once that she really disagreed with her.

Whoopi Goldberg and Sherri Shepherd had an entirely different response to the discussion. Shepherd said that her mom "had to work, or we wouldn't eat. That's all I know." Goldberg shared similar sentiments and said that she always felt the feminism movement only spoke to a certain group of women. According to Goldberg, the movement did not represent "the women who had no choice and had to go out and work...They were talking to the women who needed the encouragement to go and move."

WATCH:

Comments

[ddDinah]

05:39 PM on 03/09/2012

You do realize what is missing in todays' landscape between the Republican's war on women and women themselves...It's the feminist factor that is lacking. If it were in tact today, the Republican's WOUDN'T DARE declare war on women. There is a great divide between who is being listened to these days.

[lib2dbone]

02:04 AM on 02/16/2012

Why do these simple TP women continue to vote for these people?

[jadedmonkey]

09:01 AM on 02/16/2012

I was asking myself the same question the other day when I was reading this article:
http://current.com/community/93665605_republicans-pass-bill-forcing-vaginal-probes.htm?xid=RSSfeed

[Razpooten]

02:02 AM on 02/16/2012

From the outset, the christian mindset is that woman should be subserviant. She was created second and she was cursed with labor pains for going against the grain and dared to seek knowledge.

[Razpooten]

01:57 AM on 02/16/2012

Does Santorum have a chapter on how to keep them barefoot and pregnant

[rationalitymatters]

08:47 AM on 02/16/2012

That's the religious right's agenda. They want to take away birth control (defunding Planned Parenthood/not having it covered by medical insurance/Personhood law) which will effectively keep women at home as they will be pregnant all the time.
This is their worldview that we are up against and you female republican voters need to take this seriously.

[Razpooten]

10:58 AM on 02/16/2012

Yes and mandating sonorgrams if they seek an abortion. Which has not medical merit but is merely an emotional extortion to sway a woman from making the choice.

[Rebecca Carey]

12:52 AM on 02/16/2012

Feminism is the notion that women and men are equal, and deserve the same rights.
Pure and simple.

[floridafun]

07:25 AM on 02/16/2012

absolutely! and the movement made women realize there should be no stigma in leaving an abusive spouse etc, that they do NOT have to remain silent and meekly follow or rish being "put in line" by her man. cheers to the movement!

[jabberwocky10]

02:31 PM on 02/20/2012

you don't need a movement to leave an abusive spouse. you have to have determination, courage, and a plan.

[westcoastprog]

10:07 PM on 02/15/2012

Seems to me, the issue of feminism as a movement has to do with the fact that---no matter what the impetus for involvement in the workplace, whether it is the luxury of choice or the mandate of financial necessity---once the woman is a functioning part of the workplace, her involvement, opportunities for advancement, and income should not be subordinate, secondary, or in any way inferior to her male co-workers.

I put myself through college by being a part-time bank teller in a private bank of 87 employees. I was one of 7 males working there. 80 women worked in that bank.The week after I graduated, I was offered the job of loan officer. For the 4 years I had worked there, I had become aware that many women who were capable, longtime employees with stellar records were hoping themselves to be considered for the coveted position of loan officer. When I found out that these women had been looked over and that I, a 22-year old with no interest in banking as a profession had been selected over them, I turned down the job. That was the day I---a male---became a "feminist". From then on I identified strongly with the struggles of women in the workplace.

[LIONNYC]

10:20 PM on 02/15/2012

Thank you! F&F

[celticmaiden7475]

11:43 PM on 02/15/2012

Wow that was an awesome thing to do. It's good you didn't want to remain with a company that would be willing to treat employees with that much disregard.

[butifulcrazyworld]

07:51 PM on 02/15/2012

Feminism is about equality. Equality for pay, for jobs, and for opportunities. Whether women HAVE to work or CHOOSE to work it's important to get paid a fair and equal wage. Whoopi, equal pay applies to ALL women not just "certain" women. Sherri and Whoppi need to get over themselves.....I HAVE to work to feed my family too and I thank the feminists that led the way for equal wages.

[92102]

07:32 PM on 02/15/2012

Does Rick let his wife wear shoes?

[olebroad1]

09:03 PM on 02/15/2012

Only when he ALLOWS her out of the house!!

[lmb21]

10:54 PM on 02/15/2012

That only happens when he is around as he is too worried about her safety and must stand guard, even if it means putting his own safety in peril.

[Razpooten]

02:07 AM on 02/16/2012

Only when she is pregnant.

[floridafun]

07:28 AM on 02/16/2012

only stilleto heels after dark in private..saddle shoes in public LOL! f&f

[cameron d]

05:39 PM on 02/15/2012

How out of touch is Barbara Walters? Seriously. This is getting nuts.

[GirlFriday123]

04:47 PM on 02/15/2012

Whoopi and Sherri are right. The idea that working is a choice and not a necessity is a luxury that only a few women enjoy in this or any age.

Women have always worked. The difference is that there are more opportunities and that work can (and should be) fulfilling.

[floridafun]

07:31 AM on 02/16/2012

thats not the way i remember the 40s and 50s..in alot of small town america a rare woman would work and get some respect. most who worked were assumed to be married to a jerk who refused to support his family properly--and unable to keep the little woman in line..

[lisaman]

01:35 PM on 02/15/2012

Reading her bio, I wonder how she felt when given on air duties only to find out that her co-host refused to be on air with her unless he got to ask the first 4 questions.

As a woman, I know I have many strong women to thank for the freedoms and liberties I have that my grandmother did not. Like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton who devoted 50 years to the woman's suffrage movement but neither of which lived to see women receive the right to vote. I believe that more women would have done more for the world if we had been allowed to. I also believe that Joy is right and Barbara is wrong.

[LogicalMathMan]

12:17 PM on 02/15/2012

As an immigrant to the US from a developing nation, I really believe that the feminist movement empowered women all over the globe to aspire to some level of parity with their male counterparts. There is still much to be accomplished in this regard, given the still-glaring, disparate wage rates between the sexes for the same job.

[lisaman]

01:26 PM on 02/15/2012

The other day I tried to fan you and something a glitch or something prevented it. Not today however! Nothing better than a man who really "gets it"!

[LogicalMathMan]

02:29 PM on 02/15/2012

O my...you made my day...F'ed back.

[bobncar]

12:04 PM on 02/15/2012

My mother worked almost her entire life, because she and my dad liked to spend money. It had nothing to do with the feminist movement as that was way before Gloria Steinem and a feminist movement. My grandmothers raised my brother and myself. I worked all my married life in order to be able to help support my kids. Now my daughter is working just to be able to support herself. Rick Santorum knows not of what he speaks, and I for one wish he would keep his particular values to himself.

[floridafun]

07:32 AM on 02/16/2012

well said! f&f

[mom72]

08:56 AM on 02/15/2012

My husband and I made the decision together that I would stay at home and raise the children and he would provide the income for us to do so. That means a lot of sacrifices made by both of us, Yes my friends that work outside the home have nicer things, bigger houses and get to take vacations but that's the point of the world of women today, its a choice. Not all of us can afford to be stay at home mom's and some of us make incredible sacrifices in order to do so. those of us who are raising families alone have no choice at all, and I think this is where those of us who do should step in to offer help and not criticize each other for what we have or choose to do to raise our children. Santorum is another male thinking he knows whats best for ALL women while preaching small government. Women aren't all wrapped up in nice neat packages and our situations are all different and in 2012 it's up to us as individuals to get to figure it own on our own.

[suburbanmom]

01:56 PM on 02/15/2012

We made a similar decision. Since my husband's income was larger, I stayed home with the kids after our older son was diagnosed with Aspergers Autism. We feel blessed that we could make that decision, because a lot of families can't. But, I plan to return to the workforce soon, and I never would imagine not being able to.

I think Whoopi and Sherri have the most realistic views. Some women need to work in order to put food on the table. Some women are able to have choices.

I think it's more important to look at the perceived value of women's work and careers. The fact that women in identical fields with identical experience and education still make less than the same men is deplorable. This needs to be fixed.

[Eileenla]

08:06 AM on 02/15/2012

Either way, try raising a family today on a single income. Choice, necessity....doesn't matter when the bills need paying.