5. Feminism Ideology (Quotes) Paper 2 Flashcards
“the personal is political”
“One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman” Simone de Beauvoir, “The Second Sex”- the entire notion of a woman is a social rather than biological construct, developed by men, to serve their own economic and physical interests. Women are conditioned to accept a passive role in life via socialisation learnt from an early age.
“we had been socialised as females by patriarchal thinking to see ourselves as inferior to men, to see ourselves as always and only in competition with each other” bell hooks- “Feminism is for Everybody”-the idea that patriarchy teaches women to hate themselves and view themselves as inferior- leads to a belief that it is not only men who need to understand the patriarchy they impose to enable liberation but also women themselves must break free of the preconceptions about themselves which are the product of male domination in sexual culture
women need to “unlearn self-hatred” bell hooks - “Feminism is for Everybody”
“Men will often admit other women are oppressed, but not you” Sheila Rowbotham in “Women’s consciousness, men’s world” - men cannot really understand the nature of the oppression they impose on women
“It is only when women start to organise in large numbers that we become a political force, and begin to move towards the possibility of a truly democratic society” Sheila Rowbotham- took up Engel’s theory of the “reserve army of labour” (first hired and first fired theory) and proposed that the overthrow of capitalism and its replacement with a new world where equality is paramount is necessary. Just as industrial workers need to organise to combat capitalism, so do women
“the problem with no name” the desire by women to have something more in life than a home and a family- Betty Friedan
“the labour of women in the house certainly enables men to produce more wealth than they otherwise could” Charlotte Perkins Gilman- “Women and Economics”- describes the position of women in the economy as a result of the culturally determines gender roles imposed by a patriarchal society which confines women to the home
“otherness” Simone de Beauvoir, also stressed by Freidan, a concept that places certain groups as somehow other or outside of society, considered to be inferior. This was applied to women by feminists. In the world of men, women are treated as outsiders, defined by the fact that they are not men (androcentrism)
“Until women themselves reject stigma…they have no hope of achieving full human stature” Germaine Greer in “The Female Eunuch”- women have been taught to hate themselves as well as men hating women and so that to overcome the inferiority imposed upon them they must be willing to liberate themselves.
the pursuit of “personhood” was dangerous for encouraging women to deny the importance of home, family and children Betty Friedan- not a radical feminist
women should “seize control of the means of production” Firestone
“a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle” idea proposed by some of the most radical feminists that women should pursue private as well as public separatism from men in the form of political lesbiansim
if the politics of sameness was pursued, a society where “there would no longer be men and women but only workers equal with one another” would occur Simone de Beauvoir- equality can only be achieved in society via an androgynous ideal
“patriarchy’s greatest weapon is.. its universality and longevity” Kate Millett- recognised the ability of patriarchy to reinvent itself from generation to generation- each generation of feminism had broken down barriers that held women back only to find that more still exist. In the modern day, there is still covert sexism and mysoginy.
“revolution within a revolution” is required Sheila Rowbotham- realised that sexism is just as entrenched within left-wing men as it is amongst men of the right- once revolution is over women are often relegated to a traditional role of caregiver and housewife
“feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation and oppression” bell hooks- highlights how she sought to diversify the feminist movement and make it more eclectic- her work focuses on the intersectionality of race, capitalism and gender specifically.
give an example of two essentialist feminists: Lynnne Segal and Susan Griffin- men seek to conquer and destroy, women give birth to life and seek harmony with rhythms of nature.
What are the six structures of patriarchy according to Sylvia Walby? Paid work, housework, culture, sexuality, violence and the state
what is “patriarchal relations of production”? Sylvia Walby- a way in which patriarchy still exists in the 20th century through housework- men benefit from women doing unpaid domestic work at home
What was passed in 2019 related to the public/private sphere debate? A bill to say that domestic abuse can cover non-physical and economic abuse
In June 2020, what did the UCL institute of education and institute for fiscal studies find? that mothers were 47% more likely to permanently lose their job or quit
Which two sectors were the worst hit during covid-19? Hospitality and retail which both have high numbers of female employees.
“there is no female mind” Charlotte Perkins Gilman
What are the dates for the first wave of feminism? 1850s to 1940s (focus on legal and political rights of women)
What are the dates for second wave of feminism? 1960s to 1980s (focus on gender roles)
What are the dates for third wave feminism? 1980s - 2010s (focus on intersectionality)
What are the dates for fourth wave feminism (associated with post-modern feminism)? 2010+ (focus on importance of language surrounding sex and gender, reaction against portrayal of women in the media)
Give 4 examples of state passed legislation that achieved feminist goals: Equal Pay Act 2010, Abortion Act 1967, Equality Act 2010, Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (amongst other things, concerned sexual harassment in work place, passed by Major)
Child rearing and domestic work amounts to “domestic slavery” Charlotte Perkins Gilman
What is bell hooks talking about when she says in “Reel to Reel”, “they have power over us, and we have no power over them” The media - in particular the movie industry and its portrayal of women that teaches us to hate ourselves as well as overtly under representing women of colour and non-white bourgeois women
What do eco-feminists give as the reason for women being physiologically connected to the earth as well as theoretically in the fact that they are both oppressed by men? Women are connected to nature through the practice of child birth as well as their menstrual cycles being linked to the lunar cycle. Therefore women are defined as life-giving and biophilic whilst men are defined as death giving due to their tendency for war
What is “womanism”? A social theory that focuses on the struggles of women of colour and black women specifically due to mainstream feminism overlooking them
Womanist’s believe in gender reconciliation rather than gender equality. What does this mean? They acknowledge that both men and women are afflicted by gender injustice and there needs to be mutual healing
Who coined the term “womanist”? Alice Walker
How does womanism differ from intersectionality? Womanism sees culture as not a part of feminism but a lens through which feminism is viewed. Intersectionality views culture (or class/sexuality etc) as the focal point of one’s feminism
“womanist is to feminist as purple is to lavender” Alice Walker - feminism is a subtype of womanism
Which Supreme Court case in the USA legalised abortion? Roe v Wade 1973
How is Naomi Wolf an example of a post-modern feminist? She believes that women have the responsibility to liberate themselves - makes the distinction between “victim” feminists and “power” feminists in her book Fire with Fire. The difference is that the former seeks power through the identity of powerlessness, focusing on a common identity of victimhood, whilst the latter sees their common identity as potential and deservingness. the latter hate sexism, not men.
“men punish the weak, while women punish the strong” Gloria Steinem
women need a “new psychology of power” Naomi Wolf
women should value their “rapport a soi” (freedom) de Beauvoir. women couldn’t live up to all the incompatible myths of femininity, Beauvoir thought, they often felt like failures. Instead of asking themselves what they wanted for their lives, they berated themselves for not being what others wanted.
Give an example of how Naomi Wolf presents “the personal is political” in The Beauty Myth: She argues that the epidemic of eating disorders is the result of a social order that seeks to render women insignificant. by a new standard - beauty - now that they are largely free from the old standard of domesticity which second wave feminists fought against. She calls anorexics and bulimics “political prisoners” and that the “disgrace is not our own but that of an inhumane social order”. Also strongly criticises cosmetic surgery.
What is the premise of Naomi Wolf’s The Beauty Myth? A “beauty backlash” has taken place which has countered women’s new freedoms by transposing the social limits to women’s lives directly onto their faces and bodies. We may have more rights, but we are potentially less liberated than our grandmothers when it comes to how we feel about ourselves. Wolf argues that the “beauty myth” is what has taken over the “feminine mystique” of domesticity.
What does Wolf mean by the “iron maiden” in The Beauty Myth? The backlash has set this intrinsically unattainable standard which is used to punish women physically and psychologically for their failure to conform to it. “ The gaunt, youthful model supplanted the happy housewife as the arbiter of successful womanhood”. Wolf argues that this standard is set not because being thin or beautiful is actually more desirable, but that it creates this unceasing market of consumers searching for the product that will allow them to achieve the standard, which is impossible
Coined by Firestone, popularised by Hanisch - underscores the connections between personal experience and larger social and political structures. Supported by radical feminists, opposed by liberal feminists.
“society…decrees that woman is inferior”
Simone de Beauvoir in “The Second Sex”
