feminism Flashcards
what is the difference between sex and gender?
sex is the biological differences between men and women (e.g childbirth and physical strength)
gender is the cultural difference which have led to feelings of superiority by men (e.g men are better CEOs women are suited to childcare). these are an artificial construct
what do liberal feminists believe about sex and gender differences?
thinkers such as Frieden accept sex differences but regard gender differences as artificial construct created by patriarchal society.
how do liberal feminist propose change in sex and gender belief?
respond through education and reform through legislation and the media. the cycle of male dominated attitudes must be broken by fundamental change
what is the patriarchal society?
a society dominated by men
what do radical feminists believe on sex and gender?
Kate millet and Juliet Mitchell- sees gender differences as more deep rooted. male gender exists in all aspects of life and must be destroyed in all theses places.
how do radical feminists propose change in sex and gender belief?
there needs to a be cultural revolution to combat patriarchy. Firestone believed in the removal of all sexual functions thus removing sex differences
what do socialist feminists believe about sex and gender?
the oppression and inferior status of women is caused by capitalism, women like workers have become the oppressed class, and are used as a cheap source of labour as in the home are a largely unpaid workforce
what do socialist feminists see as the solution to sex and gender?
the destruction of capitalism, or at least modification giving women same protection and pay as men
what is meant by the term ‘the personal is political’?
coined by Firestone, refers to the idea that any personal relationship between men and women is itself political, as men will seek to undermine women and assert their dominance over them as a result of patriarchy. No relationship in the private sphere is without significance in the political sphere.
what is the general feminist theory on the state?
there is no definitive idea of the state however most believe that that patriarchy reinforces the state
what do socialists feminists believe about the state?
see the state as an agent of capitalism and as capitalism naturally exploits women, the state is the ultimate exploiter
what do liberal feminists believe about the state?
liberals point to the reluctance of the state to address the inferior position of women. governments are run by men and so provide change through legislation such as: equality laws, equal pay, improve education, anti-discrimination laws
what do radical feminists believe about the state?
reform does not address fundamental problem of systemic nature of discrimination. problems are deeply rooted in culture and state is powerless to combat them
what do radical feminists believe about society?
patriarchy is fundamental in modern society. see the removal of patriarchy as the emancipation of women, but as it is so deeply rooted within: politics, economy, culture and media it can only be combatted in two ways.
full scale attack on cultural values in society and creation of female counter culture
what is equality feminism?
they seek equality for women in all spheres, argue that difference automatically leads to inequality and the male superiority must b destroyed
what is difference feminism?
the differences between men and women should be embraced but not fought against. they do not accept that one gender is superior to the other. however some. difference feminists believe that female characteristics are superior to male
what is intersectional feminism?
women have multiple identities such as their race Aswell as gender and sex. also points out that women experience different levels of oppression e.g white, middle class women have a different experience to black women or disabled women. bell hooks stresses race as key issue
what is the general feminist theory about the economy?
all agree that women are discriminated against in the economic world. this can be by: used as form of unpaid labour in the home, used as low pay labour or dispensable, women are paid lower wages, women often left out of senior jobs
what do socialist feminists believe about the economy?
oppression of women is caused by capitalism, which has reduced them to wage slaves. women are used as a reserve army of labour.
what are core ideas to liberal feminism?
- liberty- women should be free to choose own lives
- equality of opportunity
- equal rights with men
- equal democratic rights
what is meant by the term ‘otherness’?
theory that refers to the position of women in society, treated as separate and inferior
de Beauvoir called women the ‘second sex’
how did liberals suggest combatting patriarchy?
- women should make own choice on what roles they want to play
- combat cultural attitudes through education and opposition to sexist attitudes
- women have to achieve formal equality in all fields, through legislation
how do radical feminists suggest combatting patriarchy?
- abolition of nuclear family and replaced with communal forms of child rearing, to remove male domination
- sexual liberation, free from male-female relationships
- elimination of biological roles, removal of sex differences between men and women
what is cultural feminism?
a branch of radical feminism that accepts that women are born with different characteristics which in some cases are superior to males
how do modern socialist feminists suggest combatting patriarchy?
through the destruction of capitalism women will be liberated. some less extreme argue the extreme modification of capitalism will liberate women
which groups do socialist feminists focus on? what is their overall aim?
working class women and in the modern era aim for liberation and equality of women
what is post modern feminism?
general term that rejects forms of thinking that have become limited by confinement to traditional ways of thinking. rejecting fixed theories of radicals and socialists and see position of women as complex problem
what ideas do post modern feminists stress?
- the importance of language in carrying patriarchal attitudes .
- women must be given freedom to make own choices of role whether its traditional or not
- women must choose nature of relationships
what is post modern feminism also known as? what other branches does it include?
often called third wave and includes intersectional feminists
what does De Beauvoir believe on human nature?- (liberal)
gender differences are created by men in society, the are not natural
what does De Beauvoir believe on the state? (liberal)
the state reinforces a culture that prevents women from expressing their true freedom and identity
what does De Beauvoir believe on society? (liberal)
social constraints prevents individuals, not just women from attainting self realisation and true freedom
what does De Beauvoir believe on the economy? (liberal)
mens domination of economic life restricts the life choices open to women
what is existentialism?
the belief of setting the freedom of the individual against the constrictions placed on them by the world, De Beauvoir was an existentialist
what does bell hooks believe on human nature? (intersectional)
women have multiple identities and therefore experience multiple forms of oppression e.g black women experience different oppression to white women
what does bell hooks believe on the state? (intersectional)
the state is dominated by white males and therefore rejects and reinforces their dominant position in society
what does bell hooks believe on society? (intersectional)
society is full of complex relationships between different minorities. in order to resolve conflict love between cultures must be established
what does bell hooks believe on the economy? (intersectional)
women living in poverty have problems that middle class women do not face, the liberation of the poor is an economic issue
what does Shelia Rowbotham believe on human nature? (socialist)
women’s consciousness of the world is created by men
what does Shelia rowbotham believe on the state? (socialist)
the state is a servant of capitalism
what does Shelia rowbotham believe on society? (socialist)
the nature of society is economically determined, society reflects the dominant position of both capitalists and men, roots of patriarchy are in relationships between men and women
what does Shelia rowbotham believe on the economy? (socialist)
women are the low paid reserve army of labour, capitalism should be abolished to establish equality
what does Kate millet believe on human nature? (radical)
women are all capable of freeing themselves from male oppression by engaging in lesbian relationships
what does Kate millet believe on the state? (radical)
the state is merely an agent of patriarchy, it is part of the problem not the solution
what does Kate millet believe on society? (radical)
modern society is characterised by patriarchy, which infests both the public and private spheres
what some of the tensions between liberal and radical feminists?
- liberals see it as a reform movement whereas radicals propose a cultural revolution
- liberals see patriarchy as a characteristic of society and something that can be combated by reform. Whereas radicals believe it is fundamental with deep roots in human consciousness
- liberals believe that women should be free to choose how they live and relationships with men. radicals believe mens domination must be destroys and superiority reversed
this where do socialist feminist disagree with liberals and radicals?
socialists argue that liberals and radicals de-emphasise the importance of economic factors, and believe that patriarchy has economic origins.
however radicals argue that patriarchy is cultural and psychological not just economic
what tension is there between difference and equality feminists?
some difference feminists argue that women characteristics are superior to men, as seeking equality only recognises male dominance.
how did Perkins Gilman believe women could be liberated?
liberation lay in equality of opportunity and full employment
what did Perkins Gilman say on socialisation?
girls are socialised from and early age to take on the role of motherhood and homemaking and not the wider economic world
what did Perkins Gilman believe on the nuclear family?
child rearing and housework led to domestic slavery, she campaigned for destruction of nuclear family and replaced by forms of communal living
what did Perkins Gilman believe of human nature?
the biological differences between men and women are irrelevant, women can compete equally with men
what does Perkins Gilman believe of society?
society has always assigned inferior roles to women and modern society this no longer has justification
what does Perkins Gilman believe of the economy?
the domestic servitude of women allowed men to dominate the economic world
how do liberal feminists argue the economy has changed?
liberals argue that the nature of the economy has changed through feminisation of economy with better access to jobs and more focus on office jobs than Manual labour jobs
