Feminism Flashcards
liberal feminism
sees individualism as the basis of gender equality
socialist feminism
believes that gender inequality stems from economics and that capitalism creates patriarchy
radical feminism
the biggest problem facing society is gender inequality
post-modern feminism
argues that patriarchy manifests in different ways depending on a woman’s race, class, etc.
charlotte perkins gilman is a key…
liberal feminist
simmone de beauvoir is a key…
socilaist feminist
kate millet is a key…
radical feminist
sheila rowbotham is a key…
socialist feminist
bell hooks is a key…
postmodern feminist
who are the key thinkers for socialist feminism
rowbotham and de beauvoir
who is the key thinker for liberal feminism
charlotte perkins gilman
who is the key thinker for radical feminism
kate miller
who is the key thinker for postmodern feminism
bell hooks
public sphere
society outside the home, particularly in work
private sphere
involving private relationships in the home, specifically domestic life
essentialism
biological factors are significant in the different character and behaviour of men and women
gender stereotypes
the different ways society expects men and women to behave according to gender roles
discrimination
less favourable treatment of one group of people compared to another
equality of opportunity
all humans, irrespective of sex, should have an equal chance in society to rise and fall
political equality
equal right to vote
legal equality
the law applies equally to all and no one is above the law
reserve army of labour
women constitute a spare workforce that can be called on as and when is needed
gender equality
society should treat everyone equally regardless of their gender
cultural feminism
a form of difference feminism that seeks to challenge the dominance of male culture in society and promote women’s values instead
reformist
seeking to change society gradually and peacefully
otherness
the idea that women were considered fundamentsally different from men, the norm, and so women deviated from the norm and were therefore ‘other’s
two categories of feminism
equality and difference
equality feminimsm definition
believe in the goal of achieving equality between men and women by eliminating cultural differences
strands for equality feminism
liberal feminists, socialist feminists, radical feminists, postmodern feminists
difference feminism definition
men and women are fundamentally different and women are equal or superior to men. differences should be accepted and celebrated.
what type of politics are equality feminists associated with
politics of sameness
what type of politics are difference feminists associated with
politics of difference
differences between the two branches of feminism
equality feminists seek equality for men and women in society whereas difference feminists argue that men and women have inherently different natures - equality feminists believe this difference automatically leads to inequality
what did first wave feminism focus on
political and legal equality for white, often middle-class women
what did second wave feminism focus on
equality in broader society and it began looking at representation of women and discrimination
what did third wave feminism focus on
women having a choice - began to be conscious of race and ‘intersectionality’
what did fourth wave feminism focus on
focuses on many who have been excluded my feminism and sspreads awareness of the dangers of social media for women.
what did many wolstonecraft believe
women should be afforded the same rights and privelages as men on the grounds that they are human beings, meaning they should also get the right to vote
what did Mill and his wife Harriet Taylor believe regarding feminism
society should be based on reason and accidents on birth such as sex were not important to this
what do most feminists believe about sex and gender
sex and gender are not the same thing - sex is thr biological differences between females and males whereas gender refers to the cultural and economic differences between the lives of men and women
what do liberal feminists accept in terms of sex but reject in regard to gender
they accept the differences in sex but regard gender differences and the superiority of men to be an artificial construct created by patriarchal societies
for liberal feminists, what is the inferiority of women
a learned behavious that has its roots in historical civilisations and has been embedded into education
what do liberal feminists propose to combat the learned behaviour of women being inferior to men
the need for reform through legislation, suggesting that the state can have a role, to improve education and combat sexist attitudes
where do radical feminists believe gender exists
in all aspects of life: work, home, personal, relationships and generally in cultural life
what does kate millet believe gender differences have
essentially cultural, rather than biological bases
who said that gender differences have essentially cultural, rather than biological bases
kate millet
what did radical feminist julie mitchell propose was needed to get rid of problematic gender distinctions
a cultural revolution to combat the patriarchy
what did radical feminist shulamith firestone suggest about history and the way to combat the oppression of women
history is a dialectical struggle and the oppression of women could be overcome by removing all sexual functions of women and replacing it instead with androgyny.
foir socialist feminists, why do patriarchal societies assign inferior gender roles to women
so that they become a cheap labour force, making them used to being overworked and underpaid in the workplace.
Simmone de Beauvoir: ‘women are not…
born, they are made’
socialist feminist perspective of women and work
they are dispensable and can be thrown out upon a slump in the economy, meaning they are poorly paid and often lack job security, acting as second-class labour.
what is the solution to stopping the patriarchy according to socialist feminists
destroy the capitalist system whi9ch oppresses women.
what is patriarchy
systematic, pervasive and institutionalised gender oppression
all feminists agree that the ability of the father to…
dominate family life allows men to dominate institutions in society as well.
most feminists believe that the exploitation and subjugations of women…
happens both in the public and the private sphere
what do liberal feminists believe the patriarchy is problematic for
it prevents women from reaching senior positions and equality in the public sphere
how do liberal feminists propose to resolve the cultural issue of the patriarchy
make society less patriarchal in a gradual way such as with legislative political and cultural reforms
for socialist feminists, what is the patriarchy closely linked with
capitalism, gender subordination and class inequality
for sheila rowbotham, what is society
economically determined
(sheila rowbotham) the economically deterministic nature of society reflects the dominant position of…
both capitalists and men and their ability to oppress women.
how do socialist feminists propose to get rid of the patriarchy
capitalism and therefore patriarchy must be destroyed for the oppression of women to end through a female cultural revolution
what does only man have the ability to do
freedom to choose and set himself up as essential and subject. in contrast, women are both inessential and object
what did socialist feminist simone de beauvoir advocate for
a balanced couple that displayed equality in difference and difference in equality
what is the radical feminist understanding of patriarchy
it is deeply divisive and begins in the family through socialisation
patriarchy expresses…
the pattern of male domination and female subordination that characterises society at large which is essentially a reflection of the power structures that operate in domestic life.
how do radical feminists believe patriarchy should be resolved
must be entirely removed with a full scale attack on patriarchal institutions and the creation of a female counterculture
what does intersectionality identify
a system of oppression that takes us beyond the traditional feminist conception of male oppression
what do black and white women experience differently according to postmodern feminists
the patriarchy
all feminists agree that women must be able to access the…
economy on an equal basis to men
charlotte perkins gillman argued that…
the economy discriminates against women in various different ways
what do socialist feminists believe women have been made into by the patriarchy
inferior wage slaves or a reserve army of labour
what does ‘the personal is political’ attempt to highlight
the subordinate status of women and thereby challenge the traditional dominance of the male within the home and the family
what can gender expectations do
reflect and reinforce the power imbalance between men and women in society
what does ‘the personal is political’ mean
all relationships, both in the public and private sphere, between men and women are based on power and dominance
what do liberal feminists advocate for the separation of
the public and private spheres, meaning they do not believe that the personal is political.
for liberal feminists, what should the private sphere be outside the influence of
the state and legislation, as long as behaviour inside the home complies with mill’s harm principle
where do politics exist for radical feminists
wherever social conflict is found, including in the private sphere
Millet said that politics is…
power-structured relationships, arrangements whereby one group of persons is controlled by another
what do socialist feminists and radical feminists agree on regarding patriarchy and the economy
the extra burden placed on women in the home/family have led to them being oppressed
Rowbotham said that economic oppression of women….
spreads into the home and society as well
for radical feminists, everything is…
political
why do most women not understand that the personal is political
their consciousness has been dominated by the male-dominated patriarchal society in which they live
