feminism

Question 1

what is feminism?

Answer 1

political movement; exists to rectify sexual inequalities
- although strategies for social change vary
- inequality between genders is universal and the most significant form of inequality
- gender norms are socially constructed - not determined by biology
- patriarchy is the main cause of gender inequality
- women = subordinate because men have more power

Question 2

when was the first wave of feminism?

Answer 2

1830s - early 1900s

Question 3

what did first wave feminists fight for?

Answer 3

equal CONTRACT and PROPERTY rights
- women realised they must first gain POLITICAL power (including right to vote), to bring about change
- political agenda expanded to issues concerning SEXUAL, REPRODUCTIVE & ECONOMIC matters
- women could contribute the same if not more than men

Question 4

when was the second wave of feminism?

Answer 4

1960s - 1980s

Question 5

what did second wave feminist fight for?

Answer 5

focused on the WORKPLACE, SEXUALITY, FAMILY & REPRODUCTIVE rights
- after WWII
- equal pay, contraception, equal job rights, freedom from démoustication violence
- women felt like they needed to address gender inequality before moving on to fight for other minority groups (eg gay & lesbian movement, black civil rights movement etc)

Question 6

when was third wave feminism?

Answer 6

1990s - early 2000s

Question 7

what did third wave feminists focus on?

Answer 7

focus on INDIVIDUALITY
- varying feminist outlooks
- challenging traditional ideas about sexuality & gender
- abolishing gender roles - in the media
- end violence against women
- acceptance and true understanding of the term ‘feminsim’

Question 8

fourth wave feminism

Answer 8

2010 onwards
- tackling sexism GLOBALLY
- new forms of technology available, like social media
- online support networks
- the everyday sexism project was highly successful - highlighting daily examples of engrained sexism

Question 9

5 major concepts of feminism

Answer 9

PATRIARCHY - dominance of men in society, oppression of women (for men’s gain)
DISCRIMINATION - unfair / unequal treatment of women
GENDER STEREOTYPES - negative generalisations / misconceptions about women, perpetuated by the media and educations system
ECONOMIC DEPENDENCY - women giving up work to take care of children / housework, becoming dependant on husbands for money
EMOTIONAL WORK - women expected to do majority of emotional care for family, on top of their job and housework, ‘triple shift’

Question 10

what is liberal feminism?

Answer 10

focused on equal opportunities / rights in areas such as the WORKPLACE, EDUCATION & POLITICS
- argue gender inequality is because of gender role socialisation and unfair laws
- eg gender pay gap + political reforms
- regard legislation as a way to achieve equality - the LAW
- eg the Equal Pay Act and Sec Discrimination Act
- emerged in the 19th century

Question 11

evaluation of liberal feminism (-3, +1)

Answer 11

-ve : focuses too much on individualism
-ve : ignores how systemic oppression impacts diff. groups of women
+ve : paved the way for important social & political changes
- women’s suffrage and reproductive rights
-ve : marxist & radical feminists would argue that they fail to explain how males and females come to hold diff. levels of power (in the family and more widely)

Question 12

what is marxist feminism?

Answer 12

stems from both marxism and feminism
- both work together to understand exploitation & oppression of women in the economic / work world
- started in mid 1800s
- argue the family = patriarchal institution, women’s position in the family (as mothers & wives) results in them being exploited by capitalism

Question 13

why do marxist feminists argue that women serve the needs of capitalism?

Answer 13

they reproduce the next generation of workers
- and socialise them into norms and values that benefit capitalism
- boys = breadwinners, girls = housewives
- encourage them to be hardworking
- family socialises members to accept traditional gender roles - men and women have diff. jobs

women’s domestic work = unpaid
- benefits capitalism - only one wage has to be paid
- wife is then dependant on husband’s wage
- wife keeps her husband in good running order = essential for capitalism
— Benston (1972)

Question 14

evaluation of marxist feminism (-3)

Answer 14

-ve : too narrowly focussed on the economy, not paying attention to other factors
-ve : postmodernists believe that there is no longer a significant social division
-ve : radicals argue that patriarchy is a bigger form of exploitation, predates capitalism, exists in all known societies

Question 15

what is radical feminism?

Answer 15

calls for a radical reorganising of society
- patriarchy = main form of oppression
- men are advantaged in every aspect of society
- family = central to the oppression of women
- gender division of labour, served to reinforce male domination
- nuclear family seen as a means to ensure male dominance - female subordination, unpaid domestic work, dependant on men
- emerged in 1960s

Question 16

evaluation of radical feminism (-3, +1)

Answer 16

-ve : tend to talk about the family, ignore variations in family life between diff. groups
-ve : see women as sharing common interests BUT, social class and ethnicity are important sources of inequality and differences between women
-ve : liberals would say the position of women in society has changed over time
+ve : analytical, seeks to address and dismantle the roots of the problems

Question 17

strengths of feminism (4)

Answer 17

made improvements to LAW and ATTITUDES
highlight INEQUALITIES between men and women in employment, family, media etc
makes sure that women’s perspectives are taken into account
emphasised the SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTED nature of gender differences

Question 18

weakness of feminism (3)

Answer 18

liberals criticised for being overly optimistic
ignores masculinity
Marxists and radicals argue that broader changed are needed if women are to gain true equality