Feminism

Question 1

Equality Feminism

Answer 1

Feminism is for everyone; long term interests of everyone in society are served by sex equality.

Question 2

Early Liberal Feminism

Answer 2

Focused on equal rights in law:
- Pay discrimination
- Legalisation of Abortion
-Laws against sexual harassment

Question 3

Critiques of Liberal Feminism

Answer 3

Demand for equal rights push in a non-liberal direction (requires state intervention)

Question 4

Radical Feminism

Answer 4

Goes to the root of womens oppression

Question 5

Radical Feminism

Answer 5

Sees oppression of women as the most universal form of domination and seeks to understand and end it

Question 6

Radical Feminism

Answer 6

Male power is not confined to the public world of politics and extends into the personal

Question 7

Radical Feminism

Answer 7

Women as a group have interest opposed to those of men

Question 8

Kate Millett

Answer 8

Introduced the ‘patriarchy’

Claims that in all known societies, relationships between sexes are based on power.

Patriarchy maintained by socialization, economic exploitations, and threat/use of force.

Question 9

Patriarchy and the Family

Answer 9

Men benefit from unequal arrangements, ie Women have to stay home, women disadvantaged when competing with them

Question 10

Solutions to the family?

Answer 10

Seperatism, force men to accept domestic responsibilities, or just abolish traditional family ideas.

Question 11

Patriarchy and Sex

Answer 11

Rape is not an isolated experience, but a part of culture where the threat of sexual violence dominates women’s lives.

Question 12

Objection to Radical Feminists Sexual Violence

Answer 12

NotAllMen ie; Rejection of the claim that all men collude in/benefit from sexual violence.

Question 13

Individual Choice vs Group Interests

Answer 13

Liberal feminists say: maximize the range of choices available to women, No criticism of women’s choice.

Radical Feminists say:
- Must understand the context within a choice is made
- Choices not immune to critique and can harm women as a group.

Question 14

Liberal Feminists on Porn

Answer 14

Pornography is free speech
-Women should be free to act in porn if they choose
-priority to freedom
-porn can be empowering for actresses

Question 15

Radical Feminists on Power

Answer 15

Pornography limits women’s free speech
-It is not a genuine choice (For many) to act in porn
-Individual women’s choices can harm women as a class
-Priority to equality
-problematic when women’s power comes from sexual availability to men