Feminism Flashcards
Feminism Basics
Feminists believe that there is significant inequality between men and women, and that this is universal. They believe that gender inequality is the most significant form of inequality in society.
Gender Norms
Feminists believe that gender norms are socially constructed and not determined by biology, so can be changed.
Patriarchy
Feminists believe that the patriarchy is the main cause of gender inequality in society - women are subordinate as men wield more power.
Political Movement
Feminism is a political movement, existing to rectify sexual inequalities. Despite this, strategies for social change vary, and feminism is usually split up into four different branches - Radical, Marxists, Liberal, and Black Difference Feminists.
Radical Feminists
Radical feminists believe that the patriarchy holds significance when looking at male-female relations and they focus on the issue of male domination under the patriarchy. They believe that ‘all men are bad’ and desire to build a society where men and women are segregated.
Evaluation of Radical Feminists
Germaine Greer (2007) supports the idea that ‘all men are bad’ and argues that relationships between men and women are exploitative in all aspects of life.
The radical feminist theory has been criticised for ignoring the inequalities that result from social class and race.
Marxist Feminists
Marxist feminists, on the other hand, believe that ‘some men are bad’ and that the biggest problems in society are due to social class. They emphasise how women are doubly exploited - by their gender (in the home) and their class (in society).
Evaluation of Marxist Feminists
The Marxist feminist theory has been criticised for not taking into account that there are many non-capitalist countries where the patriarchy and male dominance is still a serious issue.
Liberal Feminists
Liberal feminists focus on measures ensuring that women have equal opportunities with men within the present system. They do not believe that ‘men are bad’, they see that society is false in its belief that women are less capable than a man. Despite this, liberal feminists have acknowledged that gender inequality has lessened alongside the introduction of legislation such as the Equal Pay Act (1970) and the Sex Discrimination Act (1975).
Evaluation of Liberal Feminists
Liberal feminists are criticised for being overly optimistic. They focus on the laws and changing ideas needed to achieve equality but do not take into account the length of time usually required to enact change.
Black Difference Feminists
Black difference feminists view women as being oppressed by not only the patriarchy, but also by capitalism and racism. Minority-ethnic, working class women are the most exploited and discriminated section of society and suffer from a ‘duality of oppression’.
Evaluation of Black Difference Feminists
Black difference feminists receive a lot less critiques but they have been criticised for weakening the movement for change by keeping women divided by factors such as their class and ethnicity.
