Feminism Flashcards
What type of theory is feminism
-Macro, structural, conflict theory
What do radical feminists believe?
-Associated with second wave feminism, adopted most extreme position
-Believe women are exploited by & subservient to men.
-RF believe improvements in women’s position are superficial & that fundamental inequalities remain largely unchanged
What are the two opinions on females in society
-Some are female supremacists: believe women are superior to men & would be better run by women
-Others are female separatists: argue women should live separate to men
-Some explain inequality in terms of biology while others see culture or male violence as more important
What’s firestones view
-W biologically disadvantaged- pregnancy, breastfeeding, men taken adv of this
-Must abolish pregancy to overcome this (artificial wombs)
Millet- multiple sources of oppression
-Agrees bio plays part due to male superior strength (violence), but says this is more psychological. (Caste-like status)
-Patriarchal society persuaded them they’re weak/vulnerable
-ideological factors, edu/ economic inequalities hold them back
Evaluation of radical feminists
-Highlights important features of W oppression
-But LF criticise for underestimating the positive changes made
-Lack a convincing explanation for what underpins male dominance
-Exaggerate view that women are similar/share interests and ignore other social divisions eg ethnicity
What is the Marxists & socialist feminists view?
-say RF attach too much importance to violence, ideology and biology. Instead say economic factors are key to understanding
-Capitalist system main source of oppression- W lack of wealth & income
Marxist and socialist feminist view
-Argue economic factors key to understanding women’s position in society
-Capitalist system main source of W oppression- lack of wealth & income (unpaid labour) stop them having as much power as M.
-W need economic equality to be free from inequality- proletariat revolution needed to eradicate wealth inequalities
Engels
-Gender inequality has a materialist base.
-In early primitive communities societies: no families, promiscuous hordes, no inequality
-In the promiscuous horde: institution of marriage came about as men didn’t know who their offspring were (This point M became dominant)
What is patrilocality?
-M became dominant due to the practice of patrilocality: wives went to live with husbands family
-So M gained control over W labour & wealth they produced
(Gave M control over society)
Delphy & Leaonard
-Exploitation of W labour in the familys important
-Not only do W do most domestic work for free, they help men’s careers
-So M accumulate wealth at expense of women
Ansley
-W absorb the frustration men experience due to exploitation & alienation
-‘takers of shit’-physical & verbal abuse instead of employers/capitalism
How do W contribute to the labour force ?
-Emphasises role of W in ‘reproducing a labour force’ by raising children at no cost to capitalist society.
-If capitalists had to pay full costs to female carers -would dent profits
What are women a reserve for
-W are a ‘reserve army of labour’
-Employed on low wages, thrown out when no longer needed (Benson)
Evaluation of Marxist feminism
-Tend to underplay significance of non- material causes of inequality eg racial inequalities
-Argued it’s somewhat misleading to argue all W are in low paid work, since many are in professional jobs- but may still experience inequality
Liberal Feminism view
-Seeks to reform rather than a revolution; believe gradual reforms will ultimately lead to equality between sexes.
-Emerged out of W rights campaigns during the 2nd wave of feminism
Freidan
-G inequality due to dominance of gender roles in W lives.
-Cultural norms of G roles spread via education & media. Contributes to the subordination of W- but can be challenged through non-sexist socialisation.
What are the most influential reforms?
-Changes to school curriculum, removal of sexist assumptions on subjects
-1970s Equal Pay Act, 1975 Sex Discrimination Act, 2010 Equal Act : All offer W legal protection against discrimination
Walter
-still many problems; low pay, lack of affordable childcare, domestic& sexual violence.
-Sexism’s returning in UK due to popular culture portraying W in stereotypical ways- creates a hypersexual culture (sexualised clothes, cosmetic surgery)
-Also pornography shapes men’s expectations of sexual partners (internet & social media)
Evaluation of Liberal feminism
-Improvements in W position, reduced inequality since 1970s (supports argument that social attitudes & culture are sig to maintaining patriarchy)
-Led to worthwhile changes- but could be economic factors (richer W)
❌Hasn’t eliminated G inequality (Greer) more radical changes needed- liberation only achieved when W no longer have to dress/ act for men
❌More radical approach needed using social media - W in poorer countries continue to live in patriarchal societies.
Black Feminists views
-Dissatisfied w R,M/S and L feminism- as they’re ethnocentric (focus on white western women)
-Argue they’ve adopted a victim ideology regarding black W- portrays them as the helpless victims of racism&sexism
-Black feminists argue white feminist can’t claim to speak for all W experiences. As B women provide a unique & essential contribution.
-Been particularly influential in post-modern feminism
Watkins
-The legacy of slavery’s given black women a unique insight into the nature of oppression that white feminists don’t have.
Mirza
Argues a distinctive black British feminisms essential to challenge distorted assumptions that BBW are passive victims of racism, patriarchy and class inequality.
-By representing how they’ve struggled against DV and fought to overcome sexism & racism in edu and elsewhere.
What has black feminism been important in developing?
Postcolonial feminism: particularly concerned with G inequalities that are partly due to colonialism in developing countries eg Africa, Asia, Latin Am
-They’ve analysed how the legacy of colonialism’s effected W caught in the AIDS/HIV epidemic in Africa.
Evaluation of black feminism
-Succeeded in extending other feminists analysis & highlighting neglected areas of research
-Helped highlight value of drawing upon oppressed W’s experiences to understand the social world.
-Opened issues of difference & the unequal experiences between W.
-However, it’s accused of emphasising one difference between W (ethnicity) as the expense of others (class, age, sexuality)
Postmodern Feminists view
-Generally reject idea that all W share the same interest & that the position of W in society can be explained in terms of a single theory.
-Emphasise differences between groups of W, not based upon single characterises but a whole range of them.
-Interested in the divisions between groups such as lesbians, straight, classes, ethnicities, ages.
Why do they see it impossible to draw up a single set of goals for the feminist movement?
-As liberation may mean different things to different sets of W.
-Instead they attempt to achieve ‘equality’ and ‘justice’ eg adopting male rationality and ignoring what may be more female goals eg joy, harmony
What have postmodern been highly influenced by?
-Set of ideas called: post-structuralism
-This emphasises the importance of language in the production of society
-Sees all aspects of society as socially created & that significant changes can come about by changing the way language is used.
-So they believe W position can be improved by deconstructing masculine language & thinking.
Cixous
-Describes language as phallocentric, male dominated and reflecting a male view of the world.
-This negatively impacts on W and their position in society
Evaluation of Postmodern Feminism
-Provides awareness & acceptance of differences between M and W.
-Attach significant importance to use of language in creation of gender
❌Looses sight of the main causes of inequality between M & W (Walby: neglects to a degree that opp & ineq gives W shared interest)
❌Neglects role of DV in maintaining power & gender diff’s in the home
