Feminism

Question 1

What type of theory is feminism

Answer 1

-Macro, structural, conflict theory

Question 2

What do radical feminists believe?

Answer 2

-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

Question 3

What are the two opinions on females in society

Answer 3

-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

Question 4

What’s firestones view

Answer 4

-W biologically disadvantaged- pregnancy, breastfeeding, men taken adv of this
-Must abolish pregancy to overcome this (artificial wombs)

Question 5

Millet- multiple sources of oppression

Answer 5

-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

Question 6

Evaluation of radical feminists

Answer 6

-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

Question 7

What is the Marxists & socialist feminists view?

Answer 7

-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

Question 8

Marxist and socialist feminist view

Answer 8

-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

Question 9

Engels

Answer 9

-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)

Question 10

What is patrilocality?

Answer 10

-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)

Question 11

Delphy & Leaonard

Answer 11

-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

Question 12

Ansley

Answer 12

-W absorb the frustration men experience due to exploitation & alienation
-‘takers of shit’-physical & verbal abuse instead of employers/capitalism

Question 13

How do W contribute to the labour force ?

Answer 13

-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

Question 14

What are women a reserve for

Answer 14

-W are a ‘reserve army of labour’
-Employed on low wages, thrown out when no longer needed (Benson)

Question 15

Evaluation of Marxist feminism

Answer 15

-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

Question 16

Liberal Feminism view

Answer 16

-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

Question 17

Freidan

Answer 17

-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.

Question 18

What are the most influential reforms?

Answer 18

-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

Question 19

Walter

Answer 19

-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)

Question 20

Evaluation of Liberal feminism

Answer 20

-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.

Question 21

Black Feminists views

Answer 21

-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

Question 22

Watkins

Answer 22

-The legacy of slavery’s given black women a unique insight into the nature of oppression that white feminists don’t have.

Question 23

Mirza

Answer 23

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.

Question 24

What has black feminism been important in developing?

Answer 24

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.

Question 25

Evaluation of black feminism

Answer 25

-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)

Question 26

Postmodern Feminists view

Answer 26

-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.

Question 27

Why do they see it impossible to draw up a single set of goals for the feminist movement?

Answer 27

-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

Question 28

What have postmodern been highly influenced by?

Answer 28

-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.

Question 29

Cixous

Answer 29

-Describes language as phallocentric, male dominated and reflecting a male view of the world.
-This negatively impacts on W and their position in society

Question 30

Evaluation of Postmodern Feminism

Answer 30

-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