Feminism Flashcards
What does Liberal Feminism believe?
The cause of oppression is gender stereotypes and the solution is legal reformation.
- Blame upon culture/attitudes of society rather than structures.
- Seek changes within the existing structure rather than changing the system.
Key liberal feminist thinkers:
Oakley, Family = Dual Burden = women do physical labour AND housework.
Duncombe and Marsden = triple shift, emotional labour, housework and physical labour.
Sommerville = legal changes created equality within the family. E.g: Equal Pay Act.
Sharpe, Education = Girls more career-driven than they were in the 70s. Interviewed women who were focused on “love, marriage and children”, then again in the 90s, where they wanted a career to be able to support themselves.
McRobbie, Education = Girls are more likely to work harder as they now feel like they can achieve a higher status.
Evaluation of liberal feminism:
- Changes in legal system. However, women are still oppressed despite legislation. Still a ‘glass ceiling.’
- Doesn’t consider structural factors such as race, class, etc.
- Does not see patriarchy as widespread.
What does Radical Feminism believe?
The cause of oppression is Patriarchy and the solution is Separatism.
Patriarchy exists because men benefit from it = women classed as inferior, and are exploited.
The family acts as a key to oppress women. Firestone = oppression is due to biology, seen as inferior, increases dependence on men. Need to have children outside the womb.
Laura Purdy = a “babystrike”/refusing to have children to push for gender equality. E.g: 4B in South Korea.
Men as the “enemy”, political lesbianism and ‘matriarchy’ to combat male oppression.
Female supremacists = morally superior to men.
Key radical feminist thinkers:
Greer, family = Believes that the real cause of oppression is men. Men benefit, women see as inferior.
Dobash and Dobash, Domestic Violence = marriage legitimates violence against women; to dominate women as a result of their masculine identity being threatened.
Evaluation of Radical Feminism:
- May argue that childbirth is not oppressive or humiliating.
- Suggests women are completely dominated by men, no opportunity to gain power. Not true as women now have high-ranking jobs, financial independence, etc.
- Doesn’t acknowledge class/race.
What does Marxist Feminism believe?
The cause of oppression is Capitalism and the solution is a Communist Revolution.
Capitalism exploits men and women, women do unpaid domestic work, act as a reserve army for labour through reproduction.
- Lack of financial independence, deprives them from power (Engels).
Reproductive agents in capitalism = reproduce and nurture the next generation of workers.
What does Benston (1972) theorise?
Women are more of a benefit to capitalism than men as they have been socialised to comply and submit.
Key marxist feminist thinkers:
Ansley = women maintain the current workforce, are ‘takers of shit’ and act as a cushion for men due to stressful, exploitative work / unpaid domestic labour.
Engels = women act as ‘prostitutes’ to reproduce the next generation of workers, unpaid physical labour through childbirth.
Evaluation of Marxist Feminism:
- Changes in law have brought about real changes in society. E.g: Equal Pay Act.
- Patriarchy already existed/still exists in non-capitalist societies, so would communism bring about gender equality?
What does Difference Feminism believe?
The cause of oppression is Ethnocentricity within Feminism and the solution is Individualism/Intersectionality.
Bell Hooks = feminists have not addressed the problems black women face, racist bias in feminist theory. Only reflects white, middle-class women.
‘Double whammy’, attack the view that women are weak.
Matrix of domination = black womens’ problems based on the interconnection of class, gender, race, etc leading to a social hierarchy.
- Women living in developing, patriarchal countries: FGM, prostitution, lack of education, etc.
Evaluation of Difference Feminism:
- Laws against discrimination.
- Powerful black role models such as Michelle Obama.
- Ignores the fact that women also face the same struggles, such as being paid less than men.
- Dividing women into sub-groups weakens the feminist movement.
What does Postmodern Feminism believe?
The cause of oppression is how power structures shape society and the solution is Individualism = shaped by the complex ways language, culture, etc shapes society.
Language = Helen Cixous believes language is male dominated, ‘phallocentric’. Gender bias is innate in our language.
Gender Deconstruction = challenge the strict female/male gender binary, fluid understanding of gender identities.
Power Relations = operates through societal norms to maintain gender inequality.
Intersectionality = Women’s oppression is based on intersecting identities, diverse ways women experience oppression. Other feminist theory overlooks individual experience.
Evaluation of Postmodern Feminism:
- undermines concept of “woman”, undermining feminist cause.
- ignores inequality/oppression, reduces it to language differences.
- ignores issues like male violence.
- women are disadvantaged in both rich and poor countries = worldwide, so patriarchy is valid.
