feminism

Question 1

Liberal feminism: Betty Friedan

Question 2

Liberal feminism: Natasha Walter

Question 3

Radical feminism: Firestone

Question 4

Radical feminism: Millet

Question 5

1st wave liberal feminist: Mary Woolstonecraft

Answer 5

wanted women to be able to work

Question 6

what do all the feminist types agree about?

Answer 6

• societies are or have been patriarchal
• structural conflict theory: emphasise role of social structure
• society as based on conflict between men and women
• try to explain inequality and solve it

Question 7

Ann Oakley

Answer 7

• used the idea that sex influences gender roles
• gender= what it means to be masc or fem in certain cultures and the beliefs associated with this
• backs up her ideas with examples of cultural differences from contemporary britain
• 1st nation tazmanians= women do most hunting
• mbuti in the congo= men do the most childcare
• Israel= women have long featured as front line troops, still a contemporary society
• if the view that gender is cultural, not biological is accepted then it means that there is no reason why the role of women in society cannot be changed to produce greater equality or even reverse the currently dominant role of men

Question 8

feminism and the critique of sociology:

Answer 8

-most mainstream sociology, which they call malestream, has a masculine bias

Abbott, Wallace and Tyler (2005) identify 4 ways in which sociology can be seen as malestream:
- more research has been conducted about men than women, and it has been generalised to people as a whole, even when all male samples are used
- issues of concern to women have been neglected and are backgrounded by issues that are relevant to men
- women have often been presented in sexist ways in sociological research
- women do not have the central importance that feminists believe they should, even when integrated in research

Question 9

what are the beliefs of radical feminists?

Answer 9

• women are exploited by and subservient to men
• patriarchal society, it is the 1st most important organising principle of society
• this means it is very difficult to change
• apparent improvements in women’s position in society are superficial and fundamental inequalities remain unchanged
• patriarchy= universal and can only be challenged with a fundamental restructuring of society
• some are female seperatists, believing that women should live independently of men because it is impossible to avoid domination by men in hetero relationships