Feminism Flashcards
Who are the 5 key thinkers?
Charlotte Perkins Gilman (first wave feminism, sex and domestic economics go hand in hand as women need to depend on their bodies to survive and societal pressure)
Simone de Beauvoir (sex v gender and women as the ‘other’)
Kate Millet (radical feminism, patriarchy in art and literature and the family as a method of oppression)
Sheila Rowbotham (feminism and capitalism, the family as a method of disciplining women in capitalism and male refuge)
bell hooks (intersectionality and the feminism of woc)
What is the difference between sex and gender?
Sex refers to the biological differences between men and women, eg. genitals, chromosomes, hormones = biology and there are biological differences between men and women. Gender refers to appearance, they’re social roles divided into feminine and masculine. These are the different roles that society ascribes to men and women.
How is gender a social construct and what key thinker is this linked to?
Simone de Beauvoir
A woman isn’t born a woman she becomes one. No biological femininity- sex and gender are different, you socially learn femininity. This view comes from what men want women to be- passive objects. Women have intense social expectations to be sexually attractive and conventionally beautiful but it can be rejected. Women are free to make their own choices and reject the male gaze- existential! or they can accept this
What are 4 de Beauvoir quotes and what do they mean?
-‘One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.’
Gender’s a social construct by the patriarchy. Women aren’t inherently feminine and have the choice to either choose or reject these societal expectations.
-‘Man is defined as ahuman being and woman as a female- whenever she behaves as a human being she is said to imitate the male.’
Women are always second to men- ‘otherness’. Women only exist as a secondary imitation of men, less.
-‘Self knowledge is no guarantee of happiness, but it is on the side of happiness and can supply the courage to fight for it’.
Being aware of your place in society as a woman means you can resist it. Recognising this is a step closer to convincing others that you’re worhty of equality.
-‘Few tasks are more like the torture of Sisyphus…’
Housework is monotonous, meaningless and not progressive.
What is the importance of sex/gender and upbringing?
1) Sexual roles- ‘We are the only animal species in which the female depends on the male for food, the only animal species in which the sex-relation is also an economic relation’- Perkins Gilman (socialist)
An unnatural social construct as women are capable of providing for themselves. We depend on men for security and have to pay for this through sexual favours. Women had no choice but to succumb to this.
2) Upbringing- ‘The most normal girl is the ‘tom-boy’… a healthy young creature’. It goes against women’s human nature to be feminine, we should challenge the gender divide put on us by society.
What’s the difference between sex and gender for liberal feminists?
Friedan accepted the difference between sex but gender differences and superiority are an artificial construct, created by patriarchal societies. There’s no reason why the biological differences between the sexes should be converted into gender differences. If male superiority and patriarchy are passed down from generations, the cycle must be broken by fundamental changes to culture.
What is the essentialism debate?
They argue that biology is essential.
Women should be proud of their differences between the sexes and celebrate them. There’s less of a distinction between sex and gender, eg. Susan Griffin celebrates women’s superior virtue and spirituality. Feminine values like empathy and nurture may be contrasted with masculine values centred upon violence and destruction. They argue women should be leaders which leads to a reorder of the global system and preventing the reckless behaviour of testosterone- fuelled activities which led to the credit crunch, environmental destruction and warfare.
Overall, how far do feminists agree on sex and gender?
To a sizable extent as radical, socialist and liberal feminists largely agree, but essential feminists don’t.
What do liberals and radicals think of sex and gender with thinkers?
Liberals- they don’t want women by restricted by gender stereotypes
Simone de Beauvoire- she was clear that the physical differences between men and women didn’t indicate any deeper distinction between the sexes
Betty Friedan- emphasised the sex/gender as a way to underpin her demand for equal rights, reasoned that biological classifications shouldn’t be used to draw conclusions about the intellectual abilities of women, society needs to accept that all the scientific evidence showed that women were as capable as men, should aim for androgyny (a life unbounded by gender), reject idea that sex means you should be masculine/feminine
Defend the right of women to make traditional choices- a woman’s life isn’t a decision that wider society should seek to influence, can be housewives and mothers
Radical- the false idea of sex and gender being linked has been used by the patriarchy to undermine and marginalise women
Kate Millett- argued that liberal feminists have underestimated the depth of the problem caused by pre-existing prejudices about sex and gender
They see the liberal response to the problems as inadequate, gender stereotypes are at the root of repression of women, advocate a sexual revolution to overthrow the patriarchy
To participate in this, women will need to reject inferior, submissive rolesin their private and public lives, also insistence that men take equal domestic responsibilities so women can build their career outside the home and have the same opportunities
What do socialists and culturals think of sex and gender with thinkers?
Socialist- the sex/gender divide has made life worse for women in the home and workplace
Sex/gender divide is part of a larger system of discrimination caused by patriarchal capitalism- works to advantage of employers who can hire women more cheaply than men for low-status jobs
Women doing childcare and housekeeping means men can only focus on earning wages and put in long hours at work, helps employees
So women faced worse treatment at work and exploited at home (unpaid and under-appreciated)
To Marxist feminists, solution is a rebellion to overthrow capitalism and establish a society with complete equality
More moderate socialist feminists believe that reform of capitalism is enough to eliminate problems caused by the sex/gender divide , advocate equal pay and want women to have a legal entitlement to the same consideration as men for roles where they’re qualified
LR- hope this will see as many women as men in senior roles and win women the same respect in the workplace
Cultural- believe that sex and gender are linked so argue that men and women have different inclinations and seek to honour their contrasting masculine or feminine characteristics (essentialism)
The problem is that the roles performed for society by women are given less importance (not that sex and gender are artificially connected)
To remedy this, they emphasise the value of motherhood and highlight social qualities that give women an advantage, like more socially adept
What is patriarchy?
A system of government which is designed for and run in the interests of men. It refers to systematic, institutionalised and pervasive gender oppression against women.
ALL FEMINISTS BELIEVE THAT SOCIETY, THE STATE AND THE ECONOMY ARE PATRIARCHAL.
Most would agree human nature is too except essentialists.
What is patriarchy in terms of the economy and the state?
Economy:
Household- women have been conditioned to believe that domesticity is destiny and have been discouraged from pursuing careers outside the home. Most women now work but still do most of the housework and childcare.
Paid work- when women were allowed jobs they’d been pushed towards supportive roles like secretaries and nurses. They’re also guided towards subjects focused on children and nurturing. There’s a pay gap. Women were disproportionately affected by Covid-19 than men.
State:
Women have been denied voting access and positions of power. There are fewer female politicians because of anti-family rules and working hours. Sexist cultures have discouraged many women from politics. 20% of people working in the UK’s Parliament have experienced sexual harassment. Print media makes appearance-based comments about female MPs, sexism, threats of sexual violence. Media doesn’t see their views as important, don’t report them, women’s issues aren’t raised. In April 2022, the Daily Mail accused Angela Rayner of distracting PM Boris Johnson by crossing and uncrossing her legs during PMQs, BJ said it’s misogynistic
What is patriarchy in terms of society?
Sexuality- Greer argued that society forces women to deny their sexual desires- ‘unladylike’. Encouraged to repress them which leads to feeling deviant and abnormal. Women are expected to be demure- men are allowed to be promiscuous as it’s ‘natural’
Culture- representation of women in the media reinforce traditional fewer roles which limit women’s life choices. Images of perfect bodies show pervasive influence of society. ‘A culture fixated on female is not an obsession about female beauty; it is an obsession about female obedience’. Naomi Wolf recent stats suggest that 2 women are killed per week in England and Wales by an a current or former partner. 1 in 4 women will experience DV.
What do liberal and socialist (capitalism) feminists think about patriarchy?
Liberal- Patriarchy is centred on denying women equal rights and gender norms which constrain women’s freedom
For 1st wave liberal feminists suffrage was key. They believed that after this they’d become truly equal as elected representatives would take female issues into account. They continue to fight for women’s rights worldwide. However, by the 1960s many 2nd wave feminists realised that there were social expectations holding women back. Friedan- the problem with no name
Socialists- Patriarchy is inherently linked to capitalism but there are many views among socialist feminists.
1) Capitalism relies upon unpaid domestic labour which causes the creation of a wage economy and surplus value. It’s overwhelmingly completed by women.
2) Women forms a ‘reserve army of labour’ whose precarious work means they’re at least well paid and easily fired which suits the interests of the capitalist class.
3) Engels argued that the institution of marriage was created by men to ensure property was passed to their male heirs. Romantic love was a myth, sold to women to keep them in place. Men were free to ignore rules of fidelity.
Early socialist feminists took their arguments from Engels and argued that patriarchy was a consequence of economic relations (part of the superstructure). They argued that once the revolution occurred patriarchy would come to an end. However, more modern socialist feminists, eg. Sheila Rowbotham, argued that capitalism and patriarchy were two separate forms of discrimination (often left-wing men were also misogynists). Women’s liberation requires a ‘revolution within a revolution’.
HOW DO FEMINISTS SEE CHANGE APPROACHING? EVOLUTIONARY OR REVOLUTIONARY?
What are Kate Millett’s views on art and literature and what did she write about in her book?
Often focused on how culture, art and literature often reflected the male gaze and patriarchal attitudes. She was one of the first feminist art critics. Millett argued that male authors often discuss sex with patriarchal assumptions.
Sexual politics- She’s calling out the double standards of sexual relations in society.
‘Aren’t women prudes if they don’t and prostitutes if they do?’
What do radical feminists and third wave feminists think about patriarchy?
Radical- Eg. Millett believed that patriarchy is the most important division in society, as opposed to a lack of freedom (liberal feminists) or capitalism (socialist feminists).
‘It is interesting that many women do not recognise themselves as discriminated against; no better proof could be found of the totality of their conditioning.’
She argued that patriarchy changes and adapts. It perpetuates itself.
‘Patriarchy, reformed or unreformed, is patriarchy still: its worst abuses purged or forsworn, it might actually be more stable and secure than before’. You can overthrow it but it’ll get better at hiding itself and come back.
Third wave- It deconstructed the concept of patriarchy arguing that it affected different women differently. The experiences of white middle-class women are very different from the experiences of BAME and transgender women. Eg. black feminism (1980s onwards) had a different view of the family as the home is a haven from racism of society, but a site of oppression for white feminists. However, hooks argued that the idea that black household were matriarchal was a myth, created by white male social scientists- ‘No matriarchy has ever existed in the United States’
What are the radical perspectives of patriarchy?
Greer- Men hate women so they oppress them. Women have been taught to hate themselves so willingly accept an inferior position assigned to them by men. We have to understand this then throw it off- only once this is done will women become fully human (The Female Eunuch, 1970). She’s a terf (trans-exclusionary radical feminist)
Firestone- In The Dialectic of Sex (1970), she says the history of civilisation is a struggle between men and women (like how Marx saw it as a class struggle). The origins of this is biological differences and limitations which women encountered by being confined to the home. Patriarchy persisted because women, constrained by childbirth and housework, have become enslaved to men. To liberate women, we need reproduction to take place outside the body, remove the stigma that undermines womens’ place in society and use a mechanical womb.
Dworkin- In Women Hating (1974), she campaigned against sexual oppression of women and saw pornography as symptomatic of men’s views of women as little more than sex objects. The only way this could be successfully combated is if women form themselves into lesbian communities. No sex object= liberation
What do different strands say to ‘Feminists agree that patriarchy exists but disagree on where it has the biggest impact on women’?
Socialists- place emphasis on the economy because capitalism means women’s domestic labour is unpaid. They’re easily fired and given low wages to create surplus value, oppresses women at home and in the workplace- 40% of people sacked in HoC are women
Liberals- women’s rights are denied, eg. suffrage so elected representatives can’t make a change to system
Postmodern- it affects different groups of women differently. Eg. black women, lower class
Radical- Patriarchy means women are ignorant of discrimination, it always comes back. Family is the patriarchy’s chief institution.
Overall, how far do feminists agree on patriarchy?
All feminists agree it exists however there’s disagreement over how to overcome it, causes and effects to a sizable extent. All feminists agree the state and society are patriarchal but not human nature.
What is the private sphere?
A person’s domestic life, which liberal feminists consider to be private on the basis that what happens there is the business only of the individuals directly involved in the household. They believe it’s a realm in which neither the state nor wider society should interfere.
It consists of the home and family. Liberal feminists want women to enjoy equality with men in the public sphere through political and legal reform (equal rights), eg. right to vote and to run for political office. They’ve also worked to remove barriers to female progression in the public sphere, eg. laws requiring women to resign upon marriage and have camapigned for equal pay and paid maternity leave. They’re not involved with what happens in the private sphere as women should be able to make their own decisions on how to live in private. Radicals disagree completely as the private sphere is very important- ‘the person is political’ as it impacts their lives in the public sphere (Carol Hanisch). This is because they feel that women who are submissive at home will find it hard to be assertive in the public sphere, doing most of the housework and childcare limits time used to advance their careers while making more free time for men to work. It models a pattern of unequal gender relations to the next generation.
Socialist feminists agree with radicals that repression at home matters- unpaid work props up exploitative capitalist state. Without it, no care for men. But big problem is patriarchal, capitalism in public sphere- want reform.
What is otherness?
In a patriarchal society, women are subject to control by men, who have the upper hand because of their greater economic and political power. Being considered ‘other’ rather than equal members of society, forms a major barrier to women achieving equality with men.
By mid-20th century, women had been granted a lot of political and legal equality with men and equal access to education but it wasn’t transformative as still discrimination and no opportunities open to women. Simone de Beauvoir- men continued to assume they were superior as they’d established how society operated, so all around them was confirmation of their elevated status. Girls were still raised to be mothers and wives. Need to break these moulds to break progress (‘otherness’).
Friedan- patriarchy= entrenched system of male dominance and female oppression. Liberal feminists were troubled by this but also wanted women to have autonomy over their lives, it’s ok to be a housewife but should also be able to fulfill potential in public sphere. They proposed action- cultural attitudes which demeaned women inferior, had to be combated so need education, propaganda and opposition to sexist attitude and language, and political and legal equality needs to be a reality through legislation to protect and extend rights. 1960s- liberal reformist feminism leads to radical feminists thinking they’re not ambitious and wrong
What do radical, socialist and liberal feminists think of the private sphere?
Radicals- Millett believed that patriarchy was found throughout society. However, she argued that it started in the family. In her view ‘the family is patriarchy’s chief institution’. This is because it traps women in domestic work, encourages them to adopt traditional ‘feminine roles’ and recreate the discrimination to the next generation.
Wives are expected to cater to the emotional and sexual needs of their husbands. Women are expected to carry out free domestic labour, even when in paid employment.
Socialists- They’re similar to radical feminists as they reject the public/private distinction and politicise the domestic sphere. Their work tends to be economic and focuses on the unpaid labour completed by women being necessary for the capitalist system to exist. Rowbotham’s analysis is sophisticated- acknowledges the home is a place for men to be oppressive
Liberals- they defend some areas of the private sphere- their belief in individual freedom. For liberals, individuals should be able to make their own choices and are therefore in some way ‘private’. However, even they’d agree there are some elements of the private sphere which need to be politicised (in order to increase freedom). Women’s reproductive rights for instance.
What is rejecting the liberal public/private distinction, political and legal equality and reformist feminism?
Most feminists/liberals distinguish between a public sphere (society) and private sphere (the family). The slogan the ‘person is political’ sought to convey the idea that all relationships between men and women are based on power, not just in the public sphere. Aspects of life considered ‘personal’ (private) were in fact part of a patriarchal system which silenced women.
Political and legal equality- the main demand of early feminists, consisting of an equal right to participate in elections and run for political office and laws that treat men and women the same way.
Reformist feminism- liberal feminists have a reformist approach- they seek to work within existing political structures to achieve change, as opposed to trying to overthrow them
What are relationships based on power and dominance?
Perkins Gilman wrote a semi-autobiographical novel, The Yellow Wallpaper of a women losing her mind whilst locked in her room by her husband after giving birth (opposite from what she needed). She argued that young girls are compelled to conform in society and prepare for motherhood by playing with toys and wearing clothes that are specifically designed by men.
