Feminism Flashcards
What is Feminism ?
A collection of ideologies aimed at establishing equal political, social and economic rights for women
What is the Public Sphere ?
The area in society where relationships are public, specifically life outside the home, particularly society and work
What is the Private Sphere ?
The area in society where relationships are seen as private, specifically home and domestic life
What is the first wave of Feminism ?
1850s - 1940s
Focus on the political and legal rights of women
What is the second wave of Feminism ?
1960s - 1980s
Focus on the societal position of women (problem of patriarchy)
What is the third wave of Feminism ?
1990s
Focus on the differing experiences of women from lower classes and women of colour
What is the fourth wave of Feminism ?
2008 -
Focus on the problems arising from an expansion of social media
What are the core values of Feminism ?
- Redefining the Political
- Sex vs Gender
- Equality
- Patriarchy
Redefining the Political ?
There is a divide between the public and private spheres which women are traditionally restricted to; political is also all kinds of social conflict
Sex vs Gender ?
Sex is irrelevant to the roles we play in life and sometimes differences between the two should be celebrated
Sex = Biological
Gender = Cultural
Equality ?
Reaching a middle ground where things are the same for both men and women and different feminists have different views on what equality should look like
Patriarchy ?
Male dominated society
Walby created 6 structures of patriarchy:
- State = Women unlikely to have formal power
- Household = Women more likely to do housework
- Violence = Women prone to abuse
- Paid Work = Pay gap
- Sexuality = Women treated negatively
- Culture = Women misrepresented in media
What are the strands of Feminism ?
- Liberal
- Socialist
- Radical
- Post-modern
(Anti-Feminism and Post-Feminism)
What do Liberals think of 4 themes ?
Human Nature - Gender diff created by men
Society - Women discriminated against
State - State is neutral and required to make/update laws
Economy - Women can decide if they want to compete with men in public sphere or stay in private
What do Socialists think of the 4 themes ?
Human Nature - Corrupted by capitalism
Society - Capitalism causes oppression
State - Oppression through state is because of its relation with capitalism
Economy - At the heart of patriarchy and is necessary for capitalism to function
What do Radicals think of the 4 themes ?
Human Nature - Patriarchy oppresses women at home and work
Society - Society is overwhelmed by patriarchy
State - State is patriarchal, welfare state is ‘women friendly’
Economy - Improving women’s economy doesn’t lead to equality
What do Postmoderns think of the 4 themes ?
Human Nature - Affected by gender, race, class
Society - Oppression is not just gender inequality
State - Is not one entity and shouldn’t be seen as one big enemy
Economy - Critical of liberal feminism for focusing on people who use their privilege in the economy. BAME women suffer from poverty due to racism now just gender.
Liberal Feminists ?
- Men and women have different natures and inclinations where women follow domestic life and men work
- Women should have equality of opportunity and should be able to compete with men
- Along with work, the patriarchy impacts politics where women cannot vote and laws where women cannot divorce. Both of which men can do
Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1st & Liberal) ?
- Young girls are forced to conform to their predestined role of mothers
- To prevent the social conditioning there should be no difference in clothing or toys between boys and girls
- Argues for equal contribution to domestic labour
- Female contribution to society has been halted by patriarchy
- Only way to escape for women is economic freedom
- Opposes Darwin as it is biased towards men
Simone de Beauvoir (2nd & ?) ?
- The idea of a women is social rather than biology and determined by want men want women to be
- “one is not born, but rather becomes a women”
- Social construct of women is to benefit men
- Women are conditioned to fulfil their predetermined role of mothers with toys and clothes
- Men and women are divided by society
- Women should reject stereotypes of feminine beauty
- Abolish the ‘ideal family unit’
Socialist Feminism ?
- Problem is patriarchy and the gap it creates, narrowing it down is for the best
- Marx + Engels say positions of women change with capitalism and a pre-capitalist state is inheritance through the female line and is more even
- Family life is oppressive as property passes from father to son who are important as heirs, women can only sleep with usbands to protect bloodline but mencan sleep around
- Women’s domestic labour is important to capitalism as they produce new workers and look after the current ones while maintaining a reserve status to work if needed
Sheila Rowbotham (3rd & Socialist) ?
- Dualist Perspective - Capitalism oppresses both women and proletariat so if you fall into both categories its a ‘double whammy’
- In history both genders had equal importance and historians have a duty to raise this
- The family unit is an instrument of control over women to facilitate production/reproduction of mens labour
- Women’s liberation requires “revolution within a revolution” because sexism is entrenched within both wings of politics
Radical Feminism ?
- After 60s and 70s, feminism became more radical associated with 2nd wave
- Patriarchy is in all aspects of life
- ‘The personal is political’
- Women are conditioned to conform to femininity and motherhood
- The family (private sphere) is the ‘Chief Institution’ of patriarchy
Kate Millett (2nd & Radical) ?
- Sexism is political and cultural
- Portrayal of ‘different sexualities’ is degrading
- Patriarchy needs reform in domestic divisions of labours and lifestyle changes
- Advocated for undoing the traditional family unit
- Women who experience sexual, physical and emotional abuse often experience a power dynamic
- Active in feminist campaigns like NOW and Radicalesbians
- “patriarchy’s greatest psychological weapon is … its universality and longevity”
- Patriarchy can reinvent itself between generations
- Each wave of feminism breaks down walls to realise there are still walls left
