Feminism

Question 1

Gilman: Key Ideas
Socialist + Liberal
Feminist
1st Wave

Answer 1

• Women were economically dependant on men - how patriarchy enforces male domiance
• Believed in state intervention to allow women to have financial independance e.g free childcare, communal kitchens
• Advocated women’s emancipation, birth control, education
• Advocated for evolutionary changes to the state
• Women’s domestic roles were still important but didn’t mean women shouldn’t have domestic rights
• Gender norms = social construct enforced by society
• Believed that women and men weren’t inherently different even when considering biological differences

Question 2

De Beauvoir: Key Ideas
Socialist + Radical Feminist
2nd Wave

Answer 2

• Distinguishes between biological sex + socially constructed gender roles
• One is not born but becomes a women
• Women are societal ‘others’ - their life is shaped around the male gaze
• Believed that patriarchy curtailed women’s freedoms because of cultural barriers prevents women from breaking social norms
• Rejects the idea that feminity is a biological characteristic (passivity,nurturing) but that society imposes this on women
• Belived that marriage was a tool of female control + motherhood confines women to domestic roles + prevents them having autonomy
• Didn’t see the state as the main source of oppression - cared more about culture + society
• Women’s participation in the workplace = independance - only if workplaces made changes (maternity leave, menstrual leave) to accomadate women
• Advocated for revolutionary overthrowing of the patriarchy; voting rights, education, property rights

Question 3

Millet: Key Ideas
Radical Feminist
2nd Wave

Answer 3

• Believes that eradicating the family was key to female sexual revolution - to prevent female domination + reinforces male authority from childhood
• ‘Rule by men’ operates in both public + private sphere - ‘the personal is the political’
• Gender is a social constuct - rejected biological determinism
• Society + state are structured around sexual politics - men hold power + women are inferior - becomes cultural norm
• Capitalism benefit from women’s unpaid labour - women’s unpaid work would exceed 40% of GDP in some countries + contributes £140 billion to UK economy - wanted equal pay
• Society; portrayal of women in art + literature which degraded women
• Acknowledged intersectionality - patriarchy intersects with class in particular

Question 4

Rowbotham: Key Ideas
Socialist Feminist
2nd Wave

Answer 4

• Believed women couldn’t be liberated without economic liberation - intersectionality of class oppression
• Revolutionary change to overthow the patriarchy + capitalism - revolution within the revolution
• Argues that women’s liberation cannot be seperated from socialist theories
• Believes that gender roles aren’t natural but constructed through history + culture
• Rejected essentialist views on gender and its not biologically fixed
• Believed state legal reforms weren’t not enough becuase the state is strucutred to benefit the ruiling class
• Capitalism relies on unpaid female labour
• Women are forced to use their labour to support their husabnds + children - men sue the family to take refugee
• Rejects the liberal idea that women’s movement is best served through constructive engagement with politics
• “Men will often admit other women are oppressed but not you
• Female consciousness is socially constructed by men - only recognise oppression in theory not in practice

Question 5

hooks: Key Ideas
Intersectional Feminist
4th Wave

Answer 5

• Created an ‘other self’ linked to her female ancestors through her pseudonym - and lowercase letter to distance herself over the ego associated with names
• Solidarity is important between genders, races, disability and classses
• Patriarchy begins from a young age due to primary socialisation
• Females can achieve self-acutalisation and success without dominating one another
  Labelling ourselves feminists doesn’t mean we shouldn consciously work to rid ourselves of the legacy of negative socialisation
• Argues that Black women never had the same “problem with no name” - always worked in low-paying jobs but still worked
• Criticses white feminism for focusing on surface level issues and ignoring - slave labour, FGM
• Link to misogynoir - Bailey
  Men are taught to be violent its not a natural attribute
• Believes love is essential to human nature
• Capitalism enforces racism,sexism and abelism consuemrism distracts from prejduice (companies getting rid of DEI programs etc -within US + forcing international companies who trade with US as well
• State enforces oppression and white supremacy - through media ownerships
• Believed in **education to reform society **
• Revolutionary in overthrowing patriarchy

Question 6

Transfeminism

Answer 6

• 1st + 2nd wave feminism didn’t mention transsexuality + gay liberation
• Criticise essentialism and its view on women’s natural traits - Butler
• Believe that gender is a social construct which oppresses women - transfeminism determines ‘trans’ in a maximinally heterogenous way
  * Trans-exclusionary’ feminism (raidical etc) exclude trans people from ‘women-only’ spaces

Question 7

Postfeminism

Answer 7

• Postfeminism refers to the period ‘after’ feminism which emphasises individualism, agency, female bodily autonomy
• Some argue postfeminism is useful to understand how constantly shifting and evolving without resorting to attacks across waves
• Popular culture has allowed for an introduction of “reflexive modernisation” which means that women can now construct their identities independently
• Female involvement within the economy has allowed women to develop individual agency -#girlboss movements to get more female CEOs
• EU:all member states will be required to appointwomento at least 40% of boards
• Policies like flexible work hours, remote work options, and improved maternity benefits, menstrual paid leave in Spain
• EU member states provide a minimum of 14 weeks maternity leave
• Social validation of women now allows them to center their own sexuality which isn’t owned by men
• Views state intervention as secondary to individual agency
• Postfeminists reject essentialist views that fix women’s nature solely on biology or traditional roles- body postivity