Feminism 2 Flashcards
what did Gross and Pateman say about modernist social theory and its acceptance?
modernist theory masquerades as neutral and universal but in reality only reflects men’s experience.
The acceptance of malestream theory which presents male interests and values as objective and rational, provides ideological justification for women’s subordination
what is the cloak of universalism
when social theories only represented men’s experiences – biased to protect men’s privileged position in world – devised by men to support male interests
Spheres provided the basis for the view that…
…men are the rational actors and women act solely based on emotions. Led to assumptions about women’s capabilities.
give an example of first wave feminists using spheres to their advantage
the suffragettes used it to straighten their argument that women had specialist knowledge in the domestic sphere so they could better advise policy on things such as education.
Public sphere more covered in social theory so women’s experience marginalised since..
..theory ignored their roles in the private sphere as well as the public sphere, for example – creating the work force.
what did Millet say about power?
the public sphere and politics has been seen as the realm of power but in reality power relationships are everywhere, in public and private life.
Its more than just leaving women out, modernist theory has led to..
..women’s role and subordination in the private sphere appearing as natural and thus social theories of modernity have played a part in justifying gender inequality
Feminists see modernist theory as protecting male power. how is postmodernism similar?
postmodernism may be similar in claiming knowledge is always partial and related to power and protecting the interests of those who came up with it.
what did Felski say?
feminism aimed to expose false universalism within modernist social theories
What does Oakley argue?
Oakley argues being a man or a woman doesn’t lead to roles, qualities or capabilities that are natural and inevitable. Gender roles are not biologically determined.
how did Oakley distinguish between gender and sex?
sex – biological and gender – which is socially constructed
what did Beauvoir say about women’s subordinate position in society?
women are forced to take up a subordinate position in society since they must adhere to femininity to get on in life. This leads to subordination because femininity is defined by men as inferior to men. Women are not free in taking up their role as the second sex and so it is a form of oppression.
What is dual systems feminism?
class analysis which has ignored and marginalized women and capitalism as a concept is limited in its abilities to explore women’s experiences and explain their subordination so patriarchy as a concept is also needed to understand how male domination of women is built into structures, a system of oppression that works alongside and interacts with capitalism.
what does Walby say?
feminists should use both concepts to explain women’s oppression since both are important to the structuring of gender relations.
what are Walby’s 6 sites of patriarchy?
1) Household – unequal division of labour
2) Paid work – paid less
3) State – policies favour and protect interests of men ignore or disadvantage women.
- These policies are built into the system of domination
4) Male violence – not individual since there is a generalized fear in society
5) Sexuality – there is a compulsory heterosexual sexuality
6) Culture – objectified and stereotyped and this is circulated.
There has been a shift in the nature of patriarchy from private to public areas..
.. It now relies on public institutions to maintain male privilege.
Theories of patriarchy can gloss over the differences between women for example
sexuality, ethnicity, class, age
Postmodernists suggest the world is structured through discourse and meaning and that ….
.. language constructs reality
what does Beauvoir argue about what shapes women into feminine objects?
it is basically a cultural discourse about how women should be that shapes them into feminine objects. Language is important in how we define men and women and ourselves based on what they should be like.
what do postmodernists argue about perspectives and knowledge?
that knowledge about the world is relative and structured through subject experiences. No one truth there are only bodies of knowledge aren’t neutral and are linked to power relationships which is what feminists highlight to
what does Barrett say about postmodernism?
postmodernists claim that no social theory is any more true than any other since they are all socially constructed
Feminists argue what it means to be male or female is socially constructed, there is no core essence of what it means to be a woman, how is this similar to postmodernists?
Post modernists argue there is no essential core self or identity. Identity is constructed through language and categories used (man, woman, lesbian etc) have an embedded hierarchal relationship.
what does Flax argue?
argues feminism is necessarily post modern
what does Butler argue about identity?
identities are not fixed it is not who you are but what you do. None of the rules of femininity are determined and we can perform gender differently if we choose. So we should create gender trouble by choosing to perform it differently than what is expected
