Feminism: Core ideas and principles Flashcards
Aim: gain knowledge and understanding of the core ideas and principles of feminism and how they relate to human nature, the state, society and the economy.
Core ideas and principles of feminism
- sex and gender
- patriarchy
- the personal is political
- equality feminism and difference feminism
- intersectionality
Key terminology of the core ideas and principles feminism
- Public sphere
- Private sphere
- Essentialism
- Gender stereotypes
Difference between sex and gender
sex refers to biological differences between men
and women, whereas gender refers to the different roles that society ascribes to men and women
There is no evidence that gender roles should be prescribed for people.
Cultural Variability
Across cultures and time periods, gender roles have been highly diverse.
1. Anthropological Evidence: Margaret Mead’s seminal work, Sex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies (1935), explores gender roles in different cultures, showing that traits Western society attributes to men and women are not universal. For example, among the Arapesh people of Papua New Guinea, both men and women were gentle and nurturing, while the Tchambuli society had reversed Western gender norms, with women being more dominant and men more emotionally expressive.
2. Simone de Beauvoir: In The Second Sex (1949), de Beauvoir argued that “one is not born, but rather becomes, a woman,” critiquing the assumption that biology determines gender roles, and showing that these roles vary by culture and context.
There is no evidence that gender roles should be prescribed for people.
Historical Change:
Gender roles have shifted over time even within the same societies. This shows that gender roles are adaptable and not tied to inherent differences between men and women.
During both World Wars, women in many Western countries entered the workforce in large numbers, taking on roles traditionally held by men. This shift demonstrated that women could perform tasks thought to be “masculine,” breaking down the idea that they were suited only for domestic work. After World War II, campaigns like “Rosie the Riveter” challenged traditional gender roles in the U.S.
There is no evidence that gender roles should be prescribed for people.
Individual Variability:
People do not fit neatly into rigid gender roles. Some women are more interested in traditionally “masculine” activities, while some men are more drawn to nurturing and domestic work. Prescribing gender roles limits individual freedom and expression by confining people to roles that may not suit their skills, interests, or personalities.
Individual Variability
Judith Butler:
In Gender Trouble (1990), Butler argues that gender is performative, meaning that it is not an inherent identity but a set of behaviors people enact based on social expectations. This theory supports the idea that gender roles are not fixed and can vary widely between individuals.
There is no evidence that gender roles should be prescribed for people.
Gender Equality:
Prescribing roles based on gender often reinforces inequality, particularly in terms of power, status, and opportunities. When women are restricted to the domestic sphere, for example, they are often excluded from political, economic, and intellectual life. By contrast, when men are confined to roles emphasizing strength and aggression, they are denied opportunities to express vulnerability or engage in caregiving.
- The Suffrage Movment embodied Gender Equality by challenging the idea that women were incapable of participating in the public and political sphere
How did the Suffrage Movment embody Gender Equality
The fight for women’s voting rights, exemplified by figures like Emmeline Pankhurst and the suffragettes, challenged the idea that women were incapable of participating in the public and political sphere, refuting the notion that domestic roles were “natural” for women.
Harm of Gender Norms: Bell Hooks
In The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love (2004), Hooks critiques how patriarchal definitions of masculinity harm men by discouraging emotional expression, promoting violence, and creating unhealthy models of power and relationships.
Harm of Gender Norms: Feminist Psychoanalysis:
Nancy Chodorow’s The Reproduction of Mothering (1978) explores how traditional gender roles harm both men and women by reinforcing rigid expectations, like women being seen as natural caregivers, which limits both their social mobility and personal fulfillment.
Harm of Gender Norms: MeToo Movement:
The global #MeToo movement demonstrated the harm of traditional gender norms that privilege men’s power over women, particularly in professional settings, and challenged the normalization of sexual harassment and gendered power dynamics in society.
Gender is a learned role imposed by society.
Judith Butler: Performativity of Gender
- In Gender Trouble (1990), Judith Butler argues that gender is not something we inherently possess but something we perform. Butler challenges the idea that gender identity is a natural result of one’s biological sex, asserting instead that society teaches individuals to act in ways consistent with what it expects of “men” and “women.”
- Butler’s concept of gender performativity highlights how individuals are socialized from a young age to conform to gender norms. This performance is repeated through everyday actions, behaviors, and expressions, which society then interprets as “masculine” or “feminine.”
Gender is a learned role imposed by society.
Simone de Beauvoir: “One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.”
- In The Second Sex (1949), Simone de Beauvoir argues that women are not biologically destined for domesticity or subordination but are socially constructed to accept these roles. Her famous line, “One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman,” reflects the idea that gender is learned through societal expectations and cultural conditioning, rather than being inherent to biological sex.
- Beauvoir explains that society imposes specific roles on women, such as motherhood and caregiving, which shape their identity and opportunities. These roles are not natural but are taught and reinforced through institutions like the family, education, and religion.
Gender is a learned role imposed by society.
Feminist Socialization Theory
- Ann Oakley: In her work Sex, Gender and Society (1972), sociologist Ann Oakley argues that children learn gender roles through socialization—the process by which they are taught societal norms and expectations. From a young age, boys and girls are conditioned by their families, schools, media, and peers to behave in ways that align with gender expectations (e.g., boys are encouraged to be assertive and aggressive, while girls are taught to be nurturing and passive).
- Carol Gilligan: In In a Different Voice (1982), Gilligan discusses how girls and boys are socialized differently in terms of moral reasoning and emotional expression. She explains that these differences in behavior stem from cultural expectations, rather than inherent differences in male and female psychology.
