Feminism - human nature Flashcards
what do all feminists believe regarding human nature?
Differentiation between sex and gender
how do feminists see sex and gender?
- sex = natural
- gender = social construct
what do liberals believe about human nature?
- all individuals are equal
- men and women are equal
what did Mary Wollstonecraft argue?
mind has no gender
what do feminists accept about human nature? what don’t they accept?
- accept there is a inherent difference in sex
- gender is social construct
- learned behaviour
what do feminists gender is created by?
patriarchal societies
what did Sheila Rowbotham argue?
-women’s consciousness of the world is created by men
how are gender roles affected by capitalism?
women are placed into gender roles due to requirements of capitalist society
what does capitalism require for women?
- capitalism needs to women to serve a subservient role
- capitalism requires women to stay at home and look after the worker in order for the worker to be able to carry out a proper day’s work
what are the strand of radicals called?
essentialist feminists
what do essentialist feminists believe about human nature?
men and women have fundamentally different natures stemming from biology
what idea do essentialists reject?
idea of androgyny - the belief that biological sex is irrelevant to people’s social and cultural roles
what is essentialism?
the belief that biology is destiny and that it does and should shape social and cultural roles
how do essentialists argue human nature between men and women is different?
innate genetics and morals make men naturally more competitive and aggressive and women naturally more caring, nurturing and empathetic
