Feminism Key Thinkers Flashcards
Which branch of feminism is Simone de Beauvoir a part of?
Liberal Feminism.
What did Simone de Beauvoir believe about human nature?
Physical differences between men and women don’t indicate deeper distinctions between sexes. Biology listed differences but not proof that male features are better than female features.
What did Simone de Beauvoir believe about the state?
The state reinforces a culture preventing women from expressing their freedom. Men would eventually accept that women deserved freedom.
What was Simone de Beauvoir’s quote about women and how they’re shaped in society?
‘Women are made, not born.’
What did Simone de Beauvoir believe about society?
Women needed to stop being ‘othered’ in society, and women’s situations are similar to the position of a slave. Men justified their position with Biology. Women had to achieve liberation from oppression by men.
What did Simone de Beauvoir believe about the economy?
Women should be able to fulfil their potential in the public sphere if they choose to pursue a career. Political and legal equality had to become a reality in all aspects of life.
Which branch of feminism was Sheila Rowbotham a part of?
Socialist Feminism.
What did Sheila Rowbotham believe about human nature?
Female oppression has economic roots, but also from the traditional nature of the nuclear family, and cultural dominance of men. Women’s consciousness and view of the world is created by men.
What did Sheila Rowbotham believe about the state?
Greater availability of nursery schools, laundrettes and restaurants would free working women from day to day drudgery of their domestic lives. The state is the servant of capitalism.
What did Sheila Rowbotham believe about society?
Complete equality between men and women could only be achieved through social revolution. At first, it would be acceptable to exclude men from revolutionary organisations, but should only be temporary.
What did Sheila Rowbotham believe about the economy?
Capitalism exploited working class women more than it did working class men. She wanted it to be easier for women to work part time, choosing hours of work which suited them. Women had to rely on allowances their partners choose to pay them.
What branch of feminism was Charlotte Perkins Gilman a part of?
Liberal Feminism.
What did CPG believe about human nature?
Women are controlled by men within society, and can’t think freely. Liberating women economically, politically, socially means freeing their bodies. Boys and girls should have the same clothes and toys.
What did CPG believe about the state?
The rule of law should apply to women and men, so the law couldn’t discriminate against women. Children should be cared for in communal nurseries, and have meals from communal kitchens.
What did CPG believe about society?
Women should direct their own lives inside and outside of the home, not follow the direction of men. Modern society means women don’t need to seek protection of men anymore.
What did CPG believe about the economy?
Economic equality can only be achieved if the right to work outside the home was extended to married and unmarried women. Men dominate both inside and outside of the economic world.
What branch of feminism was Kate Millet a part of?
Radical Feminism.
What did Kate Millet believe about human nature?
The personal is political - men and women didn’t form equal partnerships. Traditional gender roles are arbitrary, they’re based on inaccurate assumptions that some personal characteristics are masculine and feminine.
What did Kate Millet believe about the state?
Political activity took place in the public sphere, but politics also regulated domestic relations of men and women. The patriarchal power structure in society could only be overthrown for women to be truly free.
What did Kate Millet believe about society?
Eliminating patriarchy had to happen in people’s minds as well as homes. Oppression of women is more entrenched than any other form of division. The extent of male power is rarely acknowledged.
What did Kate Millet believe about the economy?
Women are denied economic opportunities because of gender. She tends to be more supportive of socialist economics.
