FEMINISM - patriarchy Flashcards
Definition of patriarchy
dominance of men and subordination of women in society, state, economy etc.
rule by father - many feminists commonly use this term to discuss rule by MEN, as patriarchy happens not only in the family but also in wider society.
What feminist theorises patriarchy in 1990?
Sylvia Walby
Sylvia Walby
Name all 6 manifestations of patriarchy in society
Explain them briefly
STATE | women denied representation in positions of power
HOUSEHOLD | women conditioned into domesticity and discouraged from external occupations
VIOLENCE | 1/4 women experience domestic violence in their lifetime (CSEW)
PAID WORK | women are not allowed certain jobs in the past and are still frequently in lower-paid/part-time roles.
SEXUALITY | women repress their natural sexual desires and considers them dirty and unladylike.
CULTURE | woman’s primary role advertised to be a good wife to her husband by excelling domestically. unreasonable expectations of what women should look like seen through the media.
What do liberal feminists think of patriarchy?
Mary Wollstonecraft
formal equality
they use this term to draw attention to the unequal distribution of rights and entitlements in society, particularly in public life.
Mary Wollstonecraft wanted women to have formal equality - to enjoy full civil liberties, and to be allowed to have an education and career, rather than being economically dependent on men.
What do socialist feminists think of patriarchy?
Sheila Rowbotham
doubly oppressed
patriarchy operates parallel to capitalism - gender subordination and class inequality are interlinked systems.
Sheila argues that capitalism oppressed the proletariat AND women - women are doubly oppressed because they are forced to sell their labour to survive but also forced to use this labour to support their husbands and children.
What do radical feminists think of patriarchy?
Kate Millett
what is patriarchy’s key institution?
see the patriarchy as systematic and pervasive as a form of male power that is rooted in the family.
Millett argued the female oppression was both political and cultural - undoing traditional family was the key to the sexual revolution.
family = patriarchy’s key institution as it mirrors larger society.
What do postmodern feminists think of patriarchy?
bell hooks
the other factors
outline how whilst patriarchy is systematic there are other systems of oppression in society too.
hooks outlines cross-cultural concerns - mainstream feminist movement focused primarily on the plight of white, college-educated, M.C, and upper class women.
