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feminism theory Flashcards

1
Q

Outline the overall liberal feminism argument

A
  • Concerned with the human and civil rights freedoms of individuals → believe all = rights for all
    → reject the idea of biological differences make women less able
  • Reformism - progress towards equal rights without need for revolution
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2
Q

What are the two ways liberal feminists think change will come about?

A
  • Laws and policies - believe equality can be achieved this way.
  • Cultural change - believe prejudices and stereotypes are a barrier to equality so need to be shifted

Changes in socialisation is gradual - will slowly lead to rational attitudes towards parity

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3
Q

How do liberal feminists define sex?

A

refers to the biological differences between males and females such as reproductive roles etc

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4
Q

How do liberal feminists define gender?

A

refers to the socially constructed differences between feminine and masculine roles which are transmitted through socialisation (vary overtime)

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5
Q

How do liberal feminists view conflict?

A

Sees conflicts between genders as not inevitable but a product of outdated attitudes - so is closest to consensus

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6
Q

Evaluation of liberal feminism

A
  • Work has demonstrated evidence of the inequality and discrimination → demonstrate gender is not innate
  • Criticised for overoptimism - see obstacles to emancipation as simply due to prejudice and irrational laws → ignore the idea of seated structures causing oppression such as patriarchy and capitalism
  • Walby - criticises they offer no explanation for the gender inequality → fail to acknowledge the underlying causes of the subordination and are naive to believe changes in legislation will be enough
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7
Q

Outline the overal argument for radical feminism?

A

emerged in early 70s → oppression due to patriarchy :
Patriarchy is universal - male dominance occurs in all societies

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8
Q

What does Firestone argue about the origins of patriarchy?

A

argues origins of patriarchy lies in women’s biological role of bearing children as it makes them dependent on men.

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9
Q

what is the scale of patriarchy they argue?

A

All men oppress all women - all men benefit from patriarchy - women’s domestic labour / sexual service

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10
Q

Do they argue patriarchy is the main form of conflict?

A

Patriarchy is the primary form of conflict - key division in society

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11
Q

How do radical feminists argue that patriarchy operates?

A

patriarchal power occurs through personal relationships
* Argue patriarchy occurs in private sphere of family life as well as wider society
* Personal relationships political as men dominate over women → sexual politics

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12
Q

What do radical feminists argue about sexuality?

A

argue patriarchy constructs sexuality to satisfy men’s desires

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13
Q

What does Rich argue about radical feminism and sexuality?

A

men continue to force women into a narrow ‘compulsory heterosexuality’

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14
Q

What does Brownmiller argue about impact of personal relationships

A

The impact of these personal relationships affect all women not just who receives it :
BROWNMILLER - fear of rape is a powerful deterrent for women to go out at night

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15
Q

What are the three solutions of change proposed by radical feminists?

A
  • Separatism - living apart from males to avoid the domestic inmate relationships
    Greer - argues for creation of matrilocal households
  • Consciousness -raising - sharing experiences in women only groups see all women face same issues
  • Political lesbianism - to avoid ‘sleeping with the enemy’
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16
Q

What does Greer argue about sepratism?

A

Greer - argues for creation of matrilocal households

17
Q

radical feminism evaluation

A
  • Draw attention to power inequalities within relationships
  • Women are breaking through the glass ceiling with more reported to be in employment
  • Marxists criticise it is capitalism not patriarchy that is the cause of women oppression
  • Offers no explanation of why it takes place / deterministic in all women same experiences
  • Has inadequate theory of how patriarchy will be abolished → separatism is unlikely to occur → somerville argues that heterosexual attraction makes it unlikely political lesbianism will occur
18
Q

Outline marxist feminists general views

A

Dismiss the liberal view that subordination is merely product of outdated attitudes

Argue that the subordination within society is due to primary role as unpaid homemaker - places women in dependent economic position

19
Q

What do Marxist feminists argue the functions women perorm for capitalism?

A
  • Source of cheap labour - can be paid less
  • Reproduce the labour force - through nurturing and socialising the next gen of workers
  • Absorb anger - Ansley ‘takers of shit’
20
Q

What does Barrett mean by familism?

A

this ideology presents the nuclear family and its sexual division as natural and norma - family being the only place women can gain fulfilment through motherhood thus → maintains oppression

21
Q

What does Barrett acknowledge about revolution of marxist feminism

A

She acknowledges the need of a revolution to obtain liberation but argues it is not sufficient :
Need to overthrow the ideology of familism that underpins the conventional nuclear family freeing roles from the fixed stereotypes.

22
Q

What does Mitchell argue about social change in marxist feminism?

A

Mitchell - uses freud’s theory to argue that femininity is so deeply implanted in womens unconscious minds they are difficult to dislodge as is a deeply rooted ideology.

23
Q

Evaluation of marxist feminism

A
  • Fails to explain women’s subordination in a non-capitalist society
  • Unpaid domestic labour may benefit capitalism but doesn’t explain why it is women and not men who perform this → criticised for being sex blind
24
Q

Define what is meant by dual system feminism?

A

Some feminists have sought to combine the key features of Marxist and radical feminism in a single theory :
* An economic system - capitalism
* A sex-gender system - patriarchy

25
Q

Hartmann argue about dual system feminism

A

see both patriarchy and capitalism as two intertwined systems that form a single entity, ‘patriarchal capitalism’ ⇒ accept patriarchy to be universal but prevalent in capitalism

26
Q

Walby argue about dual system feminism?

A

argues they are interrelated but not always the same ==? They collide ver the exploitation of female labour :

  • Capitalism - demands cheap female labour for its work force
  • Patriarchy - resists this wanting to keep women subordinate within domestic sphere
27
Q

what is difference feminism?

A

Do not see women as a homogenous group

Argue
Race
Classes
Ability
All have different experiences as women

28
Q

What is meant by the term ‘false universality’ - differnce feminists

A

Argue that feminist theory has claimed a ‘false universality’ - claims to be about all women but only experiences of white western mc women.

29
Q

Define what is meant by essentialism?

A

Idea that women share the same experiences of oppression
So difference feminist criticise the other branches as being essentialist - seeing all women the same

30
Q

What do post structuralist (Butler) mean by discourse

A

ways of seeing,thinking or speaking about something.
The world is made up of many discourses (religious/scientific/medical/artistic)
Discourse gives power over those it defines.

31
Q

What is the enlightenment project?

A

Argue that humanity and progress is a form of discourse as a part of power and knowledge

32
Q

What does Butler - post structuralist feminist argue?

A

White western women have falsely claimed to represent ‘universal womanhood’ → concluding that feminists are wrong to believe they can adapt the enlightenment project so that it includes all women

  • For post structuralism, there is no fixed essence of what it is like to be a women
    All identities are constituted through discourses that differ cross culturally
33
Q

What does Butler argue to say that post structuralism offers an advantage ?

A

Butler argues that poststructuralism offers advantages:
* Allows for feminists to analyse different discourse to see how women are subordinated

  • Are able to examine the discourses medicine/sexuality /religion etc that to what they define oppresses women
  • Argue by rejecting essentialism and by emphasising the diversity of discourses and individuals experiences it is applicable to all.
34
Q

Evaluation postructuralism feminism

A
  • There are similarities between women such as all are faced with patriarchy
  • Celebrating difference may have the effect of dividing women into sub groups → weakening feminism as a movement for change
  • Segal - criticises post structuralist for abandoning notion o real objective so

Sociological theories (10 decks)

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