Feminist Theory Of Ethnic Inequality

Question 1

What are the four explanations of ethnic inequality?

Answer 1

1. Black women face multiple forms of disadvantage
2. Class, race and gender combine to create multiple sources of inequality
3. Black women are portrayed and perceived as passive victims
4. Colonialism has caused gender inequality

Question 2

Who said black woken face multiple forms of disadvantage?

Answer 2

• Abbott et al

Question 3

What did Abbott et al say?

Answer 3

• feminism claims to address issues concerning women in general but it actually concentrates on women’s experiences derived from white perspectives and priorities
• white feminists have been allowed to speak on behalf of black women but black feminists are not allowed to speak on behalf of white women
• some theories have continued to explain women’s role within the domestic sphere which feminists have challenged- they point out that this challenging has meant that at least in Anglo Saxon sociology women’s perspective is seen as more important now than it was
• however, the positions of black and minority ethnic women remains unchallenged
• critical of the lack of centrality given to issues of ethnic difference, racialisation and racism in feminist theory of research
• sociology is a discipline that has been and is dominated by white males who are middle class. Women have come into the discipline and challenged the blinkered view of male stream sociology but they too have tended to be white

Question 4

Who said class, race and gender combine to create multiple sources of inequality?

Answer 4

• Brewer

Question 5

What did Brewer say?

Answer 5

• class, race and gender combine to create multiple sources of deprivation and inequality
• women from black and ethnic minority backgrounds suffer from inequalities because they are black, because they are women and because they are working class
• patriarchy, capitalism and racism combine to create inequality for black and minority ethnic women (triple systems theory)

Question 6

Who said black women are portrayed and perceived as passive victims?

Answer 6

• Mirza

Question 7

What did mirza say?

Answer 7

• supports brewer and argues that there’s a need for distinctive black feminism
• does not believe that black womenfolk have a unique insight to what is true and what is not but believes this group can make an important contribution for the development of the feminist theory
• black feminists have actively challenged the dominant image of black womenfolk as passive victims of racism, patriarchy and social class inequality

Question 8

Who said colonialism has caused gender inequality?

Answer 8

• Connell

Question 9

What did Connell say?

Answer 9

• stresses the links between black feminism and post colonial feminism
• post colonial feminism is concerned with explaining gender inequalities that were caused by colonialism particularly in developing countries
• stresses the importance of developing feminist perspectives that challenge dominance of western feminism as most women live in majority world
• gender inequalities seen through western eyes and missing oppression faced by women in the third world