Feminist View on Gender Inequality

Question 1

What is the common theme in the Feminist theories

Answer 1

That most societies are patriarchal or male dominated and that as a result females generally occupy a subordinate position in those societies

Question 2

How many waves of feminism has there been

Answer 2

four all associated with different periods of history

Question 3

What was the first wave of feminism

Answer 3

Emerged in the late 19th early 20th century and is mainly associated with the suffragette movement, which the main aim was to gain the right to vote.

By the mid-20th century most of these goals had been achieved

Question 4

What was the second wave of feminism

Answer 4

Associated with the 1960s and 70s and saw the emergence of the feminist movement that was turned into three competing wings: liberal, marxist and radical.

This wave of feminism aimed to explore the idea that ‘personal is political’, and the patriarchal inequalities being found within the family.

Question 5

What was the third wave of feminism

Answer 5

Focused on identity politics rather than shared experience of patriarchal inequality. This type of feminism is more individualistic and points out than women come from a range of diverse backgrounds and therefore experience of inequality is also diverse.

Question 6

What was the fourth wave of feminism

Answer 6

According to Cochrane, due to the development of new media technology and involves encouraging women to build empowering, popular and reactive feminist movement online.

Question 7

What do Green and Singletone argue about the fourth wave of feminism

Answer 7

That digital technology have the potential to destabilise patriarchy.

Question 8

What do Liberal feminists focus on

Answer 8

Reforming society by identifying and highlighting inequalities in education, the workplace, the family and politics and campaigning for equal rights for women in these areas.

Question 9

What does Ann Oakley (liberal) see

Answer 9

Sees gender inequality as the product of discrimination by individuals and those who run social institutions such as religions, and the education and political systems.
This discrimination is often based on ignorance and mistaken view of the biological differences between males and females

Question 10

What are liberal feminists mainly concerned with

Answer 10

Obtaining equal opportunities and rights and having these embedded in laws such as the 2006 equality act.

Question 11

How does Oakley explain the source of gender discrimination

Answer 11

Through gender role socialisation. With the girls and boys learning about and believing stereotypical ‘differences’ in gendered behaviour.

Question 12

What has the work of liberal feminists done since the 1960s for women

Answer 12

Produced massive social change

Question 13

What does Somerville (liberal) point out about the social change happened for women

Answer 13

That women today enjoy more choice than their mothers and grandmothers about wether to marry, cohabit or live alone, whether to have children or not etc.

Question 14

What is liberal feminism partly responsible for

Answer 14

The massive cultural change in women’s attitudes which Helen Wilkinson calls a ‘genderquake’

Question 15

What does Helen Wilkinson argue

Answer 15

That women today have radically different attitude towards family responsibilities, education and men compared with their mothers and grandmothers.

They are no longer content to see their lives being defined by men, marriage, family and children.

Question 16

What do Marxist and Radical feminists criticise liberal feminists for

Answer 16

They fail to explain why men have more power than women. They claim the true source of gender inequality lies in the social structure or the social organisations of societies.

Marxists blame capitalism and radical blames patriarchy

Question 17

What did Sue Sharpe study and find

Answer 17

Found in the 1970s, two thirds of girls aspired to leave school at 16 and expected to marry in their early 20s and looked forward to having children

Whereas in 1990s, girls had radically different attitudes. Most girls aspired for a career and saw it more important than family life.

Question 18

What does Sharpes study support and why

Answer 18

Supports the liberal-feminist view that there has been a massive cultural change in the attitudes of women towards education and family life.

Question 19

What are liberal feminists guilty of

Answer 19

Assuming that patriarchal experience of women is universal. They fail to compensate for social class, ethnicity, and sexuality.

Question 20

What do Marxist feminists see

Answer 20

Patriarchal oppression by men as central to a women’s experience, but they do not see this oppression as the main source of social inequality.

Question 21

What is a Marxist feminists perspective

Answer 21

That all labour - paid and domestic - is exploited by the capitalist class. Gender oppression is therefore part and parcel of the general oppression of the working class

Question 22

What does patriarchal ideology transmit (marxist feminist)

Answer 22

The idea that women are inferior or subordinate to men and this makes it easier for capitalism to control and exploit both men and women.

Question 23

What does Benston (marxist fem) argue

Answer 23

That capitalism transmits the idea that women’s family role as mothers and housewives is their most important function.

Question 24

What does Benston (marxist fem) about the role of women to capitalism

Answer 24

Women’s domestic labour is crucial to capitalism in two respects:

1. Capitalism requires a future workforce - reproduction and bring up the workforce free of charge for the capitalist class
2. The present adult male workforce requires maintenance - women’s domestic labour maintains the health and efficiency of the male workforce because they come home to a clean home, cooked meals, and calm kids.

Question 25

What does Fran Ansley note (marxist fem)

Answer 25

Notes the negative side of women’s domestic labour helping the mens emotion wellbeing has a negative side - as women soak up the frustrations of men who are unhappy with their jobs in the form of domestic violence

Question 26

What do other marxist feminists see

Answer 26

They see women as a part of a reserve army of labour, which is only hired by capitalist enterprises in times of rapid economic expansion, but fired when recession sets in.

Marxists argue that housework should be defined as ‘work’ and that women should be paid a wage.

Question 27

Define reserve army of labour

Answer 27

A section of society rear is normally under-employed or engaged in alternative paid work such as full-time housework and childcare which may utilise of the economy expands.

Marxists believe that the existence of this group helps employers to exploit the full time workforce by keeping wages low.

Question 28

What is a criticism against marxist feminism

Answer 28

It does not take choice or how females interpret their social situation into consideration. Catherine Hakim notes that some women voluntarily choose to be mothers and housewives and derive great happiness and job satisfaction from this role.

Question 29

What is marxist feminists accused of ignoring

Answer 29

It is a little dated because it fails to consider recent changes such as gender quake, the educational success of females or the emergence of feminised service sector of the economy and the fact that many women reject the idea of domestic labour.

Question 30

How does Sylvia Walby (1986) criticise marxist feminism

Answer 30

Marxist feminists believe that domestic labour benefits capitalism.
However Walby argues that women staying at home harms capitalism, because if women competed Wirth men for jobs, this might lower wages and increase profits. Women who earn would have superior spending power, which also benefits capitalism.

Question 31

What does the reserve army of labour fail to explain

Answer 31

Why there are men’s jobs and women’s jobs and why women ended up with the responsibility for domestic labour

Question 32

What do postmodernists argue in criticism of marxist feminists

Answer 32

They believe social class is no longer a significant influence on identity

Question 33

What does Christine Delphy (radical fem) argue

Answer 33

That gender inequality is more important that class inequality. They argue that society is divided into two basic gender classes - men and women - whose interested are opposed.

Question 34

What do radical feminists essentially argue

Answer 34

That modern societies are patriarchal societies, in which men exploit and oppress women in all aspects of social life.

Question 35

What do radical feminists argue about the nuclear family

Answer 35

That it mainly functions to benefit men. The main area in which patriarchal ideology is transmitted to children view gender-role socialisation.

This childhood experience results in males and females subscribing to a set of ideas that largely confirm male power.

Question 36

What does the patriarchal ideology do (radical fem)

Answer 36

Encourages the notion that the sexual division of labour is ‘natural’ and unchangeable. It also results in the exploitation of women because the ideology views women as sexual objects.

Question 37

What do radical feminists note about the patriarchal ideology

Answer 37

That it is used to control women for the benefit of men. Women are told what to do and behave. When the ideology fails women are under threat of male violence, which limits them to being free.

Question 38

What does Johnson say about the failing of patriarchal ideology and violence (radical fem)

Answer 38

He describes men’s potential threat or use of violence as patriarchal terrorism

Question 39

What do radical feminists argue about men

Answer 39

That men originally acquired power over women because of biological factors (children). This power was then consolidated as men took over the running of cultural institutions such as religions and political organisations.

Question 40

What do Delphy and Leonard claim (radical fem)

Answer 40

That men engage in ‘familiar exploitation’ and that the family and marriage are institutions which play a major role in the oppression of women.

They argue men are the major beneficiaries of both marriage and family life because women contribute more work to family life but get fewer benefits.

Question 41

What are Radical feminists pessimistic about

Answer 41

The possibility that gender relations can be reformed in current family set-ups.
They believe that the patriarchal and monogamous nuclear family must be abolished or at least radically altered and alternative ways of living must be encouraged

Question 42

What does Firestone argue (rad fem)

Answer 42

That women should use new reproductive technology to exclude men from families because she believes women’s dependence on men derives from childbearing.

Question 43

What have radical feminists been accused of

Answer 43

Exaggerating the exploitation of women in the family. Somerville believes that most women still value relationships with men and most relationships are based on mutual respect rather than exploitation.