gender

Question 1

sex

Answer 1

• refers to bio diff between men & women
• most important diff is that w give birth
• can refer to lower levels of physical strength that w tend 2 have compared 2 men
• most fems think that sex diff should be irrelevant to the way w are treated in society & their rels with men
• BIO status shouldn’t affect their GENERAL status

Question 2

essentialism

Answer 2

• the idea that bio diffs are important 4 shaping a women’s role in society
• some believe they have determined gender roles & have determined the inferior role they have in society

Question 3

gender

Answer 3

• refers 2 cultural & economic diffs between men & women
• used to be widely believed that the diff role played by women was biologically determined eg: childbearing
• seen as less suited to demanding jobs due to caregiving role & competive ones as too caring

Question 4

liberal feminism

Answer 4

• superiority of men is an artificial construct of patriarchal society
• sex diff shouldn’t be converted 2 gender diff (are learnt bev)
• reform (via leg 4 equality & education) is needed 2 combat social attitudes
• PRIVATE & PUBLIC sphere should be seperate as actions in public affect & thus concerns others, whilst our private interactions are of no business of others

Question 5

radical thinkers

Answer 5

mitchell: gender diff exist in all aspect so must be destroyed in all places, thought w had penis envy & argued 4 cultural rev 2 combat patriarchy
firestone: oppressed would triumph by removing all sexual functions & thus sex differences (androgyny)
germaine greer: even private matters eg intimate relationships are political in nature as are expressions of power exercised by men over women

Question 6

radical feminism

Answer 6

• don’t recognise diff between private & personal sphere
• everything is political as is reflects the power which men have over women
  (eg: if women are kept at home to childrear it isn’t private matter as it’s a wider aspect of patriachal society)
• w don’t get that personal is political as conciousness has been distorted by patriachy

Question 7

socialist feminism

Answer 7

• w’s inferior status is due 2 capitalism (marxist view)
• w are an oppressed class (like workers) because they’re cheap source of labour & lack job security as they’re the ones us. thrown out when there’s a slump
• SO need 2 destroy capitalism & ensure w are granted same protection, work conditions, £s & opps as men

Question 8

private v public

Answer 8

• private - life aspects that are particular to us & possibly close relationships - actions tend 2 not affect anyone other than whose are involved
• public - life aspects where our actions affect others & thus is concern of gov & state eg. treatment in workplace, diff in salaries