Gender and Society (1) Flashcards
What are some reasons for the change of family landscape in Britain?
- Ease of Divorce
- Single Parents
- Homosexual relationships
What is Feminism?
- Name given to a wide range of movements that sought equality, freedom and dignity for women
- Has gone through ‘waves’ which shifts and developments in views
Outline Harriet Taylors ‘first wave’ of feminism and the view she posited?
- In her ‘Enfranchisement of Women’ for the right to vote
- ‘equality in all rights, political, civil and social with all male citizens’
- True partnership of male and female is equal pay and financial independence
What social reforms were made as a result of the ‘first wave’ of feminism?
- State-funded child care
- More flexible working hours
- Maternity leave for women
What was the ‘second wave’ of feminism and who was the advocate of this?
- True equality could only be achieved when both men and women mindset changed
- No change of attitudes would result in a male-dominated patriarchal society
- Betty Friedan
What point did Betty Friedan make in her ‘The feminine mystique’?
- Research showed that those women who played the role of the homemaker in the 50’s was leaving them unfulfilled, bored and frustrated
- Knowing other women felt like this gave them the courage to break away from traditional roles, and not play into the ‘feminine mystique’
What was Simone De Beauvoir’s aims?
- She wanted to challenge the deep seated prejudices that make women seem inferior to men
- Asserted the idea that women need to change their mindsets along with men
What is De Beauvoir’s false-consciousness?
- Women who have an objectively false view of themselves in line with societally created gender roles
- This leads women to lack freedom and self-worth, they need to break away from this false-consciousness for true freedom
Quote De Beauvoir in the ‘Second Sex’?
“not born, but rather becomes a woman”
- You are not born with gender roles, society traps you and defines you by these
- Women are encouraged to believe in the ‘Eternal Feminine’, this does not exist and women should choose what they want to do
What is the ‘glass ceiling’ women still face today?
- Despite being able to get male roles (Jobs etc), there still does seem to be a ‘glass ceiling’ of what they can achieve
- They are limited to access the highest roles, in political, science and legal professions
What is the issue of sex and gender roles?
- Argued that gender is more complex than sex, it refers to ones masculine/feminine traits
- Can be said gender roles change over time, e.g women
- Argument about whether gender is related to biological sex or a social construct as a whole
What is the Essentialist view on sex and gender?
- There are feminine and masculine characteristics that are a product of biology and nature
- Womens bodies are designed for child birth and nurturing whereas men are more muscular to show dominance in the work place
What is the Existentialist view on sex and gender?
- Gender are a product of nurture through culture and upbringing
- E.g the sexualisation/objectification of women was a social construct created by men
- E.g in some cultures curvy bodies are desirable whereas in some its facial factors
What is Marx’s notion of human interaction and how is this linked to gender?
- Marx believed that human interaction is about power and which group dominates another
- Secular approach asserts that sexuality is not essentialist/existentialist but rather about power
What is the purpose of sexuality for Michel Foucault?
- Sexual history shows that sexuality cannot be defined in binary terms of male and female
- ars erotica; believes the purpose of sex is for companionship, pleasure and education
- Sexuality covers all practices, heterosexual, homosexual and transgender
How does sexuality maintain power for Michel Foucault?
- Scientia Sexualis: Controlling sexual practices as a means of maintaining power
- e.g The way the Church regulated men and women sexual practices and gender roles
- The Church’s role has been weakened and the role of identifying ‘correct sexual behaviour has been transferred
What was the Order of Nature displayed in Genesis 1?
- Man and woman are both created in the image of God with their primary role to reproduce and maintain natural order of the world
How do gender differences become exaggerated after The Fall in Genesis 3?
- Genesis 3:16, women will be mothers ruled over by their husbands
- Genesis 3:17-19 Men will work and provide for the family
- There is a natural order, women work at home with domestic duties and man works outside as a provider
What is Gods Covenant Ideal?
- Aftermath of the Fall is that human nature is distorted to the point where men and women cannot live due to natural order
- God therefore establishes a covenant ideal through biblical commands
What is the Story of Mary and Martha? (Luke 10)
- Mary is allowed to listen and learn from Jesus’ teachings to prepare for a public role, e.g disciple, teacher which is usually a male role
- Martha is criticised as she can only think about her domestic duties
- Mary represents the newly liberated female gender role whereas Martha represents the traditional
What is the Letter to Ephesians?
A letter that covers a wide range of issues, e.g speaking truthfully, sexual purity, honesty and care for the poor
What does the Letter to the Ephesians say about women?
- “Wives be subject to your husbands as you are to the lord”
- The husband as “the head to the wife”
What are the 3 interpretations of the Letter to the Ephesians when it comes to women?
1) Can be interpreted as a means of oppressing women, treating them as beneath and subservient to their husbands
2) ‘Head’ can also mean the ‘source of life’ and refer back to Genesis 2:21-23, emphasising relationship and not authority
3) Ephesians 5:21, ‘obedience’ is mutual ‘to one another’, showing the nature of obedience is beyond gender roles
What does the Letter to the Ephesians say about men?
- “Husbands love your wives just as Christ loved the church”
- Husbands should care and nourish his wife as he does his own body, ‘body’ being the relationship
What does Paul say in 1 Corinthians?
- Paul forbids women to speak in Church and should seek to be educated by their husband at home
How does St Paul reiterate his message in 1 Corinthians in his letter to Timothy? (Quote)
“I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man” - 1 Timothy 2:11-14
