Gender and society Flashcards
Define instrument for oppression
a tool used to contribute to the oppression of a group
what are the ‘three waves’ feminism is generally classified in?
1)early feminism, running up to the middle of the 20th century. the aim was to get equality for women written into legal processes (such as the right to vote)
2)the second half of the 20th century focused on ensuring that what was in law was put into practice - fighting for the political, economic and social equality of women
3)from the 1990s onwards saw a greater emphasis on individuality and intersectionality, recognising, for example, that black women could be subject to both racism and sexism in a way that white women could not.
4) some argue there was a third wave in the beginning of the 2010s. They may point out that it was only 1991 that marital rape became a crime. Feminist thinker often welcome any definition of family that does not rely on stereotypical gender roles.
The idea of a family is not culturally determined (i.e. not determined by society)
-some may take a narrow view of what it means to define a family and say that biologically this cannot change because a family requires the ability to create children.
(-)However, in many societies now, same-sex couples can adopt and foster children. This, in many peoples views, is no different to a family of heterosexual parents who have adopted or fostered children.
-Christianity tends to teach the order of families is not formed by society but formed by God and the order of creation.
-Some Christians also say that the idea of the family determined by Church teaching, such as the catholic view of importance of the sacrament of marriage, as understood in Natural law
Reasons including Biblical evidence as to why some people argue women are inferior to men
-Eve being the first to sin (weaker sex)
-1 Timothy 2:12 ‘I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man, she is to remain silent. For Adam was formed first and …not deceived but the women was deceived and became a transgressor’.
-The Bible normalises a binary approach to gender
-Some people argue that the authority of the Bible transfers expectations onto society today.
Biblical teachings of gender roles are outdated (i.e. Not natural)
-Feminists respond that gender roles are actually socially constructed – different societies have different views on gender roles – so it can’t be natural.
-The idea that gender roles are natural is just a psychological manipulation created by men to control women.
-Telling women that being housewives is their ‘natural’ role that the omnipotent creator of the universe has designed for them – is just a persuasive and a powerful tool of manipulation.
What Catholic text was published that aimed to set out the catholic teaching on women to the increasing influence of feminism and change within society?
-What was it called?
-Who published it?
-When was it published?
-Main idea in the text
Mulieris Dignitatem - which translates to ‘On the dignity of women’
-Published by Pope John Paul II
-published in 1988
-At the heart of the text is the idea that men and women were created equally and have equal value but also differently and so have different roles to play
What does Mulieris Dignitatem emphasise?
-the role of motherhood and its importance in reversing the effects of the fall
-Only talks about parenthood being between a man a woman and it emphasised that this is within marriage and so the catholic teaching of the traditional nature of family is emphasised.
-It can be argued that with the centrality of motherhood, a woman’s primary role is not to be in the workplace.
Motherhood is restricting
-Christian views on motherhood that emphasise the segregation of gender roles can only make women feel more like they are imprisoned as mothers, rather than joyful.
-Society has made women accept that they are to be mothers and this has made them believe that they are inferior to men.
-For some, the idea of motherhood is a result of social conditioning
-For there to be such high expectations of motherhood as being liberating can in itself make it restricting, especially for mothers who feel they aren’t meeting societal expectation.
Motherhood is liberating
-If by being a mother, a woman fulfills what she was created for and her role within a marriage, motherhood enable a woman to have ‘life to the full’ (John 10:10)
-For women to be able to associate with the redemptive process that began with Mary and includes the Easter event makes their role incredibly privileged and liberating.
(-)However, liberation theologists such as Mary Daly would argue that Mary was just conforming to church expectations for a women to be passive, submissive and obedient. Which is therefore, not liberating and is restricting.
