Gender equality Flashcards
Give de Beauvoir’s most famous quote about being a woman
‘One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman’
Explain de Beauvoir’s assertion that one is not born, but becomes, a woman
Her insight is that there is a difference between biological sex, which is defined by DNA, and gender, which is defined by society. The idea of a woman for Beauvoir and her followers is rooted less in nature than it is in society and its expectations of women
Explain de Beauvoir’s idea of patriarchy
The idea that expectations for women are set by men, who, occupying the dominant position in society, hold themselves to represent the norm for human behaviour, and see any deviation from it as inadequacy. Women have been placed in a societal role that they did not choose and have suffered as a result ever since
What was de Beauvoir’s most ground breaking work?
‘The second sex’ - published in 1949
Why is de Beauvoir still an influential feminist despite recognising that there are inherent differences between men and women?
Even though she recognised differences, she just thought they should not prevent men and women from being equal
Why has feminism changed so much over time?
Because as a political movement rather than just a philosophy, it must keep up with contemporary issues and views
What have women had very little of for much of European and American history?
Political representation
Who was Mary Wollstonecraft?
She made her own way in life as a writer and teacher, a rarity as women were expected to marry and tend to the home. She made the radical suggestion in her work that women had no less right to an education than men. Many credit her with the earliest work of feminist philosophy but her ideas did not take off until the 20th century
What was Wollstonecraft’s famous work?
A Vindication of the Rights of Women
How do feminist scholars generally look at the history of feminism?
By splitting it into three of four major waves
When did first wave feminism take place?
The late 19th to the earlier 20th century
What was first wave feminism focused on?
Securing equal voting rights with men. The suffragette movement in Britain is often seen as the embodiment of this
When did second wave feminism take place?
1960s-80s
Explain the idea of second wave feminism?
Emerging alongside the civil rights movement and other progressive 1960s causes, it expanded on the legal demands of the first wave to include wider social issues like reproductive rights and domestic violence. Sought to liberate women from the oppressive gender roles set out by de Beauvior
What was the rallying cry of second wave feminists?
‘The personal is the political’
