Gender: feminism

Question 1

First wave feminism:

Answer 1

• Suffragettes
• They wanted all adults – no matter their class or gender – to be able to vote if they were over 21.
• Led mainly by middle class women – also campaigned for better education for girls and wanted to change laws that stated that once married women’s possessions and money was their husbands.

Question 2

Second wave of feminism:

Answer 2

• After the right to vote was gained – women continued their campaign as they still wanted more rights in society.
• Influence of 3 key events
• Their movement began to create a sense of sisterhood where women felt a responsibility to look out for each other

Question 3

Outcome of the national women’s liberation movement:

Answer 3

• Equal pay for equal work
• Equal education and job opportunities
• Free contraception and abortion
• Free 24-hour nurseries

Question 4

Second wave feminism influenced by 3 key events:

Answer 4

1. Success of the civil rights movement (Campaigning allowed for more freedom for black US citizens)
2. New technology – Contraceptive pill
3. WW2 – Women were given responsibility for ‘male’ jobs in the war – women were given a taste of freedom

Question 5

Third wave feminism:

Answer 5

• Focus on making changes to traditional ideas about sexuality and abolishing gender roles and stereotypes
• Developed from the 90s – reflects on globalisation and technology
• Looks at different nationalities, religions, cultures experience with gender inequalities
• Created a more individualistic approach rather than looking at one approach to fit all women which wouldn’t work due to the different experiences cross-culturally.

Question 6

4th wave feminism:

Answer 6

• Internet is used to bring change through online petitions, raising awareness etc.
• Cochrane = Technology gives women tools to allow women to build a strong, popular and reactive movement.

Question 7

Liberal feminism:

Answer 7

• They focus on obtaining equal opportunities and right for men and women.
• Look at areas of inequality such as the workplace, education and politics.
• They think that gender inequalities have occurred due to the gender socialisation that occurs from childhood and unfair laws which reinforce discrimination.

Question 8

Oakley:

Answer 8

• Liberal feminist
• Gender role socialisation in the family happens from a young age.
• Looks at how manipulation and canalisation teaches this from the toys children are offered and words adults use which teaches norms and values.

Question 9

Evaluation of liberal feminism:

Answer 9

• Radical and Marxist feminists = This doesn’t explain the imbalance of power.
• This only looks at reforming current structures – other types of feminists say that there needs to new and revolutionary change to make a difference.
• Liberal feminism is a middle class movement – it doesn’t represent all the different types of challenges many different groups of women face.

Question 10

Marxist feminism:

Answer 10

• Social class affects the life chances of women.
• Capitalism leads to the gender inequalities that men and women face

Question 11

Marxist feminists view on the family:

Answer 11

• They also think that the family is a patriarchal institution.
• This is becomes women’s traditional role leads to exploitation.
• This is because of the maintenance of inequalities as women accept the dominant ideology that the nuclear family is best.

Question 12

4 main ideas as to why women’s role in the family maintains capitalism:

Answer 12

1. They produce the next generation of obedient workers
2. Women’s domestic work is unpaid so only one wage has to be paid to the husband
3. Women soothe the stress of the proletariat men – they take their frustrations out on their wives
4. Women are a reserve army of labour

Question 13

1. Feeley

Answer 13

• Family teaches children to accept parental authority that is patriarchal.
• This means that children leave the family accepting traditional gender roles (normalise exploitation of women)

Question 14

2. Benston

Answer 14

• Says that a wife looks after her husband by feeding and caring.
• This is essential to capitalism as it keeps women out of work.

Question 15

3. Ansley:

Answer 15

• Women are acting as a safety value.
• This is because their husbands come home frustrated from their jobs due to the exploitation occurring and they take their anger out on their wives

Question 16

4. Bruegel:

Answer 16

• Family is central to why women have been oppressed for so long. - The ruling class use women for work when it is appropriate for them (reserve army of labour) but don’t put value on their work compared to men.

Question 17

Evaluation of marxist feminism:

Answer 17

• Places too much emphasis on social class - They don’t look at other factors that could cause inequality such as ethnicity and age.
• Post-modernists say that there aren’t class divisions anymore and that class is fluid and insignificant.

Question 18

Sharpe:

Answer 18

• Looked at the changing gender roles of women in society.
• Study shows that women’s priorities have changed over the last 20 years.
• Although there has been positive change due to legislation changes, there is still inequality and women and men still occupy different gender roles

Question 19

Radical feminism:

Answer 19

• Patriarchy causes oppression rather capitalism.
• Society is run by men in the interests of men. This means that the men don’t want to give up their power.
• Radical feminists say that their has always been a gender division of labour.
• Men are responsible for this because they define women’s ‘natural role’ in the family which establishes patriarchy.

Question 20

Millet:

Answer 20

• Men originally had power over women because of biological factors.
• Women who are pregnant can’t contribute to society which means that men are consistently reliable for work.
• However the development of the pill means that this cannot be a justified reasons for sexism.

Question 21

Johnson:

Answer 21

• Patriarchal terrorism explains violence.
• This is the result of men’s traditional rights to control women.
• This could explain why there is a high level of domestic violence across the world.

Question 22

Delphy and Leonard:

Answer 22

• Say that men benefits the most off the economic arrangement in the family.
• They say that women contribute to much more to family life and get minimal benefit.
• Say that the economic and social factors make it challenging for women to leave these relationships and become independent.

Question 23

Evaluation of radical feminism:

Answer 23

• Only look at the nuclear family – ignore any other types of families.
• Liberal feminists – Suggest that women’s position has changed over time whereas radical feminists claim no improvements

Question 24

Intersectionality:

Answer 24

Looks at the intersections and interaction of different inequalities such as class, gender, ethnicity, religion and nationality.

Question 25

Who studied intersectionality:

Answer 25

Walby

Question 26

6 patriarchal structures which maintain male dominance:

Answer 26

1. Paid employment = women face discrimination and stereotyping in the workplace 2. The household = Women are exploited in the family due to working full time and taking responsibility for domestic jobs 3. The state = Acts in the interests of men in terms of taxes, welfare and laws 4. Cultural institutions = E.g. The media. This represents women in certain roles (e.g. sex objects or mothers) 5. Sexuality = Men are applauded for the amount of people they have slept with whereas men are shamed for the same behaviour 6. Violence against women = Threat of violence and sexual assault as a way for men to remain in control over women.

Question 27

Evaluation

Answer 27

Strength = It can be seen as improvement as it incorporates different feminists view point from different classes, ethnicities, ages etc. Limitation: Walby over-exaggerates the effects of social structures. Instead women are beginning to become more active in these structures and argue the inequalities that they face.

Question 28

Preference theory was studied by

Answer 28

Catherine Hakim

Question 29

Preference theory:

Answer 29

- Women aren’t the victims of unfair unemployment which most feminist theories suggest. - Instead they make choices about the ways that they work. - Hakim says that women aren’t as committed as men and that inequalities women face are due to the attitudes women have towards working.

Question 30

What theories does the preference theory explain:

Answer 30

- Glass ceiling - Occupational segregation - Gender pay gap

Question 31

3 classifications for work-lifestyle preferences

Answer 31

- Home centred = Family and childcare is the priority. These women would rather not work and put their full focus on raising their children. (20% of the UK) - Adaptive = Women work to combine working and the family. This includes women who want to work but haven’t decided a career yet. (60% of the UK) - Work-centred= Childless women who are full committed and concentrated on employment and their career. (20% of UK)

Question 32

Evaluation of hakim:

Answer 32

Ginn = It is employer attitudes towards women rather than their attitudes to work. These employer attitudes lead to low pay and limited job security.