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gender inequalities explanations Flashcards

1
Q

FEMINIST EXPLANATIONS

A
  • different strands of feminism
  • common belief: gender divisions form the major divisions in society
  • much of culture has been shaped by men and neglects the contribution that women make
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2
Q

definition: malestream

A
  • play on the word ‘mainstream’ to describe an approach where the point of view of men is taken as norma and usual
  • eg. sociological research that has been conducted by men and concentrates only on men’s experiences and assumes the findings can be applied to women
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3
Q

what were 1st wave feminists all about

A
  • 19th and early 20th century
  • concerned with achieving the right to vote (suffrage)
  • equal opportunities in education for girls
  • equal access to occupations closed to women eg. law, medicine
  • right to inherit wealth and keep income even after marriage
  • equal right to divorce
  • much of this was achieved in the early 1900s
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4
Q

who was the 1st wave feminist movement led by

A
  • middle class women
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5
Q

what were the 2nd wave feminists all about

A
  • concerned with emancipation in all spheres of life
  • linked to other campaigns for justice eg. civil rights movement
  • equal pay
  • equal education and job opportunities
  • end to discrimination against lesbians
  • contraception and abortion rights
  • end to male violence against women
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6
Q

what was the 2nd wave feminist slogan

A
  • ‘the personal is political’
  • many of the personal problems that women experience in their lives are as a result of the unequal way society is organised
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7
Q

what is the 3rd wave feminism all about

A
  • more diverse and individualistic form of feminism which came about due to globalisation and increase in tech use
  • focuses less on laws and more on individual identity
  • focuses on making changes to traditional ideas about sexuality and abolishing gender roles/sterotypes
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8
Q

what did the 3rd wave feminists criticise the 1st/2nd wave feminists of

A
  • primarily expressing the interests of MC white women
  • women cannot be seen as having one common experience
  • acknowledges that women’s experiences are shaped by other aspects of their identity
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9
Q

what are 4th wave feminists all about

A
  • not much different to 3rd wave feminism
  • claim that it is necessary in the 21st C to take action against sexism and a range on inequalities faced by women and girls across the globe
  • explores how patriarchal oppression is also damaging to men
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10
Q

what are the 4th wave feminist fuelled by

A
  • social media campaigns
  • eg MeToo movement
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11
Q

LIBERAL FEMINISTS sociologist

A

Oakley

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12
Q

what do liberal feminists believe inequalities are mainly a result of

A
  • a result of gender role socialisation and unfair laws/practises that reinforce gender discrimination
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13
Q

how do liberal fem. believe we can bring about gender inequality

A
  • changes in the norms and values that reinforce and uphold gender divides
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14
Q

what does Oakley believe about the family

A
  • family socialises children into gender roles where gender inequality centres
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15
Q

which processes does Oakley believe reinforce gender roles in children

A
  • manipulation
  • canalisation
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16
Q

Oakley’s manipulation theory

A
  • refers to the encouragement of behaviour that is seen as gender appropriate
  • eg. telling a boy to ‘toughen up’
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17
Q

Oakley’s canalisation theory

A
  • the channelling of children towards toys and activities seen as gender appropriate
  • children learn their behaviours through internalising behaviour experienced in the family
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18
Q

what is Oakley’s work praised for

A
  • praised for its endurance and being able to provide explanations for gender differences that continue to be evident in society
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19
Q

postmodernist criticism of Oakley

A
  • suggest that gender identities are no longer fixed and that there are a range of masculinities/fem to choose from
  • no clear set of gender norms for children to be socialised into
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20
Q

another postmodernist criticism of Oakley regarding children receiving the socialisation

A
  • she regards children as the passive recipients of gender role association
  • argued that there is at least a process of negotiation between parents and children
  • eg Connell goes further and contends that there is a resistance to gender role socialisation as some children go against the roles
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21
Q

radical fem and marxist fem criticism of liberal feminism

A
  • would argue that liberal feminists fail to explain how men and women have to hold different levels of power in the family and more widely in society
  • they are overly positive about the achievements
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22
Q

any other criticisms of liberal feminists

A
  • middle class movement that represents the interests of educated, professional women but fails to address the concerns of the wider range of women
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23
Q

what is the marxist feminist belief

A
  • combines the feminist approach with Marxist theory to highlight the way in which capitalism is an economic system that leads to the oppression of women
  • social class is key - women are brainwashed to accept their primary role as housewives
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24
Q

marxist feminist sociologists

A
  • Feeley
  • Benston
  • Ansley
  • Bruegel
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25
Q

(MF) how are gender inequalities maintained

A
  • because women re encouraged to accept the dominant ideology (nuclear family)
  • the roles in society are ‘fair’ due to meritocracy
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26
Q

(MF) how does the subordinate role of one in the nuclear family help to serve the needs of capitalism

A
  • they reproduce the next gen of workers and socialise them into norms and values that benefit capitalism
  • eg. boys are brainwashed to believe they are breadwinners and girls the housewives
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27
Q

(MF) what does FEELEY believe about family

A
  • family teaches children submit to a form of parental authority that is patriarchal
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28
Q

(MF) (FEELEY) how does a patriarchal family support capitalism and prevent revolution

A
  • children accept their place in the capitalist society
  • leads to the subordination of women to men, leading to less chance of revolution
  • women are brought up to be passive, rather than rebellious
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29
Q

(MF) what did BENSTON believe about women’s unpaid work

A
  • benefits capitalism
  • women are dependent on the husband financially
  • so the woman keeps the husband in good mood to he can provide for the family and is less likely to challenge the capitalist system
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30
Q

(MF) what did ANSLEY believe (phrase)

A
  • women were the ‘takers of shit’
  • when husbands return home after being exploited at work they take their angers and frustration out on their wives
  • they soak up all the revolutionary ideas
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31
Q

(MF) what did BRUEGEL believe about ruling class using women

A
  • RC use women as a reserve army of labour
  • use them when they are needed then send them back to the role of full-time housewife when not required
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32
Q

evaluations of marxist feminists

A
  • they place too much emphasis on social class not paying attention to other factors that impact lives
  • relies on revolution to bring about change
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33
Q

postmodernist evaluation of MF

A
  • class is no longer such a significant social division
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34
Q

radical feminist evaluation of marxist feminists

A
  • critical of emphasis on capitalist exploitation
  • patriarchy is more important than social class
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35
Q

WALBY’s evaluation of MF

A
  • focuses too much on capitalism and fails to explain women’s exploitation in non capitalist countries
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36
Q

RADICAL FEMINISTS core belief

A
  • patriarchy, not capitalism, is the main source of oppression for women
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37
Q

RF - why do men want to hold onto their dominance over women

A
  • they have no interest to give up tiger power because they dominate in society and are advantaged
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38
Q

RF - why is the family central to the oppression of women

A
  • they argue that there has always been a gender division of labour that has served to reinforce male domination
  • our biological differences don’t justify being treated unequally
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39
Q

RADICAL FEMINIST sociologists

A
  • Millet
  • Johnson
  • Atkinson
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40
Q

RF what did MILLET believe about men and their desire to legitimise their power in the modern world

A
  • men originally acquired power over women sexually - getting them pregnant etc
  • but due to modern medicine/contraception men no longer can legitimise their power through this sexual means
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41
Q

RF what is JOHNSON’S phrase

A
  • patriarchal terrorism
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42
Q

RF - JOHNSON - what does ‘patriarchal terrorism’ mean

A
  • men’s rights to control their women
  • systemic use of violence and economic subordination to control women eg. domestic violence continues
43
Q

RF what does ATKINSON believe about women

A
  • political lesbianism
  • lesbianism is a positive political alternative to an oppressive heterosexualism
44
Q

evaluation of radical feminists

A
  • don’t acknowledge other areas of family life eg. social classes, ethnicity
  • implies that all women share common interests/are in the same boat because they are female
  • too much emphasis on factors that separate men and women
  • men and women now have more fulfilling family relationships
  • men and women co-operatively campaign for equality
45
Q

liberal feminist evaluation of radical feminists

A
  • radical feminists are too pessimistic and don’t focus on the fact that the position of women has improves
46
Q

WALBY’s evaluation of radical feminism

A
  • critical of it for seeing the patriarchy as universal and unchanging
47
Q

INTERSECTIONALITY sociologist

A
  • Walby
  • Crenshaw
48
Q

what is Crenshaw’s intersectionality

A
  • a metaphor for understanding the ways that multiple forms of inequality or disadvantages can sometimes compound themselves and create obstacles that are often not understood among conventional ways of thinking
49
Q

(intersec) what does WALBY believe about patriarchy

A
  • is NOT fixed and changes over time
  • has evolved from ‘private patriarchy’ where women were limited to the domestic sphere of home and family to ‘public patriarchy’ where women suffer disadvantage in work etc.
50
Q

(intersectionality) what are the 6 patriarchal structures in society which restrict women WALBY

A
  1. paid employment
  2. the household
  3. the state
  4. cultural institutions eg. the media
  5. sexuality
  6. violence against women
51
Q

(intersectionality) WALBY - 1. patriarchal structure: paid employemnt

A
  • the ideology that women are supposed to stay at home means that women face discrimination from employers and restricted access into careers
  • HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL SEGREGATION
52
Q

(intersectionality) WALBY 2. patriarchal structure: the household

A
  • women are exploited in the family and the primary responsibility for housework and childcare even if they’re working in full time employement
53
Q

(intersectionality) WALBY 3. patriarchal structure: the state

A
  • the state acts in the interest of men rather than women in terms of taxation, welfare etc
54
Q

(intersectionality) WALBY 4. patriarchal structure: cultural institutions eg. the media

A
  • women are represented in a narrow set of social rules eg. se objects, mothers
55
Q

(intersectionality) WALBY 5. patriarchy structure: sexuality

A
  • double standard is applied to men and women
  • men are ‘applauded; for having many sexual partners, while women are condemned
56
Q

(intersectionality) WALBY 6. patriarchal structure: violence against women

A
  • used by men to exert physical control over women
57
Q

(intersectionality) WALBY’s strengths

A
  • can be viewed as an improvement on other feminists as it incorporates different aspects of different feminists
  • developed and refined ideas which incorporate social change into analysis
58
Q

STACEY’s criticism of WALBY

A
  • over-emphasises the influence of social structures on behaviours
  • Stacey argues when negotiate such systems and are more active than Walby assumes
59
Q

PREFERENCE THEORY sociologist

A

HAKIM

60
Q

what does HAKIM criticise

A
  • the feminist assumptions about gender equalities
61
Q

(PT) what is HAKIM’s preference theory

A
  • women are not victims of unfair employment practises
  • inequalities are really differences in preferred lifestyle between the sexes
  • men and women differ in their attitudes to work and labour
62
Q

(PT) what are (Hakim’s) womens’ 3 work-lifestyle preferences

A
  1. home centred (family and children are the main priorities) - 20% of women in UK
  2. adaptive (combination of work and family) - 60% of women in UK
  3. work centred (main priority in life is employment and work) - 20% of women in UK
63
Q

(PT) - Hakim - why will men retain a dominant position in the labour market

A
  • because only a minority of women are prepared to prioritise their jobs in the way men do
64
Q

which theory does the preference theory support

A
  • the functionalist human capital their as it suggests that women are not as committed as men to paid work
65
Q

evaluation of HAKIM (PT)

A
  • heavily criticised for ignoring the power of the patriarchy to subordinate and oppress women
66
Q

Ginn et al criticism of HAKIM’s preference theory

A
  • point out it is usually employers attitudes, rather than the women’s that confine them to the secondary labour market of low paid insecure work
67
Q

what are the sociologists for black feminism

A
  • Brewer
  • Mirza
  • Connel
68
Q

why does BREWER believe is distinctive about black feminism

A
  • ‘understanding of race, class and gender as simultaneous forces’
  • black women suffer because they are black, WC and women but their problems are more than that because their reinforce each other
69
Q

evaluation of BREWER

A
  • can be accused of emphasising racial difference at the expense of other inequities eg. class, disability, sexuality
  • legislation combats these inequalities and helps empower ethnic minority women eg. The Equal Pay Act
70
Q

what did the Youth Cohort studies show about Indian and Chinese pupils

A
  • they outperform all other ethnic minority groups within the education system
71
Q

why does MIRZA believe there is a need for a distinctive black feminism

A
  • black women don’t have some unique insight into what’s right and wrong, but they do make an important contribution to the development of feminist theory
  • Black feminists can challenge the distorted assumptions of dominant groups and offer alternative ways of thinking
72
Q

evaluation of MIRZA

A
  • not all ethnic minority women have developed the confidence to be brave, proud and strong
  • some ethnic minority women continue to experience the pressures in the family to conform to traditional gender stereotypes that help maintain honour (izaat) - in south asian communities
73
Q

what does CONNEL stress

A
  • the link between black feminism and post-colonial feminism
74
Q

what is postcolonial feminism

A
  • concerned with explaining gender inequalities that were caused by colonialism, particularly in economically developing countries
  • challenges the dominance of western feminism
  • this is because gender inequalities established in colonial times are often embedded in current attitudes
75
Q

evaluation of CONNEL’s postcolonial feminism

A
  • sometimes overemphasises the importance of colonialism in gender inequalities
76
Q

criticisms of mainstream western feminism

A
  • the dominant feminist movement prioritises white women’s issues and may ignore other issues
  • doesn’t prioritise intersectionality (gender, race, ethnicity)
77
Q

ABBOTT ET AL’s criticism of mainstream western feminism

A
  • EUROCENTRIC: mainly discusses issues faced by white MC women rather than universal issues
  • PERPETUATED VICTIM IDEOLOGY: views eg. black women as helpless victims of racism and sexism and ignored the extent to which they resist oppression
  • THEORETICAL RACISM: expects black women to write up their own experiences rather than contribute to the feminist movement as a whole
78
Q

FUNCTIONALISM belief

A
  • biological differences between men and women explain the natural division of labour = a smooth running of society
79
Q

FUNCTIONALIST sociologists

A
  • Murdock
  • Parsons and Bales
  • Rastogi
80
Q

what did MURDOCK find in his studies of gender roles in over 200 societies

A
  • women were located in the home because of their biological functions reproduce
  • less able to perform strenuous tasks
  • evident because its functional
81
Q

what did PARSONS and BALES argue

A
  • men play the ‘instrumental’ role, while women play the ‘expressive’ role
  • separation of roles ensures the smooth running of society
  • explains why men and women have different experiences in the labour market
  • HAKIM’s PREFERENCE THEORY agrees
82
Q

what is the HUMAN CAPITAL THEORY

A
  • explaining the wage gap and other employment related differences by the amount of human capital an individual/group have through education and training
  • personal incomes vary according to the amount of investment that is put into developing human capital
83
Q

what did RASTOGI believe in

A
  • sees capital as the ‘knowledge, competency, attitude, behaviour embedded in the individual’
84
Q

evaluation of functionalist view

A
  • feminists argue that gender roles are socially constructed rather than biological
  • human capital theory ignores social constraints that limit women
  • doesn’t keep up with social changes in analysis
  • tends to refer to the experience of the MC
  • outdated
  • even many MC families rely on 2 incomes now due to falling wages and higher living costs - the traditional ideal nuclear family doesn’t exist
85
Q

what are the NEW RIGHT views on gender relations and the nuclear family

A
  • very similar to functionalist thinkers
86
Q

NEW RIGHT sociologist

A
  • Phyllis Schlafly
87
Q

NR what are Phyllis Schafly’s views on marriage

A
  • marriage and motherhood can be extremely challenging but the most fulfilling role of women
  • they can achieve their dreams of love and happiness
88
Q

NR what are Schlafly’s views on employment

A
  • women’s work liberation is propaganda and motherhood is far more fulfilling
89
Q

NR what are Schlafly’s views on family

A
  • most women don’t want to be liberated from home, husband, family and children
90
Q

evaluation of the New Right

A
  • Schlafly didn’t live the ‘stay at home’ lifestyle she promoted, she was educated and involved in politics
  • her assumptions about women mostly applied to MC women
  • assumes that women aren’t capable of finding joy beyond the family
  • many women are needed as doctors, nurses and teachers (key workers) so they should be educated and part of the workforce
  • outdated
91
Q

MARXISM sociologist

A
  • Engles
92
Q

(Marx) what did Engles argue abut women’s position in capitalist societies

A
  • women’s subordinate position is a result of the ownership of private property and the development of the nuclear family that went with it
  • the rise of a class-based society through capitalism brought with it rising inequality
  • exploiter/exploited relationships that occur in the B and P are reflected in the family
  • domestic unpaid labour reinforces capitalism and therefore the patriarchy and their position as a reserve army of labour
93
Q

how do Neo-merxisrs different from classic marxists

A
  • a conflict is not simply based on class struggle - it occurs on a much wider level among almost all other groups
94
Q

evaluation of marxist explanations

A
  • ignores the role of religion
  • eg. christianity in European countries shaping ideas around sexuality and monogamy predate capitalism
  • radical feminists would say oppression of women by men came first
  • over emphasis of class
95
Q

which were the 3 dimensions of Weber’s social stratification

A
  • class
  • party
  • status
96
Q

WEBER - why is it useful to look at occupational segregation when examining the role of status in relation to gender inequalities

A
  • they offer some explanation for the inequalities that women face both across and within the labour market
97
Q

what key explanations did the Equal Opportunities Commission identity for the continued presence of horizontal segregation

A
  • human capital
  • career choices depending on how they perceive different careers
  • discrimination by employers
  • barriers with organisations
98
Q

WEBERIAN sociologists

A
  • Barron and Norris
99
Q

what is BARRON AND NORRIS’s explanation of the dual labour market

A
  • men dominate the primary labour market: secure, well paid jobs that have good promotion prospects
  • women dominate the secondary labour market: insecure jobs with low pay, and with minimal promotion prospects
100
Q

how can the Weberian concept of status explain the dual market

A
  • women are more likely to work in the secondary labour market with low status eg. domestic roles
101
Q

WEBER explain social closure

A
  • describes the exclusion of some people from membership of certain status groups
  • eg. to women by men to protect the top positions in society for themselves
102
Q

how can Weberian concept of party explain gender inequalities

A
  • women tend to participate less in groups that exert pressure and power in society eg politics
103
Q

evaluation of Weberian view

A
  • does not explain why men and women end up in different sectors of the labour market and why some groups have more status than others
  • the 3 dimensions are often interrelated eg. those with economic power have higher status and use this to influence politics
104
Q

postmodernist criticism of Weberian view

A
  • there is no longer a consensus on what constitutes high and low status as norms and values are no longer fixed

sociology ms siddiqua (3 decks)

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