RADICAL FEMINISM Flashcards
What do radical feminists argue is the main source of oppression for women?
Patriarchy.
Who do they argue society is ran by?
Men, in the interest of men, who have no interest in handing any of their control over to women.
How do radical feminists believe change will come about?
Only revolutionary changes can offer the possibility of female liberation.
What do radical feminists argue has reinforced male domination?
Gender division of labour, as it is men who define ideas about women’s ‘natural’ roles through establishing a patriarchal ideology.
What does Millet argue about biological factors and female oppression?
Men originally acquired power over women because of biological factors.
What does Johnson argue about violence against women as a source of control?
Concept of patriarchal terrorism can be used to explain violence that is the result of ‘patriarchal traditions of men’s right to control “their” women.’
What do radical feminists state about the concept of heterosexuality?
Men also use patriarchal ideology to enforce compulsory heterosexuality. Led to a stance of political lesbianism.
How do liberal feminists criticise the radical feminist viewpoint?
The position of women in society has changed over time and that this is ignored by radicals.
What have radical feminists been accused of over emphasising?
The factors that separate men and women. Men and women also work co-operatively together in a range of ways.
What did Atkinson state about political lesbianism?
“Feminism is the theory, lesbianism is the practice”. This has been a controversial idea among feminists and led to divisions within the movement.
What is the issue with the ethnocentricity of radical feminism?
The experience of women in Britain will be very different to the lives of women across the globe.
