Feminism
- Created by: yazminab
- Created on: 25-04-19 15:15
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- FEMINISM
- What do feminist theorists believe?
- That women are disadvantaged because of their gender.
- The patriarchy holds political power and this should be overthrown.
- Women are prevented from holding power due to physical, domestic, legal, political and economical reasons, as well as due to social structures.
- Patriarchal systems which oppress women:
- housework: unpaid, low status work.
- Paid work: wage gap e.g. Wimbledon prize money
- State: policies favour men e.g. maternity leave.
- Male violence: Systematic and rarely reported, e.g. Weinstein.
- Cultural institutions: religion, media and education.
- Gender relations: Gender roles through behaviour and regimes
- The three waves of feminism
- First wave: Liberal feminism
- Mary Wollenstonecraft started feminism by advocating for education for women
- J S Mills argued in his book that women should have the right to vote (suffrage)
- First wave feminism led to women's suffrage , e.g. 1918 in UK and 1920 in USA, allowed women to sit in Parliament and allowed women access to divorce.
- Second wave: equality
- Frustration and unhappiness faced by women confined to household roles.
- Social change to overcome the patriarchy.
- eg welfare benefits to help with childcare or nurseries in workplaces.
- female oppression originates in the house, e.g. gender roles.
- achievements: vote, access to education, divorce, changes to marriage law and access to abortion.
- still problems, e.g. 80M women in africa subject to FGM, child brides etc.
- Third wave: patriarchy
- Felt feminism was to focused on white middle class western women.
- Focus on issues such as domestic abuse, childhood marriage, denial of education and poverty levels.
- Pressure to adhere to media beauty standards of beauty distract women from the inequalities they face.
- First wave: Liberal feminism
- The five approaches to feminism
- Liberal feminism:
- create equality for men and women (supports pluralism)
- Radical feminism:
- compete with men by becoming more like them
- lesbian separatism as all men are the enemy
- oppose marriage, motherhood, heterosexuality and anything feminine.
- Marxist feminism:
- The capitalist system is responsible for gender inequalities.
- Unpaid homemaker or part time jobs with low wages.
- Black feminism:
- integrate race and class into feminism to explain inequality.
- Post modern feminism:
- Gender is fluid
- No fundamental essence of gender.
- Liberal feminism:
- Criticisms of feminism
- Marxists: inequality will only be solved by ending capitalism
- Eg, men are typically the 'bread winner'
- Elitists: divisions are due to different characteristics rather than gender.
- Pluralists: significant advances in women rights, e.g. female PM May, and men have suffered too e.g. through conscription.
- Conservative critics: women do not embrace the opportunities available to them.
- The multiple strands of the theory mean theorists are divided.
- Marxists: inequality will only be solved by ending capitalism
- What do feminist theorists believe?
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