Feminist Explanations for Inequality (Part 2)

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  • Created by: E123
  • Created on: 22-03-19 11:38
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  • Feminist Explanations for Social Inequalities (Ethnic & Age)
    • Ethnic
      • Argue that the high-profile campaigns, though necessary, don’t reflect the most pressing needs of the majority of women, and ethnic minority women in particular.
        • Problem is that these ‘white feminist’ campaigns are given focus and attention that overshadows the other work that feminists are engaged with.
          • Majority of women’s lives globally, aren’t negatively impacted by sexism alone.
            • Due to this, the black feminist concept of ‘intersectionality’ (the idea that oppressions criss-cross and compound each other) has been crucial. As, it points out the failings of the wider feminist movement.
      • Abbott et al. (2005)
        • Argue previous strands of feminism have: been ‘ethnocentric’, perpetuated a ‘victim ideology’, practised ‘theoretical racism’.?
      • Brewer (1993)
        • Basis of Black Feminist theory as an ‘understanding of race, class and gender as simultaneous forces’. Each inequality reinforces and multiplies the other inequalities. Distinctive feature of Black feminism to Brewer is that it studies ‘interplay’ or race, class and gender in shaping the lives and restricting the life chances of Black women.
          • Evaluation
            • Can be accused of emphasising racial difference at the expense of others such as class, age sexuality and disability.
    • Age
      • Arber & Ginn (1991)
        • When looking at gender inequality, age plays a factor in determining their power and status, as older women face inequalities that men do not.
      • Itzin 1990)
        • Women face a double standard, as men's status is directly linked to employment whereas a women's is linked to her reproductive cycle. In a patriarchal society a woman's value decreases after childbearing age, which leads to a desire among women to appear younger and fight the signs of ageing (cosmeticisation)
      • Daly (1971)
        • Cosmeticisation has similarities to many global practices that women are made to comply with like FGM.
      • Evaluation
        • As feminists are focused on how the patriarchy affects society and creates inequality, they forget other causes of inequality.
        • The macro-nature of Feminists ignore the fact that not all females are the same and some face other forms of inequality such as wealth, and this affects their lives just as much.
        • Currie (1990)
          • Males are also going through the pressure to cosmeticise through pressures from the media. Cosmeticisation is not a forced process but one that females willingly partake in.

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