14.2 - Different Types of Feminism (PAPER 2) Flashcards
(63 cards)
1
Q
What is reformism?
A
The belief that society can be reformed.
2
Q
What is equality of opportunity?
A
Everyone should have the same life chances.
3
Q
What is political equality?
A
Women should have the same rights as men to vote.
4
Q
What is gender equality?
A
Men and women should be treated the same within society.
5
Q
What is legal equality?
A
Everyone should be treated the same in the eyes of the law.
6
Q
How do liberal feminists think gender stereotypes can be eliminated?
A
Reformism.
via democratic pressure.
7
Q
What liberal values are liberal feminists inspired by?
A
Individualism
Foundational Equality
Equality of Opportunity
8
Q
What assumptions do liberal feminists make about political equality?
A
Via political equality, gender and legal equality will follow.
9
Q
What was the most important chapter in Betty Friedan’s book ‘The Feminine Mystique’?
A
The Problem that Has No Name
10
Q
What did liberal feminists campaign for?
A
End to discrimination via gender equality.
End to outdated cultural attitudes via education.
Changes in the law to facilitate legal equality.
11
Q
How was liberal feminism later criticised by radical feminists?
A
A reluctance to analyse the private sphere of family life.
12
Q
How can socialist feminism be split?
A
Revolutionary
Reform
13
Q
What socialist qualities did Gilman think were inherently female?
A
Collectivism
Cooperation
14
Q
Name some changes inspired by liberal feminism in the UK?
A
First sitting MP 1919
Equal Franchise Act 1928
Equal Pay Act 1970
15
Q
How did Gilman anticipate intersectionality?
A
Gender and capitalism were interconnected forms of oppression.
16
Q
How could women be given freedom and equality?
A
Economic independence.
17
Q
What type of living did Gilman champion?
A
Communal living.
18
Q
Who was the first to argue that capitalism created a patriarchy?
A
Friedrich Engels.
19
Q
Why did Engels think capitalism caused the patriarchy?
A
Pre-existing societal structures are tampered with by capitalism.
Women were needed as unpaid helpers to enable male workers to be employed in the workplace.
20
Q
What is a reserve army of labour?
A
Women can constitute a spare workforce to be called upon when needed.
21
Q
Why did Engels think women were complicit in continuing capitalist oppression?
A
Reproducing the workforce and socialising their children.
22
Q
Where did working class women find employment in Victorian era England?
A
Factories.
They are paid less than men with no childcare provision.
23
Q
What are the four social functions that women must liberate themselves from to end the patriarchy according to Juliet Mitchell?
A
- Their role in the workforce and production
- Childbearing role
- Socialisation of children
- Societal position as sex objects
24
Q
How do radical feminists think the patriarchy is exemplified in society, and how do they think it can be solved?
A
- Political lesbianism (Bunch, Dworkin)
- Communal living (Millett, early Greer)
- Artificial insemination to reproduce (Firestone)
25
Why did Camille Paglia criticise feminism?
The portayal of women as 'victims', arguing that women need to take responsibility for their own life and sexual conduct.
26
Why has post-feminism been broadly criticised?
It almost exclusively focused on white, middle-class women.
27
What are some of the themes of postmodern feminism?
Cyberpatriarchy
Genital Mutilation
Honour Killings
Transfeminism
Rape and Sexual Assault
28
Why does Cochrane argue technology is a source of the patriarchy?
Diane Abbott received the most Twitter abuse out of all MPs during 2017 campaign.
The way people talk online is not how they talk about in real life.
Increasing levels of hypersexualisation aimed at young / teenage girls.
29
How is genital mutiliation intersectional?
Gender, racial, religious and historical.
30
How is rape and sexual assault intersectional?
Factors such as sexual orientation, disability status, ethnicity and country of origin can increase women's vulnerability to violence.
31
What are some examples of postmodern feminist success?
- Prohibition of Female Circumcision Act 1985.
- First black female MP 1987
32
To what extent do feminists agree and disagree on human nature? (Agree)
* Equality feminists agree that understanding sex and gender is crucial to understand human nature
* Equality feminists argue that human nature is androgynous, gender is a cultural not biological construct. 'Masculinity' and 'femininity' not natural; artificial
* Liberal, radical, socialist and postmodern feminists are all equality feminists, believing that biological differences are inconsequential and women are just as rational as men
* Most feminists agree with de Beauvoir and Millett that these gender roles are imposed upon women, socialising them to believe that gender roles are natural
33
To what extent do feminists agree and disagree on human nature? (Disagree)
- Difference feminists reject equality feminism, believing women have a distinct, natural femininity that should be embraced
- Cultural feminists go further, claiming women’s values are not just different but superior to male values
- Transfeminists argue both sex and gender are socially constructed, unlike most other feminists who see sex as biological
- Postmodern feminists (e.g. bell hooks, Crenshaw) stress intersectionality, rejecting generalisations about women’s nature
- Postmodern feminism sees human nature as complex, fluid, and shaped by multiple identities
34
To what extent do feminists agree and disagree about the role of the state? (Agree)
* Lacks a distinctive theory of the state but there is general agreement that historically the state has been complicit in making women subordinate
* Broadly agree that the state can be restructured to enhance the position of women within society & economy
* Majority agree with liberal feminists that the state should be a conduit for reform and tackling patriarchy in the public area of society and economy. Eg, UK & US states has intervened in a number of ways over the last 150 years to grant formal equality to women
35
To what extent do feminists agree and disagree about the role of the state? (Disagree)
- Radical feminists are more critical than liberals, seeing the state as reinforcing patriarchy
- Liberals support state intervention only in the public sphere, while radicals want intervention in both public and private spheres
- There’s no consensus on state involvement in personal life, even among radical and socialist feminists
- Socialist feminists (e.g. Rowbotham) argue the state must be overthrown to free women from capitalism and patriarchy
- Postmodern feminists reject universal claims about patriarchy, arguing state oppression is complex and varies by identity
36
To what extent do feminists agree and disagree about Society? (Agree)
* All feminists agree that women face discrimination in society and that this is an historical problem
* While other branches of feminists might not always agree on the exact definition of patriarchy, they would broadly agree with bell hooks' assessment that eliminating patriarchy would remove 'the single most life-threatening social disease' that blights society
* Societal attitudes have seen women play a subordinate and supporting role to men in society ot the extent that women see these gender roles as natural, as de Beauvoir has argued
* Equality and advancement within society have been difficult for women because of the innate, institutionalised cultural disadvantages
37
To what extent do feminists agree and disagree about Society? (Disagree)
* Liberal feminists argue that there is discrimination within the public sphere of society. However, radical feminists go further, arguing that patriarchy is pervasive and is present in every facet of society: politics, religion, culture, education and media and the private sphere of women's lives
* Feminists have different views on patriarchy within society:
* Liberal feminists prefer the term discrimination rather than
patriarchy and argue that society can be reformed via the state
* Radical feminists agree on Millett's definition but have numerous
solutions
for how a patriarchal society can b e eliminated
* Socialist feminists, such as Rowbotham, argue that society is economically determined by male capitalism and that a
revolution is needed in order to change the status of workers and women
* Postmodern feminists argue that ti is simplistic to view the
problems women face in society by looking only at gender. Intersectionality argues that gender interacts with multiple other
factors ite a ray, cals dna ogaot disadvantage womneni
* Post-feminists such as Camille Paglia argued that most feminist goals have been achieved and patriarchy has largely been defeated within society. This viewpoint si rebutted by postmodern feminists who argue that post-feminism is white, middle-class centric and ignores the struggles of women of colour and/or women of a lower social class
38
To what extent do feminists agree and disagree about the economy? (Agree)
* Feminists are united in their belief that the economic world discriminates against women in the workplace. Wollstonecraft and Gilman both argued that economic independence was a fundamental part of female emancipation and that there must be equality of opportunity within the workplace
* The labour market is divided because of gender roles, with women being employed in professions that are seen as feminine and men in roles that are seen as masculine. Male-dominated professions tend to be better paid than female-dominated professions
* Senior roles in business are dominated by men because stereotypically men are perceived as being more logical and better at decision making. Women are hindered by a glass ceiling where the cultural ethos of the workplace means that they can only reach a certain level in a business organisation
* Feminists all agree that with the breakdown of gender stereotypes, women can achieve equality in the workplace and be no longer economically dependent on men
39
To what extent do feminists agree and disagree about the economy? (Disagree)
* Equality feminists argue that biological differences are
of no consequence ni the workplace, while difference feminists argue that biological differences do matter. Difference feminists argue that women are biologically far more likely to favour certain professions that align with femininity
* Liberal feminists argue that the workplace can be reformed by the state, but socialist feminists such as Rowbotham argue that women's place in the economy and sexual equality can only be achieved via a Marxist-style revolution
* Radical feminists argue that patriarchy is essentially cultural and psychological and that socialist feminists are unduly fixated on economic concerns
* Postmodern feminists argue that liberal feminists, radical feminists and socialist feminists fail ot appreciate intersectionality and that race when intersected with gender delivers a different kind of economic oppression
40
To what extent do feminists agree over the concept of patriarchy? (Agree)
* Most feminists are equality feminists. 'Patriarchy' is a society dominated by men and oppresses women.
* Gender stereotyping
* The patriarchy is not a static concept.
* The patriarchy must be opposed in the public sphere.
41
To what extent do feminists agree over the concept of patriarchy? (Disagree)
**Where to challenge the patriarchy**
- radical feminists challenge in private and public
- liberal feminists challenge only public
**How to challenge the patriarchy**
- radical look for a revolution (socialist look for a feminist revolution within a revolution)
- liberal look for gradual and democratic reform
**How the patriarchy effects people**
- postmodern focus on intersectionality
42
Socialist Feminist views on Human Nature
| Gilman
Women are equal to men and biological differences are largely irrelevant
43
Socialist Feminist views on the State
Dominated by M/C men
The state serves capitalism and patriarchy
44
Socialist Feminism views on Society
| Gilman
Women have historically been assigned inferior roles in society
To be liberated from patriarchy, they have to be liberated economically
45
Socialist Feminist views on the Economy
| Gilman
sMen dominate the economy because societal norms obligate women to a domestic role
46
Socialist Feminist views on Sex and Gender
Distinguishes between sex (biological) and gender (socially constructed). Gender roles are shaped by capitalism, which reinforces women’s oppression through unpaid labor (e.g., housework, childcare).
47
Patriarchy
Patriarchy is intertwined with capitalism. Women’s oppression is not just cultural but economic—capitalism benefits from their unpaid labor and lower wages. Liberation requires a shift in economic structures, not just cultural change.
48
Radical Feminists perspective on Human Nature
Humans are basically equal and sex therefore doesnt exist, women are socialised to be different
49
Radical Feminists perspective on State
Reinforces patriarchal values and norms
50
Radical Feminists perspective on Society
Family is the principle institution of patriarchu and mirros larger society
* Girls are scialised to be different from brothers and observe patriarchal relationship between parents
51
Radical Feminists perspective on Economy
Economy reinforces patriarchy; women’s unpaid and low-paid labor exploited. True liberation needs dismantling of patriarchal structures.
52
Radical Feminists perspective on Sex and Gender
Sex exists
Gender no
53
Radical Feminists perspective on Patriarchy
Expressed mainly through culture and family
54
Radical Feminists perspective on Personal is the Political
Yes!
55
Radical Feminists perspective on Equality
Some are, some are difference feminists
56
Postmodern Feminist perspective on Human Nature
Gender and identity are socially constructed, not biologically fixed. They emphasise the fluidity of identity and reject universal claims about "womanhood."
57
Postmodern Feminist perspective on State
The state as reflect dominant, often patriarchal, narratives. Postmodern feminists are skeptical of using the state to achieve liberation, as it may reinforce existing power structures.
58
Postmodern Feminist perspective on Society
Society is viewed as fragmented and shaped by discourse. There is no single female experience—feminism must consider race, class, sexuality, and other intersecting identities (intersectionality).
59
Postmodern Feminist perspective on Economy
Critique traditional economic theories for ignoring diverse experiences. They argue economic inequality is shaped by multiple factors, not just gender, and reject one-size-fits-all solutions.
60
Postmodern Feminist perspective on Sex and Gender
Not big divide between sexes, gender ios fake
61
Postmodern Feminist perspective on Patriarchy
Experiences diversity
* Class, race, etc
62
Postmodern Feminist perspective on Personal is the Political
Postmodern feminists support this idea but expand it—arguing that personal experiences are shaped by overlapping power structures (race, class, sexuality). They emphasize individual narratives over universal truths.
63
Postmodern Feminist perspective on Equality
They critique traditional ideas of equality that assume a shared female experience. Instead, they focus on recognition of difference, advocating for equality that respects diversity and challenges fixed gender norms.
