feminism

Question 1

What are the two views of liberal feminists? (theory and methods)

Answer 1

• oakley – distinguishes between sex and gender
• enlightenment project

Question 2

What is the enlightenment project?

Answer 2

• a period in which scientific knowledge is providing the truth, rather than religion
• liberal feminists believe this is resulting in a better understanding of women’s oppression and resulting improvements

Question 3

What are evaluation points to the liberal feminist view (theory and methods)

Answer 3

• marxits and radical feminists – liberals fail to see the underlying causes of womens subordination
• over-optimistic
• ignore the possibility that there are deep-seated structures causing women’s oppression - such as capitalism or patriarchy

Question 4

What are the two radical feminist views? (theory and methods)

Answer 4

• firestone – womens inequality comes from the dependency on males because of motherhood. Men are womens main enemy, all men benefit from patriarchy, all men oppress women
• the personal is the political

Question 5

What is the personal is the political view?

Answer 5

• brownmiller – the fear of rape is a powerful deterrent against women going out alone at night
• radical feminists focus on how power is exercised through personal relationships this is often done so through physical or sexual violence

Question 6

What are evaluation points to the radical feminist view (theory and methods)

Answer 6

• marxists – class not patriarchy is the primary form of inequality. Capitalism is the main source of oppression for women not men
• assumes all women are in the same position, ignores class and ethnic differences between women

Question 7

What are the two Marxist feminist views (theory and methods)

Answer 7

• capitalism
• barret – our ideology from birth brainwashes women to believe that this position is natural and normal

Question 8

What is the marxist feminist capitalist view (theory and methods)

Answer 8

• capitalism is the cause of women’s oppression not patriarchy
• capitalism is the main winner from female oppression not men
• they believe that women: provide cheap labour, are a reserve army of labour, reproduce the labour force, absorb anger

Question 9

What is an evaluation to the marxist feminist view (theory and methods)

Answer 9

• fails to explain why women in non-capitalist societies experience oppression
• fails to explain why women are expected to do unpaid labour rather than men
• fails to emphasise how men are beneficials of women’s oppression

Question 10

What are the two difference feminist views (theories and methods)

Answer 10

• other types of feminism acts as though all women have the same experience when they dont
• butler – critical of the way white-western middle class women have taken over feminism

Question 11

What is an evaluation to difference feminism (theories and methods)

Answer 11

• ignores the similarities of many women
• dividing women into infinite number of subgroups makes making change extremely difficult
• oppression isnt only a result of discourse