Feminism

Question 1

Feminism

Answer 1

Political ideology which aims to create a functioning society, where men and women can co-exist and have equal rights

Question 2

Sex

Answer 2

Refers to the inevitable, natural and unalterable biological differences between men and women

Question 3

Gender

Answer 3

Artificial construct designed to subordinate women by defining behaviours or characteristics women should aspire to have

Question 4

Who are the key feminist thinkers?

Answer 4

1. Charlotte Perkins Gilman
2. Simone de Beauviour
3. Kate Millet
4. Sheila Rowbotham
5. bell hooks

Question 5

What strand of feminism does Charlotte Perkins Gilman belong to?

Answer 5

Liberal Feminist

Question 6

What are Charlotte Perkin Gillman’s views on sex and gender?

Answer 6

• She argues against ‘Darwinism’
• She said that the biological differences between men and women are irrelevant and there is no reason why women shouldn’t play an equal role in modern economies - As women have equal brain power to men

Question 7

What type of feminist is Betty Friedan?

Answer 7

Liberal feminist

Question 8

What are Betty Friedan’s views on sex and gender?

Answer 8

• She accepted the significance of sex differences between men and women
• However, she believed that gender is an artificial construct designed to prepetuate the patriarchy
• She believed that the inferiority of women is learned behaviour that is rooted in the history of civilisations

Question 9

Betty Friedan believed that the inferiority of women is learned behaviour that is deep-rooted into society. However, she believes this is reinforced by modern institutions. Give an example.

Answer 9

Media

Question 10

What do liberal feminists believe is the solution to achieve equality regarding sex and gender?

Answer 10

• Reform
• Including, legislation for equality as well as education

Question 11

What do liberal feminists believe will occur if reform doesn’t occur?

Answer 11

A countinual cycle of male superiority will be passed down generations + Plus, the patriarchy will continue

Question 12

What does it tell us if Perkins Gillman and Friedan disagree about sex, despite being apart of the same branch of feminism?

Answer 12

• Shows the complex nature of the issue
• Dispositional factors and individual experiences will be more important in formulating their views on this particular issue than the branch of feminism they associate themselves with

Question 13

What type of feminist is Simone de Beauvoir?

Answer 13

Socialist feminist

Question 14

What are Simone de Beauvoir’s views on sex and gender?

Answer 14

• Societal gender norms are socialised and unnatural but appear in a way which seems natural
• Second sex: ‘One is not born, but rather becomes a women’
• This quote shows that Beauvoir believes that women are not inferior in society due to sex but rather gender, as one must become a women
• Gender roles are assigned to women by patriarchy to make them a cheap source of labour

Question 15

What type of feminist is Sheila Rowbotham?

Answer 15

Socialist feminist

Question 16

What are Sheila Rowbotham’s beliefs about sex and gender?

Answer 16

• Cohseive nature of patriarchy, capitalism and gender roles subordinate women
• Therefore, she believed that during an economic slump, women would be let go first, as they are viewed as dispensable labour

Question 17

What do socialist feminist believe is the solution to achieving equality in regards to sex and gender?

Answer 17

• Destruction of capitalism, or at least signifanct reform
• They believe that women’s working conditions, pay and opportunites should be protected as they would be for men
• Capitalist world must learn that women aren’t ‘second-class labour’

Question 18

What type of feminist is Kate Millet?

Answer 18

Radical feminist

Question 19

What are Kate Millet’s views on sex and gender?

Answer 19

• Patriarchy is an artificial is an artificial system of gender roles, which has been prepetuated by the patriarchy
• Radical feminists believe that gender inequality cannot be adressed through reform, but rather through sexual revolution
• She believes that the only way that women can free themselves from oppression is by engaging in lesbian relationships

Question 20

What is an advantage of Kate Millet’s thoughts on sex and gender?

Answer 20

Kate Millet could be said to have a more complete view on sexism

Question 21

What did both Perkins Gillman and Beavouir agree about, despite being from different branches of feminism?

Answer 21

Biological differences between men and women should be irrelevant

Question 22

What do all feminists agree on regarding sex and gender?

Answer 22

• All feminists agree that gender is the main cause of oppresion
• They also believe that gender is prepetuated by the patriarchy

Question 23

Personal is political

Answer 23

• Feminists argue that what goes on between men and women in the private sphere, (Ex: Household division of labour), is in fact related to the public sphere
• Feminists specifically believe that the issues faced in the private sphere are designed to subordinate women

Question 24

What are liberal feminist views on the personal is political?

Answer 24

• They advocate for the seperation of the public and private sphere.
• They advocate for public legal equality, so that they can compete on equal terms

Question 25

What were Perkins Gilman's views on the personal is political?

Answer 25

* The nucleur family is a cause of opression * She argued that child rearing and housework amounted to domestic slavery * She believed that the traditional nucleur family should be abolished and that men and women should share these roles

Question 26

What do radical feminists believe in regards to the personal is political?

Answer 26

* Feminists like Hanisch and Firestone do not recognise the distinction between the public and private spheres, as for them everything is political * By this, they mean that there is a reflection of the power men have over women in both the private and public sphere * Ex: If a woman is kept at home, child rearing, that is not a private matter, but a result of the patriarchy

Question 27

What does Kate Millet believe about the personal is political?

Answer 27

* She agrees with other radical feminists and views the nucleur family as being a key area of women oppresion as it prepetuates gender stereotypes and the patriarchy * She is concerned with reaching equality in family life in terms of expectations and responsibilities

Question 28

What are Shiela Rowbotham's views regarding the personal is political?

Answer 28

* Roots of oppersion lies within the personal relationships between men and women * Public and private sphere are linked, therefore the personal is political

Question 29

How do socialist feminists believe the issue of the personal is political should be solved?

Answer 29

* Dismantilation of the patriarchy * Socialist feminists also argue that equal rights is meaningless unless they achieve an equal social and economic status

Question 30

**Equality of opportunity**

Answer 30

Refers to the fact that men and women should be equal in the fields relating to education and employment

Question 31

What do feminists agree on, in regards to the economy?

Answer 31

* Women are often used as a cheap, part-time and sipensible source of labour * Women are used as unpaid labour in the home, making them a forced component of the informal economy * Women tend to be paid lower wages for completing the same job, (pay gap) * More senior jobs at firms tend to be reserved for men, meaning their is a 'glass ceiling' - Denied equality of opportunity * Patriarchy is an artificial construct designed to subordinate women

Question 32

What are Perkins Gilman's views on the economy?

Answer 32

* Biological differences should not stop women from playing a role in modern economies, as they have = brain power * 'Women are factors in an economy. But so are horses.' * This shows that women feel undervalued in the economy, due to the prepetuation of the patriarchy * Women being subordinated is what has enabled men to dominate the outside economic world

Question 33

What are Rowbotham's views on the economy?

Answer 33

* Cohesion of capitalism and the patriarchy subordinate's women and makes them less valuable to modern economies * Because of this, women have become a source of cheap labour * They have also become a reserve army of labour that are dispensible

Question 34

What are Simone de Beauvoir's views on the economy?

Answer 34

Men's domination of economic life restricts the choices and opportunities open for women

Question 35

What are bell hooks' views on the economy?

Answer 35

* Women in poverty have problems that middle-class women don't have * The problems for women in the economy aren't just about gender * She believes that the liberation of the poor is an economic and social issue

Question 36

**Otherness**

Answer 36

Position of women in a patriarchal society, (treated as inferior individuals to men)