FEMINISM Flashcards
(70 cards)
radical feminist ideas of human nature
- belief that ‘beauty’ kept female happiness - it is in the female nature for women to try and achieve impossible standards
- women are conditioned to feel specific ways after birth, and are conditioned to think guilt is abnormal
bell hooks ideas of the state
- the state is ineffective in remedying the consequences and impacts of female oppression and how some women face a double burden
- legal protections fail to protect intersections of gender and race, religion, class etc, they typically only protect one or the other
- critical of legal and political reforms to protect women who are discriminated with an intersection of different basis
- not all choices are equally liberatory in oppressive systems
sheila rowbotham ideas of society
- WOMEN ARE EXCLUDED FROM POSITIONS OF POWER
- capitalism and misogyny are so closely linked that a radical change in social expectation can destroy these
- Capitalism and patriarchy are interlocking systems of oppression - work together to maintain oppression
- Women’s liberation cannot be achieved without a fundamental transformation / REVOLUTION of socio-economic structures
- YOU BECOME A WOMEN THROUGH SOCIAL CONSTRUCTS OF CULTURE, EDUCATION ETC
- oppression of women fuels capitalism
- Culture and a lack of consciousness sustain gender inequality, and that society erases the contributions of women - society needs to be educated in order to challenge entrenched narratives
- Emphasis on working class solidarity
- gender relations should be shaped by common humanity
postmodern fems ideas of economy
what to talk about when discussing economy
- patriarchy
- personal is political
- intersectionality
what are the 6 elements of patriarchy
- paid work
- patriarchy in a household
- culture
- sexuality
- violence
- the state
socialist fems ideas of society
- society exploits value from the work that women do
- oppression and exploitation of women occurs in both the public and private spheres
- society heavily relies on female roles in domestic work, yet do not credit them for this
- social expectations force women to conform to unfulfilling work and continue to fuel capitalism - society entrenches this obligation in women to maintain a system which oppresses them
- the only way to abolish the patriarchy is when capitalism is abolished, and when profound, revolutionary change can be implemented
- social relationships of female inferiority are purely entrenched by society
- social expectations have overthrown the rights of mothers and women, indebting women to men and the patriarchy
postmodern fems ideas of human nature
- the core idea and identity of feminism must be flexible to be representative
- individualised nature of feminism to promote empowerment
what to talk about when discussing state
- patriarchy
sheila rowbotham ideas of the state
- State needs to be transformed, not reformed - this will allow economic, PATRIARCHAL structures to change and be focused on human needs, because this will promote equality, and remove a capitalist framework which relies on exploitation - needs systemic, revolutionary changes in society
- The state is an instrument which services capitalist and patriarchal interests and is not a neutral body
- Sceptical of the ability of the state to deliver genuine liberation
- the state must have revolutionary legal + social change
- state structures constrain freedom
charlotte perkins gilman ideas of human nature
- Women are conditioned by society and society aids the construction of traditionalist women’s roles
- human nature is shaped by the social environment
- there is a socially constructed nature of gender
charlotte perkins gilman ideas of the state
- Dismantle patriarchal structures
- Critical of marriage institutions and how this links to social conditioning which reinforces gender roles - idea of women are being exchanged between men for their benefit
- Patriarchal society limits women into specific domestic roles - polarization and lack of fluidity of roles of men and women - gender roles are entrenched in society
- challenged essentialism
- legal reforms are insufficient to bring genuine equality / change - need to challenge much deeper issues
feminist similarities in views of patriarchy
- agreement of patriarchy being characterised as oppressive
- agreement among radical, postmodern and socialist feminists that this system is a pervasive system of oppression - agreement of patriarchal presence in public and private spheres
- agree that patriarchy exists in the private sphere in terms of domestic work as a woman is indebted to a man
- patriarchy limits women in public spheres and work opportunity
- socialist fems, radical fems, postmodern fems - how to overthrow patriarchy
- patriarchy needs a radical and revolutionary overthrow because it’s rooted in society
- agreement by radical feminists and socialist fems - this is the only way to achieve a classless, genderless society
liberal fems ideas of society
- society should promote equal rights and opportunity for women - FOUNDATIONAL EQUALITY
- society must enable women to thrive as autonomous individuals as society
- liberal feminists support large scale, gradualist changes as to maintain stability, whereby society should support gender roles becoming fluid to remodel society
- gradual social change in society will eliminate the patriarchy, which will kickstart equal opportunities
- liberal feminists critique the domestic sphere, attaching negative connotations to it, as women must ‘embrace’ such work
simone de beauvoir ideas of human nature
- equality feminist idea that women are equal to men - not inferior, not superior
- Emphasis on freedom - trade off between financial security (dependence + comfort) and autonomy (independence + less comfort) - cannot have both of these - women should take risks todo both
- Concern about the female identity - emphasis on self definition
- Emphasis on individual autonomy and choice
- belief in accountability
feminist similarities in views of personal is political
- the idea itself of personal is political
- it has been a concept supported by radical and postmodern feminists in recognising oppression in public and private spheres, and fostering inclusivity - personal experience is because of political situation
- the personal experiences of female oppression are because of their political situation
- support from radical, socialist and postmodern fems
sheila rowbotham ideas of human nature
- Humans are shaped by their social and economic conditions, not biological essences
- human beings are condemned to be free
- women had internalized their otherness and accepted it, making them inferior to men and themselves
- needs consciousness of their subordination
- Humans are deterministic / focus on self-definition
- Human nature is constrained under capitalism, especially women under economic and patriarchal domination
define essentialism
essentialism:
- biological factors are significant in the difference of men and women
what do feminists think a motivation behind socially imposed gender norms are
- to impose order / patriarchy - creates a social hierarchy (displays that society continues to impose gender norms to maintain the patriarchy)
- to establish consistency
- to entrench male power
- maintain male power structures
simone de beauvoir ideas of the state
- Laws, customs and policies imposed by state institutions would favour men and enforce the patriarchy - property laws, divorce settlements - diminish women being economically independent
- Limitations of the state in that the state cannot dismantle ingrained cultural norms - social and state structures constrain freedom of women and deny their ability to properly exercise freedom
describe the views of equality feminists
- women are the same as, and equal to men - society should reflect this
- differences are BECAUSE of patriarchy
what to talk about when discussing society
- patriarchy
- personal is political
- intersectionality
liberal fems ideas of state
- the state is an avenue changing political procedure to positively impact women
- the state must condemn active attempts against female emancipation
- the state is a vehicle for change and emancipation, as change and reform should only be made within the existing system
- the state is an institution to challenge legal and political impediments to equality and enforce complete equality of opportunity
- change should only occur within a pre-existing legal and political framework
what is a key term when feminists talk about human nature
ANDROGYNY - human nature is sexless, and so your sex should be irrelevant to your social and political status
- link to this idea of genderless personhood