Feminism (P1/3) Flashcards
(16 cards)
Describe feminism
society is patriarchal
Fem seeks to describe, explain and change the position of women in society. However, there are disagreements between feminists over the cause of female subordination and how to overcome it. As a result, there are different types of feminism.
They criticise mainstream sociology for being ‘malestream’ – seeing society only from a male perspective. By contrast they examine society from the viewpoint of women. Fem sociologists see their work as part of the struggle against women’s subordination.
Describe difference feminism
argue that other feminists are based on essentialism: the idea that all women have the same ‘essence’ e.g. they are alike and share similar experiences of oppression. However, DF argue that most feminist theory has a ‘false universality’ about it: while it claims to be about all women, it is about the experiences of white, middle class Western women.
Differences in class, gender, etc. affect the experiences of women and these differences aren’t taken into account by most fems e.g. for black women, the main source of inequality they may face is racism not patriarchy, especially as many live in single parent families and therefore will not face oppression by men.
Also, the importance placed on sexuality in Western feminism is irrelevant to women in poorer countries: access to food and drink are a bigger concern to them than male domination.
Give the criticisms of difference feminism
*Some argue that difference feminism ignores the things different women have in common e.g. they are more likely to suffer domestic violence and be paid less than men.
*By pointing out differences that divide women, difference feminism may weaken feminism overall and stop women uniting to tackle the common problems they face
Describe marxist feminism
disagree with liberal feminists that women’s subordination is merely the product of stereotyping or outdated attitudes.
They also reject the radical feminist view that it is the result of patriarchal oppression and believe capitalism is the main cause of female oppression. While men may benefit from female oppression, capitalism benefits from it more.
Women’s subordination comes from their role as an unpaid homemaker, which makes them economically dependent in the family. Women perform a number of functions for capitalism: source of cheap labour, reserve army of labour, reproduce the labour force, absorb anger.
It’s in women’s interest that capitalism is overthrown
Who argues women perform 4 functions for capitalism and what are they?
Marx fems
source of cheap labour, who can be paid less as it is assumed they will be partially dependent on their husbands’ earnings.
reserve army of labour which can be hired and fired as needed by the economy (e.g. in WW2). They can be treated in this way as it is assumed their main role is in the home.
reproduce the labour force and raise the next generation of workers. They also maintain their husbands by feeding them, fulfilling their sexual needs, etc. at no cost to capitalism.
absorb anger which could be directed at capitalism: wives are ‘takers of shit’ who absorb the frustration husbands feel because they are exploited at work (Ansley). This is why domestic violence occurs.
Therefore, it is in the interest of women that capitalism is overthrown.
Describe Barrett’s ideology of fatalism (MF)
argues that the ideology of ‘familism’ is used to keep women in their low position in capitalism - the idea that the n.fam and its division of labour = natural + normal, and that the fam is the only place women can gain fulfilment, through motherhood, intimacy and sexual satisfaction.
Mitchell takes this analysis of ideology further and uses Freud’s psychoanalytic theory to argue that ideas about femininity are so deeply implanted in women’s unconscious minds that they are very difficult to dislodge. The implication is that even after the overthrow of capitalism, it would still be hard to overcome patriarchal ideology because it is so deeply rooted
Who takes the ideology of familism further and argues ideas about femininity are so deeply implanted in women’s unconscious minds that they are very difficult to dislodge?
Mitchell
Give the strengths of MF
useful for showing the relationship between capitalism and women’s subordination, and how the latter benefits the former e.g. on average women are paid less than men, they are usually expected to take maternity leave/time out of their careers/work part-time if they have children.
Give the criticisms of MF
*It fails to explain women’s subordination in non-capitalist societies (e.g. China). If women are oppressed in non-capitalist societies, then capitalism can’t be the sole cause of female oppression. However, MF only try to explain the position of women in capitalist societies.
*While MF say unpaid domestic labour benefits capitalism, they don’t explain why it is done by women and not men: they are ‘sex-blind’ (Hartmann).
Describe radical feminists
main concept of radical feminism is patriarchy, which literally means ‘rule by fathers’, but has come to mean a male dominated society. They believe:
* Patriarchy exists in all societies and comes from women’s biological capacity to bear and raise children, which makes them dependent on men.
* Patriarchy is the main form of inequality in society: men are women’s main enemy.
* All men oppress women and benefit from patriarchy, especially from unpaid domestic labour and the sexual services of women.
Patriarchal oppression is direct and personal. It occurs not just in the public sphere (work and politics), but also in the private sphere (family, domestic labour, sexual relationships). All relationships involve power, and are political when one person tries to dominate the other. Therefore personal relationships between the sexes are political as men dominate women in them. These power relationships are called sexual politics.
RF focus on how patriarchy is expressed in sexual relationships, through physical or sexual violence or the threat of it. This has the effect of controlling all women, not just those who experience it e.g threat of rape stops women going out at night.
argue that patriarchy constructs sexuality so as to satisfy men’s desires. E.g, women are portrayed in pornography as passive sex objects and penetration as the main source of sexual pleasure. Rich argues that men continue to force women into a narrow and unsatisfying ‘compulsory heterosexuality’.
What are the variety of ways RF argue to change the personal and sexual relationships which oppress women
*Separatism: women living apart from men. Greer (2000) argues for the creation of all-female (‘matrilocal’) households as an alternative to the heterosexual family.
*Consciousness-raising: Through all-female groups, women come to see other women face the same problems as them, and may lead to action such as ‘reclaim the night’ marches (women going out on the streets to show they aren’t afraid of rapists, etc.).
*Political lesbianism: Some radical feminists argue heterosexuality is ‘sleeping with the enemy’ - lesbianism is the only non-oppressive form of sexuality for women.
Give the strengths of RF
useful for showing how personal relationships involve domination and the political (power) dimension of areas like marriage, DV and porn e.g. the fact that the vast majority of victims of domestic and sexual violence are female.
It’s had some influence on policies, such as the opening of shelters for domestic violence victims.
Give the criticisms of RF
MFs -class = main form of inequality in society, and that capitalism = main cause and beneficiary of female oppression, not men.
ignores differences between women in the same society based on class, ethnicity and other factors. A MC woman may have more in common with a middle class man than a working class woman, for example
While looking at domestic violence committed by men against women, radical feminism ignores female violence towards men and violence in lesbian relationships.
Describe liberal feminism
believe men and women should have equal rights
also known as reformist feminists as they think equality between men and women is achievable by gradual reforms (changes) in societies without the need for revolution e.g. changes in the laws against sex discrimination in employment.
they call for cultural changes and reject the idea that biological differences make women less competent or rational than men, or that men are biologically less emotional or nurturing.
They distinguish between sex and gender. Sex is the biological differences between men and women (e.g. having different reproductive organs). Gender is culturally/socially constructed e.g. masculine and feminine roles and identities, passed on through socialisation.
While sex identities are fixed, gender identities vary between cultures and over time (they are socially constructed) e.g. in some countries, women are still expected to be housewives and not work, while this is no longer the case in the UK.
Sexist attitudes and stereotypes are transmitted through socialisation. Therefore, we must change socialisation e.g. having female teachers in subjects viewed as ‘male’ subjects, men doing more childcare, etc. Liberal feminists also challenge gender stereotyping in the media. Over time they believe such actions will produce cultural change and gender equality will become the norm.
How do liberal feminists criticise the functionalist view of gender roles
LFs criticise the F view of gender roles: that men should do paid work and women should do housework and childcare due to biological differences between the sexes.
LFs believe that gender equality is a ‘win-win’ situation as it will not only improve the position of women in society, but allow men to express their ‘feminine’ side more, which is currently suppressed by gender stereotypes
Give the criticisms of liberal feminists
They’re over-optimistic- they believe that the only obstacles to gender equality are individual prejudices and irrational laws, both of which can be reformed.
They ignore the possibility that structural causes such as patriarchy and capitalism, which are harder to change or abolish, may contribute to female oppression.
MFs and RFs both say more radical changes are needed to improve the position of women in society.
