feminism - the state

Question 1

paragraph 1 - AGREE state promote gender equality-

Answer 1

agreement-
- existing state upholds gender inequality and that legal and political reforms should be introduced to public sphere to pursue gender inequality.
- lib= focus securing legal and political equality for women in the public sphere, by advocating for equal rights and opportunities that men already have, so that women can participate equally in the economy and educational environments –
> early libs = right to vote and equal access to ed - WOLLEN= VofRW= rational therefore need equal rights under the law - voting etc
> later liberal feminists 20th - continued fight through support for equal pay legislation, abortion and reproductive rights, and equal political representation – FREIDAN – also genuine equal opportunities to succeed in economy – successful campaigning passage of the Equal Pay Act (1963)

• Radical- state fundamentally patriarchal and played an important role in upholding patriarchy, through laws, policies that reflect male interests. – AGREE WITH LIBS LEGAL SYSTEM GRANTED MEN RIGHTS; INLC PROPERTY OWNERSHIP
  – highlighted modern legal frameworks often fail to adequately protect women from gender-based violence and discrimination, whilst failing to give women control over their bodies and sexuality due to limited access to contraception and abortion.
  – supported SIG legal reforms to promote gender equality and tackle women’s oppression in society. INCLUDED THE STATES ROLE upholding monogamous marriage and the traditional family structure, which they saw as central to upholding patriarchy
  >Millett - traditional fam structures need to be dismantled - supported legal measures by the state to tackle deeply harmful societal attitudes that justified women’s sub etc

socialists -
- agreed state changed promote gender equality– believed that capitalist states creates oppression of women and that the cap state there needed to be replaced in a socialist revolution
– ROWBOTHAM ‘revolution within a revolution’- required restructuring the economic system to eliminate class inequality but also radically transforming social relations and institutions to eradicate gender oppression.

Question 2

paragraph 3 - disagreement whether the state and public sphere should be the focus of changes to pursue gender inequality -

Answer 2

disagree whether the state and public sphere should be the focus on societal changes to achieve gender equality, or whether the private sphere needs to be focused on.

• instead of highlighting private sphere and ‘personal is political’- LIB focused on securing legal and political equality for women in public sphere (society and economy), by advocating for equal rights and opportunities that men already have so that women can participate equally in society and educational env. – therefore focused on state as central driver for change and as where gender eq would be achieved, by removing discrimination and inequality under the law.

radical - didn’t focus exclusively on public spheres and state to dismantle patriarchy- ‘personal is political ‘ key slogan, challenging operation of private and public spheres and setting that issues within the private sphere, such as domestic labour, sexual violence and power relationships between men and women within the home and family were political issues that needed to be addressed.
- this was built on the belief that society was defined by patriarchy, which was systemic and pervasive across all parts of society
– SYLVIA WALBY 6 structures how patriarchy oppresses women in numerous ways across public and private spheres - one was the steam but there was also the household, paid work, violence, sexuality and cultural institutions.
- key focus on the family>state; millet “chief institution”- family as a political system that normalised and perpetuated male dominance and female subservience, both in the domestic sphere and in society as a whole as a result – proposed solution that don’t just involve the state, but key reforms to private sphere including making domestic labour and childcare communal and ending traditional family structure.

Question 3

2 - disagree whether the state is patriarchal

Answer 3

key belief of radical - rejected by other strands
Radical Feminism
Radical feminists argue the state is inherently patriarchal, reinforcing male dominance in all aspects of life. Drawing on Simone de Beauvoir’s idea of otherness, they believe men are seen as the norm and women as a deviation—constructed as objects, not subjects. Therefore, the state must be replaced or radically transformed, not reformed. Difference feminists extend this by promoting radical separatism, creating women-only spaces to escape patriarchal influence.

Post-modern Feminism
Post-modern feminists agree oppression is systemic but reject a singular definition of patriarchy. Instead, they see it as fragmented and context-specific, varying by race, class, sexuality, etc. Through intersectionality, they argue feminism must reflect diverse experiences. bell hooks criticised feminism’s focus on white, middle-class goals, urging a broader, more inclusive movement.

Liberal Feminism
Liberal feminists do not see the state as inherently patriarchal, but believe in achieving equality through gradual reform—such as equal pay, political representation, and access to education. They argue that once legal and structural barriers are removed, women can participate equally in society.

Socialist Feminism
Socialist feminists argue that capitalism, not patriarchy alone, is the root of women’s oppression. Charlotte Perkins Gilman highlighted how capitalist structures—particularly marriage—economically exploit women by forcing them to trade domestic labour and reproduction for financial security.