Gender And The Political

Question 1

Definition of feminism

Answer 1

‘Normative movement that uses philosophical and political methods to critique social structure and norms that disadvantage women’

Chambers, 2015

Question 2

What do feminists argue disadvantages women?

Answer 2

Patriarchal societies confuse the differences between sex and gender meaning differences that disadvantage women are facts of biology

Women are not ‘strong’ enough for army

Question 3

How does Frasor address the issue of gender norms?

Answer 3

Frasor argues gender should be deconstructed by imagining a world where gender divide is non-existent to overcome inequalities that are deep rooted in social structures

Frasor, 1997

Question 4

What is wrong with the liberal notion of public and private sphere for feminists?

Answer 4

The personal is political as there is a gendered division of labour in the private sphere where domestic roles creates barriers for women entering an underrepresented public sphere
- Power is not only exercised in the public sphere but can be exercised through domestic violence in the private

Question 5

What did Okin say?

Answer 5

‘The personal is political’

Okin, 1989

Question 6

Examples of gendered oppression rooted in the social structures?

Answer 6

32% of MP’s are female
Pay gap is still evident
Women are the victims in 77% of domestic violence cases

Question 7

What does De Beauvoir argue?

Answer 7

Men have oppressed women by characterising them as the other, defined exclusively in opposition to men

E.g woman, has man in it