Textbook Feminism Flashcards
(154 cards)
1
Q
Feminism
A
The belief that women are entitled to the same legal, political, social and economic rights as men
2
Q
Origins of Western feminism?
A
Thinkers such as Mary Wollstonecraft in the aftermath of the French Revolution
3
Q
4 key demands of Mary Wollstonecraft?
A
- Equal franchise and representation in Parliament
- Co-education
- Pursue careers in male-dominated fields
- MOST IMPORTANTLY, the assertion that men and women are essentially of the same rationality
4
Q
2 views of Harriet Taylor?
A
- Full legal equality between men and women
- All of society would benefit if married women worked outside the home
5
Q
Harriet Taylor book?
A
1851 The Enfranchisement of Women
6
Q
2 views of Mill on women and encapsulated where?
A
- Full equal franchise
- Equally deserving of basic freedoms of women
1869 The Subjection of Women, 18 years after Taylor
7
Q
How did feminism build on the works of Mill, Taylor and Wollstonecraft in its early campaigning and an example?
A
The suffrage campaign
1896 - Charlotte Perkins Gilman appears before the House Judiciary Committee
8
Q
First suffrage campaign?
A
1890 - US suffrage group founded
9
Q
First-wave feminists? Eval?
A
Mary Wollstonecraft, Harriett Taylor, JS Mill, Charlotte Perkins Gilman - attempted to achieve basic legal equality between the genders, but this seemed to be a necessary but not sufficient condition for full equality
10
Q
Second-wave feminists
A
Those who succeeded the first-wave, who had fought for the vote and basic legal equality with men
11
Q
2 things CPG did in her life as a feminist activist?
A
- Political campaigning e.g. appearing before the House Judiciary Committee in 1896
- Writing feminist literature
12
Q
What was Gilman’s first novel and what does it emphasise?
A
1892 The Yellow Wallpaper
Shows how excessive male power, characterised by the oppression of the protagonist in the novel, can cause suffering for women. Hints at a much broader message
13
Q
Where did Gilman articulate her views on female oppression after 1892’s The Yellow Wallpaper?
A
1898 Women and Economics
14
Q
3 key points from Women and Economics?
A
- Anthropological lens to explore female oppression - in early societies, it made sense for women to seek the protection of the strongest men, accepting as a quid pro quo the sexual dependency this would create. But modern free market capitalism made this sexual dimorphism insignificant and the resulting “sexuo-economic relations” that CPG described indefensible
- Women were equal in mind to men, and now that the necessity of survival had been overcome there was no logical reason not to treat women as equal to men
- The development of a productive society was hindered by female oppression in this way
15
Q
Key CPG term regarding the gender unequal relationships in early societies?
A
“sexuo-economic relation”
16
Q
What did CPG say when explaining why men and women were equal?
A
“There is no female mind. The brain is not an organ of sex”
17
Q
What did CPG write about marriage?
A
- Economic equality was only achievable if the right to work outside the home was extended to married as well as unmarried women.
- To complete the work previously completed by married women in the home, it would be necessary to hire professionals to cook and clean
18
Q
CPG work about children? Key points?
A
1900 Concerning Children
1. Children should be raised in independent nurseries
2. Maternal feelings are not inherently female but are rather imposed or created by society
3. In these nurseries, boys and girls should play with the same toys and should be raised to have the same aspirations.
19
Q
Example of how CPG’s ideas have been partially, if not completely, accepted?
A
1887 A Protest against Petticoats - since the 19th century there has arguably been a reduction in the sexualisation of female dress standards. Yet 1900 Concerning Children - these reforms have not been adopted widely
20
Q
What did Charlotte Perkins Gilman think was the main problem with existing male/female relationships?
A
The relationship of dependence between men and women, whereby women sought the protection and stewardship of a strong man.
21
Q
List the changes CPG wanted to see in society.
A
- Children raised communally
- Children raised without gender being a key part of their upbringing
- Women being allowed to work outside the home
- “Women’s work” being marketised
- Women entitled to full legal, social and political equality and the end of the “sexuo-economic” dominance of men
22
Q
Sex vs gender
A
gulp
Sex is biological. It is determined at birth, but many countries concede it can be altered by surgery or other transition
Gender is cultural or psychological. It is a representation of the balance of female and male “qualities” in a person’s personality
23
Q
What do most equality feminists think about gender?
A
That, as going beyond biological sex, it can serve to create established inequalities between men and women
24
Q
Why was the feminist declaration that gender was not the same as sex and that gender was determined by societal conditioning significant?
A
Overcame centuries of thought that stipulated that men and women had naturally different behaviours and aspirations, which had been used as early as Ancient Greece to justify differences in life prospects, careers and opportunities
25
Gender is a...
Social construct
26
What does it mean to be non-binary?
To not feel adequately represented by either the male or female gender
27
Example of Rowbotham's "unequal rights" in practice?
2019 - Sales Manager Alice Thompson at Manors estate agent - requested the right to leave at 5pm rather than 6pm to pick up her daughter from nursery. Manors declined, but was forced to accept following an employment tribunal ruling, giving unequal rights to men and women
28
What is the counter-eval to unequal rights?
Can entrench the idea that women have different responsibilities and roles
29
Where do different ideologies fall on the nature/nurture spectrum?
Conservative - by nature fallible or worse
Liberal, socialist and feminist - flexible and the product of nurture
30
Broadly speaking, what is the liberal feminist position on the sex/gender divide?
1. As a barrier to rationality, the role of gender should be downplayed as much as possible.
2. Women should not be discouraged from taking "traditional roles" as wives and mothers if this represents their genuine and independent desire
31
Who epitomised the liberal feminist downplaying of sex and gender?
Simone de Beauvoir - sex differences imply no deeper inferiority. There are some areas where female physiology actually outperforms men e.g. longer life expectancy due to slower metabolism
32
How did Betty Friedan reflect liberal attitudes on the sex/gender divide?
Encouraged ANDROGYNY and stressed that beyond the biological, differences between men and women were insignificant
33
Example of a liberal feminist group who emphasised the need to reduce gender stereotyping?
Pinkstinks pressure group
34
When was The Second Sex published?
1949
35
When did de Beauvoir first call herself a feminist and evidence for her reluctance?
1972
Writes in The Second Sex that "I hesitated a long time before writing a book on women. It is an irritating subject"
36
What was the first purpose de Beauvoir's Second Sex? What did it resolve?
To determine how, from a historical and anthropological perspective, women had come to be the "lesser" group in Western societies.
de Beauvoir determined that biology or history were inconclusive - instead, she referred to Hegel's idea of the "subject" and the "other" to explain the phenomenon. She explained that men had "othered" women for supposed deficiencies - deficiencies which did not exist or in the modern era were no longer significant.
37
What did de Beauvoir say women had been reduced to by the "othering" men had prosecuted?
"intermediate between male and eunuch"
38
Why did de Beauvoir dismiss sexual dimorphism as an adequate explanation of continued equality?
1. Argued it was no longer significant, and cited recent development as birth control as an example
2. Wrote that sexual dimorphism didn't actually clearly favour men, with women having more stamina and generally living longer
39
What was de Beauvoir's view on the sex/gender divide and quote?
Sex is natural but gender is COMPLETELY fabricated
"One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman"
40
What did de Beauvoir characterise as the way out of oppression for women and why was she sceptical?
Women must join together and fight in their common interest for liberation from their state of "otherness"
1. Women were not a homogenous unit, with working class women having more in common with working class men, for example.
2. Women would be pitted against men who would probably, themselves entrenched in inculcated gender roles, resist for a time.
But she was hopeful (as a liberal) that in the end everything would work out
41
Who introduced de Beauvoir to the concept of "otherness"?
Hegel
42
What is the radical feminist response to the sex/gender divide?
1. Liberal feminists have underestimated the extent to which gender is used by society to oppress women
2. Therefore, reforms must go beyond the tokenistic reforms of liberal feminists, accepting that gender stereotypes are at the root of the repression of women in all aspects of their life
43
What did radical feminists propose as a solution to the sex/gender divide and why is it different from liberal feminists?
A revolution to overthrow the patriarchy
They believed that the liberal response was tokenistic or insufficient
44
Patriarchy
A male dominated society where men have the upper hand and women are discriminated against systematically
45
How did radical feminists suggest that the sexual revolution to overthrow the patriarchy would take place?
It would be necessary for women to forcibly shed the gender roles imposed on them by society by forcing the men around them to take equal responsibility for things traditionally imposed on women as part of their gender role, including looking after children
46
What did socialist feminists identify as the cause of the gender/sex divide?
The capitalist system could have a ready supply of full-wage male labour, and they used their male gender roles to increase their job security. Then the female workforce was ready as flexible labour, which they could hire and fire more easily, but also as a lower-paid workforce.
47
How did socialist feminists react differently to the gender/sex divide?
1. To Marxist feminists, the obvious solution was to overthrow capitalism and find a mode of production in which the bourgeoisie are not incentivised to drive a wedge between men and women
2. More moderate socialist feminists, such as Charlotte Perkins Gilman advocated a greater degree of employment equality between men and women. Many also advocated marketising those areas of unpaid work assigned to women as a result of gender stereotyping
48
Patriarchal capitalism
The system that socialist feminists criticise and which they believe is responsible for creating the economic fundamentals which means that gender disparities persist into the 21st century despite liberal reforms
49
What was Kate Millet's main significance to the second-wave feminist movement?
Acknowledging the writing of others through the lens of feminist theory
50
Millett's magnum opus
1970 Sexual Politics
51
What was Millett's major thesis in Sexual Politics?
As the title suggests - THE PERSONAL IS THE POLITICAL because popular attitudes about men and women shaped women's domestic relationships with men
52
What did Millett believe about structural reforms made by the feminist movement?
Whilst no doubt beneficial, the roots of female oppression were societal. Changes of mind, as well as of institutions and states, would be necessary
53
Did Millett characterise the patriarchy within society as strong or weak?
She characterised it as nearly insurmountable - more entrenched and complete than any other form of division in society
54
Why did Millett believe that the societal patriarchy was so entrenched?
Because of how early on gendered roles were imposed on women - young girls were introduced to gendered roles long before they had developed the critical skills to even comprehend what was happening
55
Why did Millett believe that gender conditioning from such a young age was not just counter to the objectives of feminism but also morally wrong?
Because it was inaccurate to say that certain characteristics were more masculine or more feminine
56
What emphasis did Millett place on the culture and media in enforcing the patriarchy?
Boys and girls had been given different toys and cultural depictions tended to depict women and men differently, usually with women in an inferior role
57
What did Millett identify as the problem for women who sought to change the nature of the patriarchy?
They were seen as suspect or treated contemptuously as subversives
58
Why was Millett definitely a second-wave feminist?
Identified that equal suffrage and female access to work and politics had not been enough to facilitate equality - at the time of writing, women had had the vote for 50 years, but Millett emphasised that women still found themselves making life decisions that might not be in their best interest
59
What did Millett characterise as the paramount step which had to be taken to achieve gender equality?
The population HAD to accept that gender was not natural. That gender was not pre-determined. And that, crucially, gender was created by society's imposition
60
Why did Kate Millett think that the personal was the political?
1970 - Sexual Politics - women's relationship with men everywhere emulated those portrayed in the media, legitimated by states and more
61
Which ideology do feminists tend to conflict with the most and why?
Conservatism
Insistence on traditional institutions that feminists often argue are behind much of society's continued oppression of women
62
Which kind of feminist tends to reject the traditional sex/gender dichotomy favoured by radical, socialist and most liberal feminists?
Cultural feminists
63
What do cultural feminists believe?
1. Men and women DO have different inclinations, which spring forth not as a result of societal inculcation but rather due to natural differences. This is an example of ESSENTIALISM
2. Women are more inclined towards feminine natural roles
However, in keeping with the focus of feminism, cultural feminists portray any notion of inferiority or cultural discrimination which might spring from these natural differences as unjust, and emphasise that it should be possible, conventional and convenient for women (and men) to deviate from these "natural" roles should they feel better represented by a less binary position
64
Key example of a cultural feminist?
Judith Butler - they argued that sex and gender should not be dichotomised - indeed, Butler, themselves non-binary, argues that binary sex/gender divides like this are counter-productive and that gender being completely separated from sex is a convenient yet inadequate simplification
65
As regards the public/private debate, the main aim of liberal feminists is surely to...
Achieve for women equal rights with men in the PUBLIC sphere, which they assume will diffuse into the private sphere
66
2 reasons liberal feminists de-emphasise the private sphere?
1. Sex/gender dichotomy - see the idea that what goes on at home influences women as reductionist or belittling
2. Believe that it is better to focus on structural reforms which will then diffuse into the private sphere
67
WHO SAID THE PERSONAL IS THE POLITICAL?
Carol Hanisch popularised the phrase
68
Who really broke from the liberal tradition that the personal is NOT the political?
Radical feminists
69
3 reasons radical feminists believe the personal is the political?
1. Without developing confidence at home, women will not resourcefully use their newfound structural freedoms
2. If women do most of the housework and childcare, this limits the extent to which they can get involved
3. By normalising gendered roles such as housewives breadwinners, unbalanced family lives can normalise gender inequality for the next generation
70
Do socialist feminists believe the personal is political? Why is their approach slightly different from radical feminists?
Yes
They believe that the personal becoming economic is the problem - unwaged female workers
71
What caveat is there on the idea that socialist feminists believe the personal is the political?
It is more that the personal is the ECONOMIC - see Rowbotham's proposed wage for housewives as an example
72
How do feminists agree and disagree about the state?
1. Nearly no feminists argue that the state has traditionally served women well
2. But there is disagreement about whether feminists can work with the state in a constitutional sense (liberal feminists) or whether they necessarily have to work against the state, in a revolutionary sense (socialist and radical feminists)
73
How did liberal feminists initially interact with the state and how did this change?
1. Initially sought legal reforms like the right to vote etc.
2. Then, with Friedan and others, shifted to how to secure equality of opportunity
74
How did radical feminists argue it is necessary to go further than liberal feminists went?
Whilst no doubt receptive and appreciative of the progress already made, radical feminists argued that the existing state was so patriarchal that only a rethink of the state's structures and purpose would achieve gender equality
75
What did socialist feminists argue about state power?
Arguably the most developed theories on the state's role in the patriarchy comes from socialist feminists, who argue that capitalism is inherently patriarchal. Drawing on the works of Marx, they emphasise that the state exists to legitimate and uphold capitalist structures. The two are linked and reform of the state can only be achieved when the state is not a servant of the free market
76
Do all socialist feminists believe in the state "withering away" as Engels foretold?
No, some socialist feminists, possibly those we could identify as GRADUALIST/EVOLUTIONARY socialists, believe that the state will have an ongoing role
77
Recent example of how feminists have reacted to the lack of practical equality created by male violence?
Sarah Everard 2021 and Reclaim the Night marches
78
3 feminist areas for discussion on society?
1. Patriarchy
2. Equality and difference feminism
3. Intersectionality
79
What does the patriarchy fundamentally mean?
That society is geared towards the aims and requirements of men, and therefore emulates a male vision of the world
80
How do feminists take different approaches to the patriarchy?
Liberal feminists say reform is possible to reform it, radical feminists urge followers to destroy it, and socialist feminists argue that it is interlinked with capitalism to the extent that the patriarchal society is a product of patriarchal economics
81
Equality feminism
Feminism with the goal of eradicating legal, political and cultural differences between the sexes so that men and women have the same status in society
82
What is difference feminism?
The idea that the acknowledgement of natural difference beyond the biological is essential to feminism
83
2 examples of difference feminism?
1. Susan Griffin - better equality can be achieved if we acknowledge that men and women have different roles and ability
2. A small number of feminists portray natural female tendencies as better than men
84
Example of a difference feminist who argued that female society would be better than patriarchy?
Vandana Shiva - female run agriculture would be more sustainable than male-run
85
What do many feminists criticise difference feminists as?
ESSENTIALISTS - in contrast to de Beauvoir's existentialism or Wollstonecraft's empiricism
86
Who developed intersectional thinking and who did they draw inspiration from?
Kimberle Crenshaw
Inspired by bell hooks' 1981 Ain't I a Woman
87
Who first discussed intersectional theory and how?
bell hooks 1981 "Ain't I a Woman"
Black women are discriminated against as black people and as women, which created a compound prejudice
88
Why was intersectionality vital to the feminist movement?
Widened its appeal beyond the white, middle-class origin of the movement, which was important to increase support and engagement
89
Why did bell hooks decide to write?
Her first book 1981 Ain't I a Woman was written in disappointment at the liberal feminist movement. She felt that the liberal feminist movement had focussed disproportionately on the white, middle-class experience and had neglected the fact that sexism was linked to other forms of oppression in society. In the case of, for instance, ethnic minority women, discrimination could overlap
90
What problem did bell hooks argue that black women faced?
Imperialist-white-supremacist-capitalist-patriarchy
91
Why were many feminists troubled by what hooks wrote?
1. She emphasised a key blind spot for the feminist movement - intersectionality
2. She also noted that many of the goals of feminism had been achieved by marketisation, which had been argued by feminists for a long time. But that this marketisation had created low-waged work and often for ethnic minority women, which didn't eliminate the inequality
92
Was hooks overall dismayed at the feminist movement?
Whilst she no doubt felt concerned about the direction of feminism and of feminism's dependence on the white female experience, she noted that feminists were more receptive than most activists to accepting criticism and changing their campaigning to incorporate hooks' suggestions
93
What is "feminist masculinity"?
One of hooks' final projects - spread the word that men are valuable because of who they are, not what they do. Help to de-emphasise fragile masculinity and but more emphasis on male self-determination
94
What does "feminist masculinity" reveal about hooks?
As the title of her book states, "feminism is for everybody". This is what she internalises in her calls for feminist masculinity
95
What fundamental problem with the economy did all feminists take aim at?
Women are traditionally underrepresented in nearly all vocational fields and are much more likely to face demotion, dismissal or be passed over for promotion. They are also paid less on average for the same work (gender pay gap)
96
Example of gender pay gap?
2010 UKSC - ruled that Sheffield County Council violated EPA 1970 with unequal bonusses to refuse collectors but not cleaners
97
What is the "glass ceiling"?
The invisible barrier in organisations that prevents women from advancing beyond a certain career level
98
What key part of equality in the economy did feminists fight for? Eval?
Equal opportunities to all jobs, even those considered traditionally male
Not till 2018 was the UK Armed Forces completely mixed-gender
99
Evidence gender pay gap is sometimes hard or controversial to spot?
2021 - European Court of Justice ruled that TESCO was violating the law by paying shopfloor workers 3 less than distribution centre workers. ECJ declared both jobs of equal value, despite the fact they were different. Shopfloor was disproportionately female, distribution centres were disproportionately male
100
How do socialist feminists go further than other feminists in emphasising the problems of feminism and capitalism?
They argue that capitalism CAUSES misogyny
101
Who developed socialist feminist ideas about women?
Engels - women were a "reserve army of labour" - highly supply elastic supply of labour which the firms would pay a pittance of a wage to to quickly scale up production
102
Why is the existence of a reserve army necessary to capitalism, according to Engels?
It is possible to pay everyone far less if there is excess supply of labour
103
Did Engels believe that capitalism had created inequality between men and women?
Yes. Whilst Engels accepted that men and women had different "natural" roles, he emphasised that the roles were considered of equal esteem and importance until capitalism debased them
104
Sheila Rowbotham believed that an end to capitalism...
Would benefit women more than men
105
Where were Rowbotham's views set out?
1969 May Day manifesto pamphlet - Women's Liberation and the New Politics
106
For Rowbotham, complete equality necessitated...
Social revolution
107
What did Rowbotham say about liberal feminism?
Had raised awareness, but would never go far enough in achieving equality
108
How did Rowbotham foreshadow elements of intersectionality?
She said that feminism needed to accept the interlocking of class and status in female oppression. A middle class woman had it better than a working class pregnant housewife.
109
Why did Rowbotham believe female oppression under capitalism was more complete than men's?
1. Women had to work in the labour market
2. Women also had to work for free in male-dominated homes
110
What practical reforms did Rowbotham propose to make women's lives better?
1. Greater flexibility on part-time employment
2. Creches, nurseries and laundrettes to automate
3. Marketisation of female labour
111
How did Rowbotham emulate the views of Engels in her writing?
Argued that "girl's work" or "women's work" were fabricated and dangerous terms
112
Was Rowbotham an equality or a difference feminist and why?
Difference - women had different circumstances from men e.g. childcare responsibilities that the capitalist economy needed to take account of
113
What did Rowbotham say about housewives?
These women were the worst afflicted. They not only worked in male-controlled households, but they also had no meaningful renumeration for their work. It would be better for housewives to be paid a salary by the state for their work
114
Did Rowbotham advocate collaboration with men?
Yes. She thought that there should be temporary exclusion of men from women's revolutionary groups, but that once women had gained confidence in their role as political activists, then men could be rehabilitated, if they have abandoned sexist attitudes
115
Why did Sheila Rowbotham think that capitalism had worse consequences for women than men?
Because women served as a reserve army of labour, which meant that women's work went underpaid or neglected.
116
6 branches of feminism to evaluate?
1. Liberal feminism
2. Socialist feminism
3. Radical feminism
4. Cultural feminism
5. Post-modern feminism
6. Post-colonial feminism
117
5 liberal feminists?
1. Mary Wollstonecraft
2. John Stuart Mill
3. Charlotte Perkins Gilman (to an extent)
4. Simone de Beauvoir
5. Betty Friedan
118
Liberal feminism, chronologically, is generally associated with...
First-wave feminism
119
The aim of liberal feminism is fundamentally to...
Grant equal political, economic and social rights to women
120
2 feminists who reacted first to the failure of first-wave feminism and tried to keep liberal feminism going? Their ideas?
1. de Beauvoir - despite equal rights, men continued to assume they were superior because they had designed society. Additionally, women accepted the status as the attendant "other" in society
2. Friedan - reformist feminism - going further than before
121
REFORMIST FEMINISM
EVAL?
Liberal feminism that seeks to implement incremental reforms to displace the patriarchy
Replaced by radical feminism in the 1960s and 70s
122
Why did liberal feminism struggle?
Couldn't address effectively what Friedan termed "cultural channels", the way that which having choice on paper was not translating to equal opportunities in practice
123
2 key principles of radical feminism?
1. Women's consciousness of their own oppression must be elevated - liberal/reformist feminism has failed in this regard
2. They are revolutionary (perhaps not a violent insurgency, but they believe society must be restarted)
124
What did Millett say about the family in 1970's Sexual Politics?
1. The nuclear family and marriage exploits women economically and sexually
2. It is political because it uses power gradients developed elsewhere in patriarchal society
125
Male chauvinism
Men celebrate and advertise their perceived supremacy over women
126
How did Germaine Greer take a harder line than Millett on male oppression?
1970 The Female Eunuch
1. Men actually hate women. This is the root of the oppression
2. Women accept an inferior position from hating themselves
3. Women must THEMSELVES realise this inferiority is unjust and that it springs from nothing but unjustified hatred
127
3 books published in 1970?
Sexual Politics, The Dialectic of Sex, The Female Eunuch
128
What did Shulamith Firestone theorise?
Based on Marx's writing, that a dialectic existed between men and women. Patriarchy existed because biology had enslaved women to men
129
Andrea Dworkin's ideas?
1974 Woman Hating
1. Men insurmountably hated women. Pornography was evidence of this
2. In keeping with this conclusion, women should isolate themselves in lesbian communities
130
Radical feminists share what idea about the patriarchy?
Much of its power comes from how women PERCEIVE their own inferiority, which left them confined to the home. Women needed to believe they had the power to liberate themselves
131
3 examples of radical feminist solutions to the patriarchy?
1. Abolition of the nuclear family
2. Sexual liberation
3. Elimination of biological roles
132
Which radical feminist notably supported the abolition of the nuclear family?
Kate Millett - combined it with her ideas on socialism to propose a new system of raising children
133
Which feminist notably advocated sexual liberation? What did they mean? Which feminists went further in this regard?
Germaine Greer - women could stop hating themselves only if they engaged in lesbian relationships and embraced their female sexuality
Jill Johnston - lesbian only communities, or Andrea Dworkin 1974 Woman Hating
134
Which radical feminist proposed the elimination of biological roles?
Shulamith Firestone
135
What theory lies at the heart of cultural feminism?
Essentialism
136
Who do cultural feminists disagree with and why?
Radical and liberal feminists
Argue that gender roles are not created by men to subdue women but are rather natural/reflective of female psychological differences
137
Example of how cultural feminists believe men and women are different?
Many cultural feminists argue that female leaders and politicians are less likely to resort to state-sponsored violence
138
Are all cultural feminists equality feminists?
No. Many, particularly ecofeminists, believe in a "matriarchy" whereby women have the power in societies
139
Liberal and radical feminists reject cultural feminism because it undermines the idea of...
ANDROGYNY - refusal to accept gender roles
140
What is the more general concern of most feminists about cultural feminism?
Prescriptive - forces women to conform to certain "female" roles
141
What do cultural feminists argue makes their movement stronger and eval?
The ability to unite women with different experiences with their common femininity
Transgender women have rejected this argument particularly
142
2 reasons the cultural feminist movement may not be all bad?
1. Has been responsible for much of the charity support for women
2. Increased self-respect and consciousness of women engaged in "traditional female" roles
143
What did Engels think the reason that women were the reserve army of labour was? How have modern socialist feminists reacted to this?
Because they didn't own property
Modern socialist feminists have developed these ideas, saying that not owning property is a necessary but not sufficient condition of gender inequality. They point out that many women today own property but remain oppressed economically
144
To what extent are socialist feminists proto-intersectional?
A large extent. Rowbotham distinguishes between working class and middle class women and then cites working class housewives as the worst off
145
Did Rowbotham embrace the economic determinism of Marx?
To an extent, but she developed it by saying that the nuclear family and the cultural dominance of men makes the economic inequality possible
146
2 arguments that feminists don't believe biology is destiny?
1. Most believe that nurture, not nature, shapes personalities
2. Most agree that differences do not extend beyond the biological and that continued inequality is created by society
147
3 arguments that feminists do believe that biology is destiny?
1. Some liberal feminists such as Wollstonecraft accept the idea that rational women may develop maternal instincts
2. Cultural feminism
3. Some feminists think that women have not entirely escaped patriarchal thinking
148
Where does post-modern feminism originate?
1990s
149
What is the key feature of post-modern feminism?
Emphasis on diversity and inclusion
150
What did post-modern feminism get called, and by whom? Why?
"Third-wave feminism", Rebecca Walker
Had to become more inclusive, because first and second-wave feminism had disproportionately focussed on the concerns of the white middle class
151
3 ways feminists disagree on the extent of patriarchal power in society?
1. Post-modern and third-wave - intersectionality - affects some groups more than others
2. Liberal - reform it out of the system, whereas radical feminists such as Greer - men hate women
3. Radical feminists see the private sphere as significant, liberal feminists focus on the public sphere
152
What is post-colonial feminism?
A movement which argues that women should be united, and not accept divisions along class or racial lines. Aims to explore the impacts of colonialism on women, particularly women of colour
153
Key post-colonial feminist?
Audre Lorde
154
Key modern feminist question?
Transgender - radical feminists often described as "TERFs", but describe themselves as gender critical
