The Nature Of The Patriarchy Flashcards
(6 cards)
Point of disagreement: the Nature of Patriarchy
While all feminists agree that patriarchy is a central barrier to gender equality as it has historically privileged men in social, political and economic structures, they fundamentally disagree on its nature, causes and solutions.
Liberal feminists
-liberal feminists acknowledge the existence of patriarchy, but view it as a system of discrimination rather than outright oppression. They argue that reforms such as legal equality, anti-discrimination laws and equal access to employment and education can erode patriarchal structures over time, ultimately granting women the same opportunities as men. From this perspective, the historical exclusion of women from political and economic life was an institutional failure that can be corrected through gradual legislative change
In particular, Mary Wollstonecraft, in a Vindication of the Rights of Women, insisted that women’s intellectual and social subjugation was the result of a lack of education, arguing that once given the same opportunities as men, they would flourish as equals
Social feminists
In contrast, while social feminists do regard patriarchy as a systemic force, they contend that it is fundamentally intertwined with capitalism, thus arguing that women’s oppression is primarily economic rather than merely legal. This spawns from their belief that capitalism relies on the exploitation of women, particularly through unpaid domestic labour and their role in reproducing the next generation of workers.
Capitalism had institutionalised male dominance by making women economically dependent on their husbands, and therefore, true gender equality could only be achieved by dismantling capitalism. This could be realised via state intervention, such as welfare policies, subsidised childcare and workplace protections, to alleviate the economic burden placed on women by capitalist family.
Radical feminists
Radical feminists reject both liberal and socialist explanations, instead asserting that patriarchy is the most fundamental and pervasive form of oppression existing independently of economic structures. They argued that men, as a group, systematically oppress women through social conditioning, cultural norms and even personal relationships.
Kate Millett, in Sexual Politics, highlighted how patriarchy conditions women into submissive roles from birth, making them complicit to their own oppression. Unlike liberal feminists who believe in working within a system to achieve equality, radical feminists argue that patriarchy is deeply ingrained and thus necessitates a revolutionary restructuring of society, including the family unit and traditional gender roles.
Postmodern feminists
They offer a different presentation of patriarchy that critiques the assumption that patriarchy is experienced uniformly across all women. They argue that race, class, sexuality and culture shape how women experience oppression, making it essential to consider intersectionality when analysing patriarchy- presenting patriarchy as something that is not singular, monolithic force, but rather a system that operates differently across different social groups.
Bell hooks, in Aint I a Women, pointed out that mainstream feminism historically centred on the experience of white, middle-class women, often overlooking the struggles of Black and working-class women who face compounded forms of discrimination.
Conclusion
Thus, despite feminists converging on the idea that it is requisite to challenge patriarchy, feminists remain deeply divided on its origins, manifestations and the best strategies for dismantling it.
