Feminism

• Why is feminism becoming more prominent?

  • functionalism and marxism are failing at explaining society
• When did the old view of clear gender roles end? 

  • 1980s onwards
• Feminism :

  • Both a social + political movement
• Where did feminism emerge from?

  • Marxism
  • Came in 4 waves
• 4 waves of feminism:

  • Campaign for votes
  • Liberation movement of the 60s + 70s
  • Understanding of individualism (differences in wealth + ethnicity)
  • Active campaigning - strong, popular + reactive movement
• Liberal feminism:

  • Inequality stems from male ignorance caused by socialisation (sex role conditioning)
  • Men aren't the bad guys, it's just how they were brought up
  • Found in family, education + mass media
• Oakley :

  • Liberal fem
  • Patriarchy ideology stresses view that the major function of women = raise children
  • Evidence - female professionals 3x more likely to not be married + have no children
• Sharpe (liberal fem) :

  • Recognition of progress
  • Education + careers now a priority for young girls
  • Girls enjoying greater success in education
• Liberal feminists:

  • Hold a more optimistic view - point to education + anti-discrimination policies
  • See more equal responsibility in the home (egalitarian)
  • Dual career families
  • Increased paternity rights
• Liberal feminism criticism :

  • Implies passive acceptance, underestimating a women's power to resist
  • Fails to acknowledge different experiences of women of different social classes + race (Marx)
  • See gender equality as only a matter of time, not something slow moving + needing intervention
• Marxist feminism:

  • Women are a reserve army of labour
  • The role of women in the home used as justification for discrimination
  • Women = more vulnerable to economic factors - change jobs more frequently, less skilled + part-time
• Ansley:

  • Marxist fem
  • Women soak up men's frustrations with work in the form of domestic violence
• Benston:

  • Marx fem
  • Women benefit capitalism by providing free domestic labour, raising the next workforce
• Marxist femism criticism :

  • Assume women take on the role in the home to benefit capitalism
  • Walby - could be argued that women harm capitalism as they have limited spending power
  • Assumption that communism would create equality
  • Eg: Russia - encouraged women to work but were also expected to do the ironing
• Radical feminism:

  • Most extreme form of feminism + feel society = still patriarchal
  • Gender inequality is more important than class inequality
• Radical feminism :

  • Use the term (sex politics) to describe power relationships
  • Originating in the home + reinforced in society
  • Domestic violence when Patriarchy fails
• Radical feminism :

  • Feel women should stick together + form sisterhood
  • Change will only occur through struggle + challenge
• Radical feminism :

  • At most extreme (separatism ) - women will only be free once men have been isolated from their lives
• Radical feminism criticism :

  • Fails to recognise historical changes + progress
  • Other divisions not recognised eg - class + ethnicity
  • Assumptions that all women's experiences are the same:
  • Bhavani (2000) considers how racism and sexism shape each other + are also influenced by social class
• Black feminism :

  • Derived as black women felt white women failed to recognise that they were oppressed
  • Due to both men + racism
• Black feminism :

  • Suggested that most feminism is ethocentric
  • Eg - may think their language should be the default spoken, rather than needing to accommodate other languages
  • Tend to be more positive about family structure - haven from racist world
• Postmodern/Difference feminism :

  • Feminism= no longer needed as women are equal
  • Individuality + identity = more important than gender
  • So recognises the experiences of women may be different
• Faludi :

  • Postmod fem
  • People are hesitant to define themselves as a feminist
  • As the media can be negative - professional women suffering from depression
• Brooks:

  • Postmod fem
  • The debate needs to change + look at individuals
• Feminism general criticisms:

  • Lots of disagreement between feminists
  • Patriarchy may be a result of needs at the end of pregnancy
  • Often fails to note modern changes
  • Ignores any positives in the way women view family + relationships
• Feminism general criticisms:

  • Delamont - assumption of a universal experience