Feminists

• Feminists argue for equality of the sexes and the advancement of women’s rights.


  •Key ideas: Men and women should be treated equally and have equal opportunities socially, politically and economically.–Equality has not yet been achieved; women are disadvantaged in many areas (jobs, government, family).–Society is currently patriarchal in nature (male dominated).
• 4 Types Of Feminists

  •Liberal feminism•Marxist feminism•Radical feminism•Difference/black feminism
• Liberal feminism

  They see social change for women as a ‘March of Progress’… getting better over time. Acts that helped women:1)Votes for women2)Equal Pay Act 19703)Sexual discrimination Act 1975
• Social Change

  Men are more involved with childcare and housework - there is greater emphasis on active.

  known as the ‘New Man’

  Women are increasingly involved in former male work areas of life

  More women are working, giving them economic power within the family.

  Liberal feminists are not happy about the degree of change in all the above areas. But believe it is up to women to challenge any gender inequality they meet and to challenge gender stereotyping in the primary socialisation of their own children
• Eval Liberal Feminists

  Strengths of Liberal-Feminist approach

  •Liberal feminists make us aware of the importance of gender socialisation and the need for women themselves to challenge any inequality to women that they come across.•
• Eval Liberal Fem

  Criticisms of the Liberal Feminists

  •It is a rather cosy view, reflecting the experiences of white, middle-class professional groups of women.•
• •Evidence from studies on the domestic division of labour roles suggest it is still women who bear the major burden of housework (Oakley,)Studies highlighting domestic violence and rape within marriage point to the more negative aspects of family life and male/female relations which are ignored by Liberal feminists.•
• Marxist Feminist


  •They believe that women – often in their role within the family – serve capitalism by maintaining the labour force .•Women provide a source of free labour to look after male workers and children.
• Radical Femininist


  See men as the enemy – society is patriarchal •men benefit from women’s domestic labour, and use domestic violence and financial control to dominate women.•They support separatism – abandoning the traditional nuclear family and living separately from men.
• Black gurlies

  •Criticise other types of feminism for being too focused on the experiences of white, middle class, Western women.They argue women have a diversity of experiences that need to be listened to