Feminism

• In a nutshell


  Feminists study society from the perspective of women; they see women as subordinated by men, and seek to free women from their oppression. Liberal feminists seek legal reforms and a change in attitudes to bring equality. Radical feminists, however, see patriarchy as the fundamental conflict in society and believe separatism is the only solution. Marxist feminists determine capitalism to be the main beneficiary of women's oppression and not men. Difference feminists determine all women to be different, and therefore each woman experiences a different level of oppression.
• LIBERAL FEMINISM - OAKLEY


  SEX & GENDER

  Oakley distinguishes between sex and gender:

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  Sex- your biological makeup.

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  Gender- what you socially regard yourself to be.
• LIBERAL FEMINISM - THE ENLIGHTENMENT PROJECT


  Liberal feminists recognise the successive progress towards gender equality:

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  Changes in socialisation and culture - Gradually leading to more rational attitudes towards gender.

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  Political action to introduce anti-discriminatory laws and policies - Bringing progress to society in which gender is no longer important.
• RADICAL FEMINISM - FIRESTONE


  PATRIARCHY

  The origins of women's patriarchy lie in women’s biological capacity and care for infants, since performing this role makes them dependent on males.

  Patriarchy is the primary and most fundamental part of all inequality and conflict.

  Men are the women’s main enemy.

  All men oppress women. All men benefit from patriarchy.

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• RADICAL FEMINISM - FIRESTONE 'THE PERSONAL IS THE POLITICAL'


  Radical feminists believe all relationships involve power, and they are political when one dominates the other.Radical feminists focus on the way in which patriarchal power is exercised through personal relationships, often through physical or sexual violence.Brownmiller argues the fear of rape is a powerful deterrent against women going out alone at night.Sexual politics - personal relationships are political because men dominate women through them. 
• RADICAL FEMINISM - FIRESTONE 'ACHIEVING WOMEN'S LIBERATION'


  Separatism - living apart from men and creating a new culture of female independence, free from patriarchy.

  Consciousness raising - women-only consciousness raising groups that may lead to collective action against men.

  Political lesbianism - heterosexual relationships are ‘sleeping with the enemy’ and therefore lesbianism is the only non-oppressive form of sexuality.

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• MARXIST FEMINISM - BARRETT


  Marxist feminists disagree with radical feminists on the grounds that:

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  Capitalism is the main cause of women’s oppression (not patriarchy).

  Capitalism is the main winner from female oppression (not men).

  They believe that women:

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  Are provide cheap exploitable labour.

  Are a reserve army of labour.

  Reproduce the labour force.

  Absorb anger.
• MARXIST FEMINISM - IDEOLOGY OF FAMILISM 


  Barrett believes that it is because of our ideology in society from birth that ‘brainwashes’ women to believe that the sexual division of labour and their position is natural and normal. The nuclear family is portrayed as the only place where women can attain fulfilment.
• MARXIST FEMINISM - ACHIEVING WOMEN'S LIBERATION


  Overthrow capitalismOverthrow the ideology of familism that underpins the nuclear family and its unequal division of labour
• DIFFERENCE FEMINISM - BUTLER


  Difference feminists do not see women as a single homogeneous groups - differences of class, ethnicity, sexuality etc. all lead to different experiences of patriarchy. Hence, they emphasise diversity.​Difference feminists argue previous feminist theory claim ‘false universality’: it claims to apply to all women, but in reality, it is only about the experiences of white, western, heterosexual, middle-class women
• DIFFERENCE FEMINISM - ESSENTIALISM


  Difference feminists criticise radical, liberal and Marxist feminists for being essentialists, whereby they see women as essentially the same and therefore fail to recognise diversity.
• POSTSTRUCTURALIST FEMINISM - BUTLER


  Discourses (ways of seeing, speaking and thinking) are what cause oppression. (Eg. a medical discourse that oppresses women is the natural process of childbirth. Now, women are labelled as ‘patients’ and power is transferred to doctors).

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  Butler is highly critical of the enlightenment for the way that white western middle-class women have taken over feminism and also the way that they present ‘universal’ image of womanhood.
• POSTSTRUCTURALIST FEMINISM - BUTLER - ANTI-ESSENTIALISM


  There is no fixed essence of what it is to be a woman because identities are constructed through different discourses and there are many different discourses in different times and cultures.