Chapter 4 (gensoc)

• Patriarchy


  The power of the father as head of household or the systematic organization of male supremacy and female subordination
• What men control in the patriarchal system

  • Women's productive (labor) power
  • Women's reproduction
  • Women's sexuality
  • Women's mobility
  • Property and other economic resources
• Characteristics of a patriarchal system

  • Male dominance - men make all the decisions
  • Male identification - concerned with qualities like strength, forcefulness, rationality, strong work ethic, control, and competitiveness
  • Male centered - men are the focus of all events and the developer of all events and inventions where men are the heroes of all situations
  • Men must be in control at all times - men control all family and social situations such as finances and education
• Sexism


  Prejudice or discrimination based on a person's sex or gender but specifically against women and girls
• Patrilocal residence


  A custom in which a couple settles with or near the man's family
• Types of sexism


  • Old-fashioned sexism - explicit and overt beliefs that men are superior
  • Modern sexism - a belief that opportunities for men and women are now equal and those who complain about sexism are just hostile towards men
  • Hostile sexism - components of contempt towards women
  • Benevolent sexism - believes women possess the qualities of purity and morality, but men do not have it
  • Ambivalent sexism - having mixed feelings
• Institutional sexism


  The manipulation or toleration of institutional policies that restrict the opportunities for one sex as compared with the other sex
• Areas where institutional sexism can be found


  • At work
  • At home
  • In politics
  • In the military
• Feminism


  A political, cultural, or economic movement that endeavors to establish equal rights and legal protection for women
• History of feminism


  • First wave - focused on the right to equal contract and property rights, called for the abolition of chattel marriage, and focused on gaining political rights, especially the right to vote
  • Second wave - largely concerned with equality issues, especially on ending discrimination of women
  • Third wave - emerged in the mid-1990s, challenged the second wave's view on femininity, asserted that woman's experiences vary in form and intensity, and sought to examine women issues on an international level
• Difference between first, second, and third wave feminism

  The key difference is that the first wave involved female suffrage, the second wave involved reproductive rights, and the third wave involved female heteronormality
• Basic feminist ideas


  • Push for change towards equality among men and women, and not just talk about it
  • Have the freedom to choose
  • Oppose laws and traditions that limit education, job, and income opportunities for women
  • Ending sexual violence and give women control over their sexuality and reproduction
• Feminist theory


  A major theoretical branch of sociology that moved its assumptions, analysis, and focus away from traditional viewpoints that were mainly produced by men and instead studied women issues as experienced by women themselves
• Principles of feminist theory

  • Women have something valuable to contribute to the society
  • Women have been unable to achieve their potential, receive rewards, or gain full participation in society
  • Feminist research should go toward social transformation
• Types of feminist theory

  • Liberal feminism - argues that society has a false belief that women by nature are intellectually and physically incapable compared to men
  • Radical feminism - asserts that the defining feature of women oppression is the male-controlled capitalist hierarchy
  • Radical-liberation feminism - argues that a woman's capacity to give birth as well as her sexual roles and responsibilities limits her ability to achieve her full potential
  • Radical-cultural feminism - embraces everything about being a woman as well as the values and importance of female qualities
  • Marxist/Socialist feminism - incorporated the views of social justice as well as socio-economic disparities
  • Existentialist feminism - derived from Simone de Beauvoir's view that women are not powerless and does not need to defend on male-female relationships
  • Multicultural feminism - suggest that every woman has different intersecting identities and therefore, is not alike with any other woman
  • Cultural feminism - argues that there are fundamental personality differences between men and women, and that women's differences are distinctive
  • Eco-feminism - argues that there is a connection between the destruction of the environment and the exploitation of women by patriarchy
• Queer theory


  A framework of ideas asserting that identities are not stable and determined particularly in relation to a person's sex, gender, and/or self-expression; that there are several ways a person can express his or her sexual self
• Queer theory is a relatively new theory, came about in part from lesbian and gay studies that themselves originated from studies on gender and sexuality which was rooted in feminist theory
• Prior to its mainstream use, 'queer' was a derogatory label, but it became an umbrella term for those who identify themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual, intersex, and/or transgender
• Queer theory is a relatively new theory
• Queer theory came about in part from lesbian and gay studies that themselves originated from studies on gender and sexuality which was rooted in feminist theory
• Queer theory


  The contention of queer theorists is that there is no set standard for what is normal. They argued that norms change, people may or may not fit into these norms, and categorical thinking must be constantly challenged if we want to attain equality for all people
• Queer


  Prior to its mainstream use, 'queer' was a derogatory label. Queer became an umbrella term for those who identify themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual, intersex, and/or transgender
• Queer


  As more people refused to label their sexual expressions, wanted fluidity and inclusivity, and at the same time challenge the dominant views on how people should express and experience themselves sexually - queer became a category itself
• Teresa de Lauretis


  Queer theory as a term was coined by Italian author Teresa de Lauretis (born 1938) in her work on the feminist cultural studies entitled "Queer Theory: Lesbian and Gay Sexualities" (1991). De Lauretis used the term to describe a manner of thinking that did not use binary gender constructs as a starting point in discussing identity concepts
• Michel Foucault


  His work was fundamental in the development of queer theory. Particularly in its capacity to explain its views without a defined object. Foucault refused the idea that an authority could define sexuality. Foucault argued that sexuality is not an inherent personal attribute, but rather a cultural category dictated upon by those in power as opposed to a pre-existing object
• Eve Sedgwick


  Eve Sedgwick (1950-2009) was an American academic scholar and author of one of the most influential books on queer theory, Epistemology of the Closet (2007) where she talked about the social crisis created by defining sexuality as just heterosexual and homosexual. In 1990, she led the debating team on whether sexuality was inherent or socially constructed
• Judith Butler


  Judith Butler (born 1956) is an American philosopher and gender theorist who challenged the conventional notions of gender and developed her own theory called gender performativity that became a major influence on feminist and queer studies. Gender performativity asserted that society and culture created gender roles and imposed these as ideal or appropriate
• The Yogyakarta Principles


  A set of principles in the application of international human rights law in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity
• The Yogyakarta Principles were developed and unanimously adopted by distinguishable group of human rights experts, from diverse regions and background, including judges, academics, a former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Special Procedures, members of treaty bodies, NGOs and others</b>
• The Rapporteur of the process, Professor Michael O'Flaherty, has made immense contributions to the drafting and revision of Yogyakarta Principles
• What does the Yogyakarta Principle cover?

  • extrajudicial executions
  • violence and torture
  • access to justice, privacy
  • non-discrimination
  • rights to freedom of expression and assembly
  • employment
  • health, education
  • immigration and refugee issues
  • public participation
• The States have the primary obligation to implement human rights
• All actors have responsibilities to promote and protect human rights
• Additional recommendations are therefore addressed to the UN human rights system, national human rights institutions, the media, non-governmental organizations, and others
• The 29 principles of Yogyakarta Principles are grouped into seven basic human rights


  • Rights to Universal Enjoyment of Human Rights, Non-Discrimination and Recognition before the law
  • Rights to Human and Personal Security
  • Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
  • Rights to Expression, Opinion and Association
  • Freedom of Movement and Asylum
  • Rights of participation in cultural and family life
  • Rights of human rights defenders
  • Rights of redness and accountability
• The Preamble acknowledges human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity, establishes the relevant legal framework, and provides definitions of key terms
• Example 1


  • States have an obligation not to discriminate between different-sex and same-sex relationships in allocating partnership benefits such as survivors' pensions (decision of the UN Human Rights Committee)
• Example 2


  • Human rights defenders working on sexual orientation and gender identity issues in countries and regions around the world "have been threatened, had their houses and offices raided, they have been attacked, tortured, sexually abused, tormented by regular death threats and even killed. A major concern in this regard is an almost complete lack of seriousness with which such cases are treated by the concerned authorities." (report of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Human Rights Defenders)
• Example 3


  • The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has expressed concern about "impunity for crimes of violence against LGBT persons" and "the responsibility of the State to extend effective protection. "The High Commissioner notes that "excluding LGBT individuals from these protections clearly violates international human rights law as well as the common standards of humanity that define us all."
• Example 4


  • The Principles conclude by recognizing the responsibility of a range of actors to promote and protect human rights and to integrate these standards into their work. A joint statement delivered at the UN Human Rights Council by 54 States from four of the five UN regions on 1 December 2006, for example, urges the Human Rights Council to "pay due attention to human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity" and commends the work of civil society in this area, and calls upon "all Special Procedures and treaty bodies to continue to integrate consideration of human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity within their relevant mandates."