Feminism

What did FIRST-WAVE Femnists hope to achieve?

• WOLLSTONECRAFT: Women recognised as ‘human creatures’ & given same chances as men to fulfill potential eg. Provide education to help pursue in their careers so chains that confined women be broken to live alongside men in “fellowship”, women have right to vote

• HARRIET TAYLOR: Women to be given “political, civil and social equality” with men & married women to work outside home to benefit society

GILMAN's view on existing male/female relationship

• There was an existing ‘sexeo-economic’ relation between men & women which entrenched inequality as it left women oppressed by expectation & reality of peforming menial household chores

• Confining women like this hindered development of productive society

List changes Gilman wanted to see

• Economic, political & social independence

• Right to work outside home & hiring professionals to cook, clean & raise children

• Children cared for in communal nurseries & meals provided by communal kitchens, Boys & girls raised wearing same clothes & playing with same toys (1900 ‘Concerning Children’)

FRIEDAN'S View on Androgyny

• Scientific evidence shows that women are as capable as men are & rejects idea that sex predisposed them as exclusively masculine/feminine

→ Hence society should aim for androgyny (life unbounded by gender)

Bevouir - “One is not born, but rather becomes a woman” (‘Second sex') Meaning?

• Person’s sex distinct from their gender

• Girls raised to be meek, subordinate & unquestioning, but this was not their natural state

Why did Kate Millet think that the “personal is the political”?

• Men & women didn’t form equal partnerships

• Men dominated & women submitted

List factors Millett saw as contributing to oppression of women

1. Patriarchal power structure in society embedded in minds, workplaces and homes

2. Positions assigned to children became natural by being given different toys and leisure activities

3. Religious texts, literature & TV programmes tend to confirm stereotypes of male & female character. May even perpetuate ‘Adam & Eve’ style myths of women as domineering creatures, possessed of demonic qualities who possessed men & presented wider danger to society

What makes cultural feminists different from others?

• SEX/GENDER DIVIDE: Rather than seeing its connection as artificial, they argue men & women have different inclinations and seek to honour their contrasting masculine and feminine characters (ESSENTIALISM) hence problem is that role performed by society for women have been treated of less significance

• Emphasises value of motherhood & highlight feminine qualities that give women advantage over men eg. being more socially adept

• JUDITH BUTLER 1990 ‘GENDER TROUBLE: FEMNISM AND THE SUBVERSION OF IDENTITY’: Terms ‘sex’ & ‘gender’ bolstered idea of gender as binary → Hence we should focus less on definitions & more on analysing power structures in society allowing gender to be seen as open ended, not rigid

LIBERAL FEMNINSTS: Why do they focus on reform in public sphere?

• To enjoy equality with men & remove barriers in female progression

What do radical femininsts mean by “the personal is the political”?

• The way women behave at home has an impact on their lives in public sphere

• Made famous by writings of Carol Hanisch

List ways LIBERAL feminists have tried to stop discrimination against women

• HISTORICAL: Allowing women to exercise same rights as men & compete equally with them eg. in political contests & workplace

• MORE RECENT: Campaigned for specific legislation to offer increased protection/new rights to women eg. criminalising rape in marriage, affording greater rights to women facing domestic violence & guaranteeing access to abortion & contraception

Which feminist groups have sought a revolution to overthrow state?

Socialist feminists

What type of feminist seeks gradual change?

Liberal feminists

Key Ideas of Difference feminists

• Society should accept that men & women are different eg. Susan Griffin argues society benefits more from nurtutring these differences than from encouraging women to behave like men

• Most view women as different but equal to men

• Minority views that women are better than men/some personal characteristics are superior eg. Eco-Feminist Vandana Shiva stressed women’s personal connection to nature as positive quality hence empowering women is best way to protect environment for future generations

• Society with women at its helm would provide superior are for its children

• Matriarchy would be more peaceful & harmonious than patriarchy

What is intersectionality?

Individual has variety of identities so to understand anyone properly, one must consider race, class, ethnicity, religious affiliation, disabilities and gender

What problems did feminist movement have that intersectionalists highlight?

• White, MC feminists made assumptions of women’s needs, speaking for all women whilst understanding little about additional difficulties particular women faced

• EG. Equal pay struggle to ensure women & men were paid same whilst for black women it involved fighting for same wage levels as white women

What is Feminist Masculinity?

• Men have value because of who they are, not what they do

• Men’s strength comes from their ability to take responsibility for both themselves & others, not from dominance within society

What economic reforms did feminists want?

1. End to gender pay gap

2. Women being promoted to highest levels in organisations to smash ‘glass ceiling’ (invisible barrier that prevents women advancing certain level in careers)

3. No jobs considered off limits for women physically & psychologically

Why did Rowbatham think capitalism had worse consequences for women than men?

• Like men, women had to sell their labour to their employers & accept lack of autonomy in workplace but unlike males, they worked for free in houses controlled by men

List social changes Rowbatham wanted to see

1. Make it easier for women to work part-time & choose hours of work best suited for them → Employers provide creches to care for children of both male & female workers and greater availability of nurseries, laundrettes and cheap restaurants

2. Phrases “girls’ work” & “womens’ work” banished from English language as it implied their work was of less value & used to justify lower rates of pay → Need of “unequal rights” for women whose circumstances were different to men

3. Housewives paid a wage by state for work

4. Temporary exclusion of men in revolutionary groups to allow women to gain confidence as political activists

5. Revolution in men’s thinking to abolish patriarchal attitudes

Provide criticisms about cultural feminism

1. Too naïve of accepting a definition of femininity devised by men for their benefit

2. Majority uncomfortable with idea of female superiority as Radical & Liberal feminists reject it due to belief in androgyny & socialist feminists seek equality with men not replace on socially stratified society with another

3. Concerned with their view that there is only one way to be a woman, narrowing down choices & opportunities open to women

Who invented term of Third-Wave feminism?

Rebecca Walker

What do third wave feminists and cultural feminists have in common?

• Both respond to feelings that liberal & radical feminists were rather narrow in their outlook & attitudes