SOCIETY --> To what extent do feminists disagree about the nature of the society they wish to create?

INTRO/JUDGEMENT

AGREE —> all fems want to create a society where there’s gender equality

DISAGREE —> disagree on whether to create a fully restructured society

DISAGREE —> disagree on the role the state can play in creating this society

PARA 1 - AGREE

all feminists agree that current society is oppressive towards women and want to create new ones where women are more equal

• all feminists agree that there should be gender equality in society, and action should be taken to enact this

• liberal fems argue that the patriarchy is a key characteristic of society that oppresses women

  • de beauvoir says that society turns women by defining them as the inferior ‘other’, and man as the superior/normal ‘self’

• in order to combat this libs want legal/political rights for women in order to grant economic independence

• socialist fems argue society is atructured around class and gender inequality. in order to create a new society for women capitalism needs to be changed in order to grant women greater autonomy

• radical fems argue that male dominance is deeply embedded in social institutions, and in order to combat this there needs to be transformation of social structures, eg the traditional family as it upholds the patriarchal order, maintaining male ownership of property and enforcing rigid sex roles

• post modern fems argue that social norms reinforce inequality. ideas about masculinity and femininity are created by society, w the media, education and culture shape expectations of gender roles

  • hooks claimed that in order to combat this the imperialist white-supremacist capitalist patriarchy must be dismantled

overall, all fems agree that society is oppressive towards women due to the patriarchy. all have ideas on how to change society in order to make it more equal towards women

PARA 2 - DISAGREE

Liberal feminists favour reforming existing society, while radical feminists want more fundamental change

• liberal fems argue that there isn’t a need for dismantling and fully changing society as a whole, and that through legislation and increased legal/political equality for women, society can gradually change to become less patriarchal and oppressive

  • this can be seen w liberals at the time eg Gilman advocating for human capacity of rationality, believing that radical societal change is ineffective/unnecessary

• radical fems disagree and argue that since male dominance is extremely embedded in social institutions/relationships, a major transformation of social structures is needed

  • this can be seen w millett’s desire to liberate women from the traditional family unit and monogomous marriage. she argues that trad family isn’t an apolitical social unit, but a political system that normalised and perpetuated male dominance and female subservience; linking to the radical fem idea of the personal is political. for this reason complete change is needed in society

disagreement about how extensive social change must be

PARA 3 - DISAGREE

Feminists disagree about the role the state can currently play in creating an equal society

• liberal fems are more optimistic about the state, viewing it as a central actor in achieving gender equality. believe that gender inequality can be removed through legal/political changes incl equal pay, equal access to education etc, for which the state is heavily needed. liberal feminists do not see the state as inherently patriarchal or malicious. they think the state can help in creating an equal society

• this differs largely to socialist fems that argue the state serves the interests of capitalism, protecting existing class structures and inequalities.

  • the state is a key component in rowbotham’s views of women as a reserve army of labour. when there’s a need to increase profit the state uses women, but then easily dismisses them when needed, depriving women of their economic independence/autonomy.

• for this reason complete transformation of the state is needed in order to create an equal society. the current nature of the state can’t help

significant disagreement over how far the state can create an equal society, linked to the level of patriarchal influence it carries