Politics Paper 2 - FEMINISM

FEMINISM - society agreement

• Gender stereotypes are created by society

• Patriarchy pervades every aspect of society and culture

• Patriarchy is a societal structure designed by men to benefit men

• Society creates roles and expectations for women

• Women are seen as ‘other’

• Women are conditioned to accept certain roles within society

• ‘Rule of the father’

• Male dominance in family - MILLET

FEMINISM - society disagree

• RAD - Women who disproportionately bear the burden of bringing up children are giving the state unpaid labour

• ‘Personal is political’

• MILLET - family as key tool of patriarchy - man as head of family - man head of society

• MILLET - 2 principles in society - male dominates female, elder male dominates younger

• HOOKS - feminism takes place within the framework of a larger, more powerful cultural system that encourages women and men to place fulfilment of individual aspirations above desire for collective change - ‘as long as sexism divides black men and women they can not focus on working together against racism’

• LIB equality should be more limited to the public sphere

• GILMAN - women to look after home and husband’s needs - prepared for this role in childhood

• BEAUVIOR - women as ‘second sex’ - from childhood forced to adopt a passive role while men are active

• Women are forced into a monotonous existence by having children

• To equate equality with ‘sameness’ establishes maleness as the highest ideal for women to aspire to - women have internalised ‘otherness’

• SOC - ROWBOTHAM - ‘men will often admit other women are oppressed but not you’ - they recognise misogyny in other men and in society at large but never in themselves

• Women’s work in domestic sphere was invaluable to men and capitalism - provided men with a place they could take refuge from capitalism

• Marriage is a form of capitalism - wives required to serve their husbands

• Working class women face the duality of oppression

FEMINISM -society solutions agreement

• society is defined by gender inequality that must be challenged

FEMINISM - society solutions

• RAD - SOLUTION - sexual revolution/abolition of nuclear family/ intersectional feminism

• SOC - SOLUTION - reform of capitalism for societal reform - ROWBOTHAM - ‘revolution with a revolution’ requirement of women’s liberation

• LIB - SOLUTION - BEAUVIOR - women must become conscious of their subjunctive before they struggle against it - GILMEN - communal living - single and married couples living together - allow women to have a part in society

FEMINISM - state agreement

• state underpins patriarchy, furthering the oppression of women - power imbalance of men and women

• ‘rule of the father’

• Male dominance in the family - reflected in other institutions

• Patriarchy in some form of private and public sphere KATE MILLET ‘personal is political’

• Male dominance in economy - ROWBOTHAM & ENGLES - ‘reserve army of labour’

FEMINISM - the state disagree

• RAD Gender inequality and patriarchy is front and centre of analysis of society - patriarchy is the primary source of oppression

• KATE MILLET ‘the chief institution for patriarchy in a patriarchal whole’ = family - ‘the personal is the political’

• Patriarchy begins in the home - enabling male dominance in the home

• PM FEM HOOKS - ‘patriarchy is offered as the solution to the crisis black people face. ‘

• LIB - every individual is rational - deserving of equal rights and opportunities

• distinction between sex and gender

• CHARLOTTE PG - young girls and toys and clothes were systematically designed to prepare women for the confines of domesticity and motherhood

• BEAUVIOR - artificiality of socially imposed gender constructs - patriarchy is manifested by women’s ‘otherness’ - women as second sex

• SOC - capitalism creates patriarchy

• nuclear family = capitalist unit bound up with male ownership

• Male wage owner & unpaid female housewife provides capitalism with ‘two for the price of one’ - incentivises men to stay in low paid jobs

• ROWBOTHAM & ENGLES - ‘reserve army of labour’ - low paid and economically dependent

State solutions agree

• state should be changed to promote equality

• SF AND RF AGREE State doesn’t have the interests of women at heart

• RF - MILLET - patriarchy embedded in sociatal institutions - state laws permit men not women - women still hold minority in most legislative processes

• SOC - Rowbotham - state serves capitalism 1st and patriarchy 2nd and women ‘doubly oppressed’ - gender pay gap - state hasn’t addressed enough

• Both agree state provides minimal support and protection for women

State solutions disagree

RAD - SOLUTION - transformation of the private sphere/ sexual revolution - abolition of the nuclear family/ intersectionality - liberation of women - tackle race and class

LIB - SOLUTION - combatting patriarchy in public sphere especially legislative forms/ fear of intrusion of totalitarianism in the private sphere - women should be free to make their own choice

SOC - SOLUTION - ROWBOTHAM liberation requires ‘revolution within a revolution’ / transformation of private and public sphere/ reform of capitalism

FEMINISM - human nature agreement

• Gender is a social construct - learned from a young age

• BEAUVIOR- the social contract turns women into slaves who are restricted to focussing only on motherhood

• Societal attitudes and expectations restrains women’s opportunities and ability to be as free - undermines rationality and autonomy

• Role of wife and mother confined to domestic sphere rather than being able to pursue goals

• GILMAN - capitalism forced women’s lives to heavily depend on marriage - socio - economic contract

• MILLET - patriarchal societal values and social order glorified male dominance and abuse

FEMINISM - human nature disagree

DIFFERENCE - belief in essentialism - characteristics, behaviours are tied to biology

Woman = more nurturing and emphatheitc and these traits are undervalued in society - women should accept innate female nature and challenge dominance of male norms ( cultural fem)

Equality fem wrongly encourages women to replicate male behaviour

SOLUTION - separism - women separated from male dominated structures

EQUALITY - difference reinforces gender stereotypes and gender roles are socially constructed - underminesfeminist goal by saying women naturally fitted to their roles

Human nature solution agreement

All fem - gender roles imposed on women ignores true nature - female oppression

Women take 2nd role in doc (displaying aggressive men’s tendecies

LIB - Gilman - gender traits are artificialm- true nature to evolve to be emancipated

RAD - film and culture - women possession of men

Lib - socialtal expectations confine women - fem mystique - forced conformity in clothes and toys

All agree androgony nurture humanity

Human nature solution disagree

SSocialist SOLUTION - reform of capitalism for societal reform - ROWBOTHAM - ‘revolution with a revolution’ requirement of women’s liberation

Radical SOLUTION - transformation of the private sphere/ sexual revolution - abolition of the nuclear family/ intersectionality - liberation of women - tackle race and class

Liberal SOLUTION - BEAUVIOR - women must become conscious of their subjunctive before they struggle against it - GILMEN - communal living - single and married couples living together - allow women to have a part in society

DIFFERENCE - SOLUTION - separism - women separated from male dominated structure

FEMINISM AND ECONOMY AGREE

All feminists agree economic system discriminates agree women (most agree restrictions to women to access well paid work)

Women’s economic dependence on men

Unstructured women’s work

Structural inequality (gender inequality perpetuated)

Gender stereotypes means women have low economic role

Charlotte Perkins Gilman - economic exploitstion of women in domestic sphere - control unpaid labour - dependent on men

LIB - Friedan - limitations on women - feminine mystique - centred to domestic roles - (economy benefitted from women - unpaid role - men dominate - paid work)

RAD - Millet - economy perpetuates - dependence on men

(work done by women at home unlaid labour)

FEMINISM AND ECONOMY DISAGREE

Tension over root cause of economy inequality

LIB - inequality due to unequal access education and employment (don’t seen to challenge economic inquality)

Wolstonecroft - ‘vindication of women’s rights’ women’s subordinate economic confined norms and learned behaviour - due to lack of opportunity - due to lack opportunity

Friedan - agreed discriminated - perpetuates partiachal socialisation (passive and dependent)

HOWEVER

SOCIALISTS - economic inequality at the heart of female oppression - Rowbotham money exploits women as cheap labour

PMF - disagree - meritocracy affect women’s place in economy

FEMINISM AND ECON SOLUTION AGREE

Protect women’s economic rights requires significant state action

LIB - legal reforms from the state (= pay, access to ed, gender based discrimination in the workplace)

JS MILL - ‘subjection of women’ - social subordination to women - major barrier to economic freedom and interdepdence

SOC - Pro state policies to address economic inequalities (maternity pay)

RAD - state inheritantly patriachal - recognise need state intervention protect gender - violence

PMF - diverse woman's experiance and advocate state policies - address intersectional inequalities

HOOKS - state intervention - anti - discrimination laws

ECONOMY SOLUTIONS DISAGREE

LIB - Central role of the state - politically don't support reform of capitalism - could limit individualism

Freudian - state’s role to provide careers for women - workforce (childcare and pay)

SOC - state dismantle, economy and power structures - state is a tool of oppression - overthrown by ‘rev within rev’ - rowbotham prolateriat

RAD - MILLET sceptical of rowbotham patriarchy meritocractic system oppression abolishing state won’t remove economic equality

PMF - criticise radical - too narrow focus on White Middle class women