Intersectional/ post modern feminism

5 features of patriarchal societies

• men hold positions of authority in politics and business

• senior men favour other men when hiring

• men run media outlets which reinforces patriarchal norms

• men design curriculums so they are androcentric

• most scientific research carried out by men so reflects their issues

Equality feminism

branch of feminism with the goal of eradicating legal, political and cultural differences within society so that men and women are completely equal

difference feminism

belief that there are fundamental differences between men and women, some say they are different but equal and some say women are superior

Susan Griffin

difference feminist, argues society benefits more from nurturing differences between men and women than encouraging women to be more like men

Vandada Shiva

eco, difference feminist who has stressed women’s greater connection to nature should be empowered to help solve climate change

difference feminists and society

a society with women at its helm would be more peaceful and harmonious than the patriarchy

intersectional feminism

it is not possible to seek equality of ‘women’ because the needs of indivudial women will vary according to a range of factors like their sex, sexuality and class

Who developed intersectional theory

Crenshaw who was inspired by bell hooks

Aint I a woman argument

hooks argued that she was discriminated against as black, a woman and a black woman, at times they would be treated worse than white women and black men

intersectionality and non mainstream characteristics

the more people have then the more difficulty they encounter as there are more ways to be discriminated against

significance of Crenshaw’s work

showed a more multi faceted approach was needed to end discrimination and white middle class feminists had been making assumptions about what all women wanted in their fight

example showing why intersectional feminism needed

For white feminists equal pay was about ensuring equal pay with men but for black women it involved fighting for the same wage levels as white women

how did intersectionality broaden the scope of feminism

it encouraged women from all parts of society to campaign on issues that are important to them

why did some feminists find intersectional feminism a challenge

they believed that it was important for the movement to maintain a united front and pursue common goals

bell hooks dismissal of feminists who wanted unity above all else

middle class women often freed themselves from housework and childcare by paying less well educated women low wages to do it for them, so the liberation of middle class white women came at the price of continued exploitation of more vulnerable women

how did bell hooks classify the issue faced by black women

they faced the imperialist-white-supremacist-capitalist-patriarchy

black women discrimination

double whammy economically as they earned less than white men and women but also black men

who else is included in post modern third wave feminism

trans women and those identifying as queer and intersex

is post modern reformist or revolutionary

revolutionary in that it rejects the earlier feminist idea that all women have the same needs, but reformist in that it supports small scale changes

main belief

the liberation of women cannot occur all at once as all women have different circumstances