gender and society key words

feminism

refers to the many political, philosophical, economic, psychological and sociological movements which have sought to free women from male dominance and give them independence and dignity. 

there are many different types of feminism.

patriarchy

a term used to describe a culture or institution which is male dominated

false-consciousness

(also known as bad faith *mauvaise foi*)

a term developed by the existentialist philosophers to describe a falsely objective view a person has of oneself.

in this state that person lacks true freedom and self-worth. 

for example a woman believing she must be a certain way because she is a woman.

existentialism

philosophy that believes ‘existence precedes essence’.  In other words people are free to decide who they want to be and choose their own identity.

the eternal feminine

philosopher Simone de Beauvoir’s phrase describing the false view that there are essential or eternal feminine gender characteristics.

essentialist view of gender

the view that biological sex determines gender, there are distinctive male and female characteristics.

existentialist view of gender

the view that gender is not dependent on biology and is not a fixed concept.

equal but different

the idea that although men and women have distinct gender differences they are equal in status.

blended family

where at least one of the partners has divorced/separated from another partner and has remarried/formed a new relationship bringing the children from the previous relationship into the new family.

intact family

a family where both parents are married and have not divorced or separated.

eroticisation

the process where people are treated as sexual objects and sex is purely for pleasure

Mulieris Dignitatem

an Apostolic Letter issued by Pope John Paul II in 1988.

its subtitle in English is ‘On the Dignity and Vocation of Women.’

socialisation

the process by which people learn cultural norms.