Feminism

You will get a choice of 2 questions to do with feminism and have to answer 1. This is a 24 mark question (just like all ideologies questions)
There are 5 key thinkers in the feminism unit and you have to mention (by name) at least 2 in your answer. We will speak about other thinkers - these can be referenced but will not count as the two you need to use as examples.
Feminsim is the advocacy of women’s rights on the ground of equality of the sexes. As a political ideology, it advocates 2 core beliefs : That women are disadvantaged on the basis of their gender, and that these disadvantages should be overthrown

Feminists believe men always have power, women have been kept off political agenda throughout geenerations have been disadvantaged poltically, economically and socially

Waves of Feminism

The First Wave of Feminism

Focus on women's legal and political rights:
Campaign for female suffrage became central to the women's movement which culminated in equal suffrage with men in 1928.
Belief: If women could vote, other forms of sexual discrimination would quickly disappear.

Key Milestones in USA -

Seneca Falls Convention (1848): Birth of the U.S. women's rights movement.
Declaration of Sentiments: Written by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, it called for female suffrage, drew upon the language and principles of the Declaration of Independence and called amongst for female suffrage.

National Women's Suffrage Association (1869): Founded by Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, set up in 1869 and merging with the more conservative American Women's Suffrage Association (1890).

In the Uk..

- movement developed during 1850,s in 1867 HOC defeated the first proposal for female suffrage, an ammendmnet to the Second Reform Act proposed by John STuart Mill.

John Stuart Mill’s On the Subjection of women (1869), written in collab with Harriet Taylor, proposed that society should be organised according to the principle of ‘reason’ and accidents of birth such as sex should be irrelelavent. Womenshould be entitled to rights enjoyed by men

British suffrage movemen adopted increasingly militant tactics after the formation in 1903 of the Women’s Social and Political Union by Pankhust. Pankhurst organised a campaign of direct action ‘suffragettes’ carrying out attacks on property.
First wave ended with achieveent of female suffrage, introduced in New Zealeand 1893 FIRST.

Global Suffrage Achievements:

New Zealand: First country to grant women the vote (1893).
US: Nineteenth Amendment granted women the vote (1920).
UK: Franchise extended to Women granted in 1918, with equal rights achieved in 1928.

Second Wave of Feminism

Key Thinker - Simone de Beauviour

Argued women's position is shaped by social rather than natural factors.

Criticized patriarchal culture and the portrayal of women as the "other", limiting their freedom.

Advocated for rationality and critical analysis for women's liberation.

Third Wave Feminism

An acknowledgement that feminism has been dominated by middle-class white women, and aims to highlight and celebrate the diversity of issues affecting various groups of women (1990s).

Fourth Wave of Feminism

Fourth Wave: An emphasis on the patriarchal and misogynistic societal structures that are much worse in the developing world compared to the West (2000s).

Some suggest that a new wave of feminists are reacting against inequality based on media images of women, online misogny and issues arising through the expansion of social media

Criticisms of this new wave focus on the fact that it is limited to privileged women - white, middle - class, well educated, Western. Christian, employed, heterosexual - and does little for the vast majority for the women in the world

The Strands

Liberal - reforming and evolving the current system is pursuit of equality
Socialist - Destroying capitalism (which is a male domnated contruct that exists to exploit women)
Radical - Destorying the entire system (state and society) to staart again and pursue full equality

What are Gender Stereotypes

Feminists argue that there is a clear difference between sex and gender.
Sex refers to the biological differences between men and women, categorised by the words “male” and “female”.
Gender refers to the socially constructed norms that have emerged regarding the two sexes, categorised by the words “masculine” and “feminine”.

How have gender stereotypes affected feminism?

‘Equality Feminists’ argue that the differences between genders have been socially constructed, and are therefore meaningless… Any person is capable of fulfilling any role.

‘Difference Feminists’ believe that women should capture their natural differences with men, arguing that equality feminism has forced women to reject ‘womanhood’ and want to replicate

Patricarchy

Sylvia Walby in Theorising Patriarchy (1990) identified six areas where the patriarchy dominates society:

The state - underrepresentation of women in positions of power
Household - emphasis on women’s role in homemaking
Culture - Media portrayals have reinforced the stereotype/ emphasised domestic roles
Sexuality - Women are encouraged to be restrained in their sexuality
Paid work - gender pay gap, types of roles encourage to pursue
Violence - Domestic abuse is most likely to be perpetrated against women.

Personal is Political

Liberal feminist focus on the public sphere (equal pay, work conditions, etc.) arguing private life of women is outside the remit of political analysis.
Radical feminists refuse this, arguing the ‘Personal is political’ and emphasising the private sphere of family life.
This is argued by Rowbotham, who likened marriage to feudalism (with women being likened to serfs).
Millett believed the ‘family’ is a social construct and not a natural arrangement. She argues that the nature of family allows for male dominance to be entrenched (e.g. women taking husband’s surname)

Read over the article entitled ‘Personal is Political’
Summaries the ideas of ‘Personal is Political’
How far does it align with ideas of liberalism and socialism?

Why Barbie is a good role model?

Barbie's franchise has recently been praised for celebrating the diversity of women, but also criticized for exploiting the feminist movement for profit. However, I believe Barbie has been a positive role model for kids, especially in recent years. Through her many careers and adventures, she has encouraged girls to dream big and reach their full potential. Barbie has been a princess, a doctor, a scientist, and even a UNICEF ambassador, showing that women can do anything.

Though I wasn't into dolls myself, I remember watching Life in the Dreamhouse, an animated series that focused on Barbie and her friends. It was cheesy but fun, and it highlighted her problem-solving skills and proactive attitude instead of just her appearance. The show also featured strong, capable female characters, similar to many Barbie movies.

Barbie's advertisements, like the Imagine the Possibilities campaign, also showcase young girls in leadership roles, from professors to businesswomen. It’s inspiring to see such positive messages about feminine power aimed at children, helping them feel represented.

When I was younger, my parents made sure I had dolls of different skin tones, which was important for promoting diversity. Barbie's wide range of dolls now reflects various races, abilities, and body types, providing a great opportunity to teach children about diversity. While some may criticize Barbie for not doing this sooner, it’s still a positive change. Ultimately, Barbie helps challenge stereotypes and shows that successful women come in all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds

Why Barbie isnt a good role model?

Barbie has long been seen as a model for the ideal female life, promoting a one-size-fits-all image of women, shaped by patriarchal ideals. When Barbie was first introduced in 1959, her design was based on a German doll made for men as a joke gift. The doll became popular with children and quickly became a sensation.

I believe Barbie is a harmful role model because it teaches girls that they need to look and act a certain way to be successful. Although Barbie's more recent career choices suggest a broader perspective, they still reinforce the idea that only attractive, "picture-perfect" women can succeed.

Barbie has also appeared in new forms of media, like TV series, which aim to show more cultural diversity. However, these attempts often reduce non-white characters to side roles or portray them through stereotypes, which can be offensive. This does not promote the feminist ideals many hope for from such a well-known figure.

The push for diversity in Barbie mostly highlights that rich, white people are seen as the norm and the most important. The racially diverse characters are often shown as less fortunate than Barbie, with lower status or different living conditions, which reinforces harmful stereotypes.

Barbie cannot be considered a feminist role model because, despite some attempts to diversify body types in 2016, most dolls still follow the same slim, idealized standard. This is problematic because children are still growing up with these unrealistic models, which can shape their views of beauty and success. Barbie was originally created to appeal to the male gaze, suggesting a woman's purpose is to please men, which goes against today's push for gender equality.

In my opinion, Barbie had the chance to create positive change but failed to do so in a meaningful way. Now, it’s too late for Barbie to have a real impact on gender equality

Liberalist view on Barbie

Liberal feminists have mixed views on Barbie. They appreciate the progress Barbie has made with more diverse dolls, offering different body types, ethnicities, and career options. This aligns with their values of equality and empowering women to pursue any role.

However, they might still criticize Barbie for promoting unrealistic beauty standards, especially with the doll’s traditionally slim and attractive body. Even with more diversity now, the focus on appearance can still be seen as a problem. Plus, Barbie's heavy focus on consumerism might not align with feminist values of empowerment through personal choice, not materialism.

So, while they see some positive changes in Barbie, they also think it still has room to improve when it comes to challenging deeper gender stereotypes.

Radical view on Barbie

Radical feminists are critical of Barbie because they believe she reinforces traditional gender roles and focuses too much on a woman's appearance. They argue that Barbie promotes the idea that women should be defined by their looks and fit into narrow standards of beauty, which they see as supporting patriarchy.

Even with Barbie’s career dolls or more diversity, radical feminists feel that the brand still focuses on superficial qualities and consumerism, rather than promoting real gender equality or challenging deeper societal issues. To them, Barbie represents the objectification of women and doesn’t do enough to challenge these harmful ideas.

Intersectionality

Someone can be discriminated against beause of more than one thing abou them. E.g black and gay, or woman with disability

Key Terms :

Equality feminism : equality feminism is firmly associated with the ‘politics of sameness.’ As the name implies, their goal is an androgynous ideal in which men and women are equal partners

Difference Feminists : Difference feminists, on the other hand, claim that men and women are fundamentally different. Men and women therefore bring different values and qualities to a relationship.
Intersectionality : Being discriminated against multiple identities
Patriarchy : Male dominated society
Personal is Political - "the personal is political" argues that women's personal issues (e.g. sex, childcare, and women not being content with their lives at home) are political issues that need political intervention to generate change.
Otherners - other attribute sthta arent considered normal
Separatism - women choosing to separate from ostensibly male-defined, male-dominated institutions, relationships, roles and activities

30 mins to answer

Use 2 key thinkers

You EVALUATE the argument NOT what feminist you are

Introduction

3x paragraph, show specific examples key thinkers, show both sides of the debate, restate your view

Conclsuion

To what extent do feminists agree over the role of human nature?

Introduction -

Most feminists are equality believing the biological difference between men and women is irrelevant and agreeing over sex and gender.
Nearly all types of feminists agree that women are culturally inferior to men due to their gender. However, there are fundamental disagreements within feminism over how to break out of a patriarchal society.
Therefore, it is fair to say that feminists agree over the role of human nature to quite a small extent.

Disagree Para 1 theme - Equality and difference feminism disagree over sex and gender

Para 1 : Most feminists identify as equality feminists and agree that gender regards that the cultural differences between the sexes leads to feelings of superiority amongst men and the assigning of inferior roles to women.

Para 1 - This is reinforced