theory and methods - feminism
Introduction - ✔✔✔- Feminism sees society as male dominated and it aims to describe, explain and
change the position of women in society - it is also a political movement
- The first wave of feminism appeared in the late 19th century with the suffragettes' campaign for the
right to vote - the second wave was in the 1960s and it emerged on a global scale
- Feminism criticises mainstream sociology for being malestream - seeing society only from the male
perspective
- There's different types of feminism; liberal/reformist, radical, Marxist, dual systems, difference and
postructuralist
Liberal feminism - ✔✔✔- They believe that women can achieve gender equality through reform and
promoting equal rights (they believe working with improving laws and policies against sex discrimination
in employment and education will secure equal opportunities for women)
- OAKLEY distinguishes the difference between sex and gender:
SEX refers to biological differences in male and female
GENDER refers to culturally constructed differences between masculine and feminine roles
CULTURAL CHANGE
- They want a cultural change because traditional prejudices and stereotypes about gender differences
are a barrier to equality - e.g. beliefs that women are less capable than men at performing the
instrumental role, and that women can't think rationally as they're more dominated by emotion
SOCIALISATION
- These sexist attitudes and stereotypical beliefs are socially constructed and transmitted through
socialisation - thus must change society's socialisation patterns (through positive role models in
education for example)
- Liberal feminism is the closest to a consensus view of society, as they say conflicts are not inevitable
and can be changed
, CRITICISMS:
- Marxist and radical feminists argue that liberal feminists fail to recognise the underlying causes of
women's subordination
- They're also naive as they believe that simple changing laws of attitudes will bring about change
- Walby argues they offer no explanation for the overall structure of gender inwquality
Radical feminism - ✔✔✔- It emerged in the early 1970s and its key concept is patriarchy
- They believe:
1) Patriarchy is universal: Firestone argues that its origins lie in women's biological capacity to bear and
care for infants, since performing this role makes them dependent
2) Patriarchy is fundamental: It is the most basic form of social inequality and conflict - men are
women's enemy
3) All men oppress all women: All men benefit from patriarchy, especially from women's unpaid labour
and sexual services
4) Patriarchal oppression is direct and personal: Not only in the public sphere and politics, but also in the
private sphere of the family, domestic labour and sexual relationships
SEXUAL POLITICS
- They argue that the personal is political - meaning that personal relationships are political as the man
dominates the woman (political is when one tries to dominate over another)
- This is done through physical or sexual violence. e.g. BROWNMILLER argues that a women's fear of
rape is what deters them from going out at night
WOMEN'S LIBERATION
- Radical feminists believe that the solution to patriarchy can be done in 3 ways:
1) Separatism: some radical feminists advise this - living completely apart from men in matrilocal
households (GREER)
2) Consciousness-raising: they argue for women-only consciousness-raising groups that may lead to
collective action e.g. reclaim the night marches
Introduction - ✔✔✔- Feminism sees society as male dominated and it aims to describe, explain and
change the position of women in society - it is also a political movement
- The first wave of feminism appeared in the late 19th century with the suffragettes' campaign for the
right to vote - the second wave was in the 1960s and it emerged on a global scale
- Feminism criticises mainstream sociology for being malestream - seeing society only from the male
perspective
- There's different types of feminism; liberal/reformist, radical, Marxist, dual systems, difference and
postructuralist
Liberal feminism - ✔✔✔- They believe that women can achieve gender equality through reform and
promoting equal rights (they believe working with improving laws and policies against sex discrimination
in employment and education will secure equal opportunities for women)
- OAKLEY distinguishes the difference between sex and gender:
SEX refers to biological differences in male and female
GENDER refers to culturally constructed differences between masculine and feminine roles
CULTURAL CHANGE
- They want a cultural change because traditional prejudices and stereotypes about gender differences
are a barrier to equality - e.g. beliefs that women are less capable than men at performing the
instrumental role, and that women can't think rationally as they're more dominated by emotion
SOCIALISATION
- These sexist attitudes and stereotypical beliefs are socially constructed and transmitted through
socialisation - thus must change society's socialisation patterns (through positive role models in
education for example)
- Liberal feminism is the closest to a consensus view of society, as they say conflicts are not inevitable
and can be changed
, CRITICISMS:
- Marxist and radical feminists argue that liberal feminists fail to recognise the underlying causes of
women's subordination
- They're also naive as they believe that simple changing laws of attitudes will bring about change
- Walby argues they offer no explanation for the overall structure of gender inwquality
Radical feminism - ✔✔✔- It emerged in the early 1970s and its key concept is patriarchy
- They believe:
1) Patriarchy is universal: Firestone argues that its origins lie in women's biological capacity to bear and
care for infants, since performing this role makes them dependent
2) Patriarchy is fundamental: It is the most basic form of social inequality and conflict - men are
women's enemy
3) All men oppress all women: All men benefit from patriarchy, especially from women's unpaid labour
and sexual services
4) Patriarchal oppression is direct and personal: Not only in the public sphere and politics, but also in the
private sphere of the family, domestic labour and sexual relationships
SEXUAL POLITICS
- They argue that the personal is political - meaning that personal relationships are political as the man
dominates the woman (political is when one tries to dominate over another)
- This is done through physical or sexual violence. e.g. BROWNMILLER argues that a women's fear of
rape is what deters them from going out at night
WOMEN'S LIBERATION
- Radical feminists believe that the solution to patriarchy can be done in 3 ways:
1) Separatism: some radical feminists advise this - living completely apart from men in matrilocal
households (GREER)
2) Consciousness-raising: they argue for women-only consciousness-raising groups that may lead to
collective action e.g. reclaim the night marches
