Lecture 4
Geographies of gender
Geraldine Pratt
-Contributed to thinking how geographers think about gender
-Certain ways of thinking have shaped certain understandings
Gender is a social construction created by society – what is is to be ‘male’ is shaped by
society – society has produced what we understand it to be
Gendered places e.g. pub = male space,
Domestic house = feminine coded place
Characteristics of things we think about as geographers:
- Move away from theories of static gender roles to dynamic thinking
- Process of communication
- About the social relations define how we think about gender rather the sexed
approach
- Reconfiguration based on interaction
- The variety of masculinities and femininities
- Look at how diverse gender relations are constructed in al spheres of life
- Spaces and places are highly dynamic.
- Moving beyond the notion that there are fixities
Feminism
A political movement that aims to bring about change to the lived experiences of women
around the world in different spaces and places.
Wave 1
- Suffragettes
- Late 19th century early 2oth century
- Particularly interested in access to the vote, looking at women beyond domestic
sphere, education
- Middle class white female movement predominantly.
- City industrial movement, not rural
Wave 2
- 60s-80s
- Social movements extended globally
- Wrapped up with anti-war movements and civil rights movements
- Raise awareness of sexism and patriarchy and reproductive rights e.g. the pill
Geographies of gender
Geraldine Pratt
-Contributed to thinking how geographers think about gender
-Certain ways of thinking have shaped certain understandings
Gender is a social construction created by society – what is is to be ‘male’ is shaped by
society – society has produced what we understand it to be
Gendered places e.g. pub = male space,
Domestic house = feminine coded place
Characteristics of things we think about as geographers:
- Move away from theories of static gender roles to dynamic thinking
- Process of communication
- About the social relations define how we think about gender rather the sexed
approach
- Reconfiguration based on interaction
- The variety of masculinities and femininities
- Look at how diverse gender relations are constructed in al spheres of life
- Spaces and places are highly dynamic.
- Moving beyond the notion that there are fixities
Feminism
A political movement that aims to bring about change to the lived experiences of women
around the world in different spaces and places.
Wave 1
- Suffragettes
- Late 19th century early 2oth century
- Particularly interested in access to the vote, looking at women beyond domestic
sphere, education
- Middle class white female movement predominantly.
- City industrial movement, not rural
Wave 2
- 60s-80s
- Social movements extended globally
- Wrapped up with anti-war movements and civil rights movements
- Raise awareness of sexism and patriarchy and reproductive rights e.g. the pill
