NURS 6645 WEEK 6 MIDTERM EXAM EXAM
TEST PAPER 2026 PRACTICE
◉ 1st wave of feminism. Answer: (late 19th - early 20th century) →
the suffrage period of women.
The focus was on securing rights and voting for women
◉ 2nd wave of feminism. Answer: (1960s -1970s) → focus was on
the right to education, work outside the home, and equal pay.
- Here, the challenge of traditional roles and representation of
women began
- Birth control became accessible
- Securing rights doesnt mean securing equal access
Critiqued as being white and middle class perspectives/voices
◉ 3rd wave of feminism. Answer: (1990s - present) → challenging
white middle-class orientation.
Broadened the agendas of working-class women and women of
colour. Non-feminine women's concerns were noted
,◉ 4th wave of feminism. Answer: (2010s - present) → focuses on
intersectional approaches to feminism, the empowerment of women
and the impact of the media, including internet and social media
- "Post feminism" → cannot soley focus on gender anymore to
understsnd womens experinces anymore (need think of race, class,
ability, etc.)
- Less focused on rights based approaches, instead looking to
uncover nuanced experiences (sexual harrassment/violence, rape
culture, body shaming)
◉ Sociological Questions About Gender: Conflict theory. Answer:
How does gender contribute to economic inequality between men
and women?
Emphasis is on distribution of power and allocation of resources
If women are being treated unequally, experiencing oppression -
who is materially benefiting from this?
◉ Sociological Questions About Gender: Functionalism. Answer:
How does gendered differentiation contribute to social stability?
What function do gender roles and norms serve?
,Functional purpose of gender in society (good, bad, neutral)
◉ Sociological Questions About Gender: symbolic interactionism.
Answer: How does gender affect our every day interactions? How is
gender socially constructed?
Meanings we ascirbe to things and act based on those meanings →
think about how our understandings of gender change based off our
interactions with others
◉ Joan Alway - The Trouble with Gender: 4 reasons that sociology as
a discipline has been resistant to feminist theory. Answer: 1. The
radical challenge feminism poses to sociology
- Feminism exposes sociology as it existed as a male discipline (by
men, about men, for men)
2. The unfamiliar nature of its "voice" (i.e., emphasis on lived
experience of women, personal and subjective interpretations)
- Hard to except
- Feminist theory bridges social reality with physical reality
3. Its lack of grounding in the major sociological paradigms
(perspective/framework)
, - Academia as an institution rewards work from framilair paradigms
(grant money, legitimate work)
- People are less likely to engage in research
4. Feminism's 'questionable' Status as a theory
- Instead of specific criteria, feminism is a lens → view of the world
◉ Feminist Methodology: 3 goals of feminist methodology. Answer:
1. Bringing women in or finding what has been ignored, censored,
and/or suppressed
- Central to research
2. Searching for a science that minimizes harm to women
- How can you engage in research on women, for women without
causing harm to them?
- Ethical concerns
3. Seeking a methodology that will support research of value to
women, leading to social change or action beneficial to women
◉ feminism critique. Answer: relies on womens subjective
experiences
TEST PAPER 2026 PRACTICE
◉ 1st wave of feminism. Answer: (late 19th - early 20th century) →
the suffrage period of women.
The focus was on securing rights and voting for women
◉ 2nd wave of feminism. Answer: (1960s -1970s) → focus was on
the right to education, work outside the home, and equal pay.
- Here, the challenge of traditional roles and representation of
women began
- Birth control became accessible
- Securing rights doesnt mean securing equal access
Critiqued as being white and middle class perspectives/voices
◉ 3rd wave of feminism. Answer: (1990s - present) → challenging
white middle-class orientation.
Broadened the agendas of working-class women and women of
colour. Non-feminine women's concerns were noted
,◉ 4th wave of feminism. Answer: (2010s - present) → focuses on
intersectional approaches to feminism, the empowerment of women
and the impact of the media, including internet and social media
- "Post feminism" → cannot soley focus on gender anymore to
understsnd womens experinces anymore (need think of race, class,
ability, etc.)
- Less focused on rights based approaches, instead looking to
uncover nuanced experiences (sexual harrassment/violence, rape
culture, body shaming)
◉ Sociological Questions About Gender: Conflict theory. Answer:
How does gender contribute to economic inequality between men
and women?
Emphasis is on distribution of power and allocation of resources
If women are being treated unequally, experiencing oppression -
who is materially benefiting from this?
◉ Sociological Questions About Gender: Functionalism. Answer:
How does gendered differentiation contribute to social stability?
What function do gender roles and norms serve?
,Functional purpose of gender in society (good, bad, neutral)
◉ Sociological Questions About Gender: symbolic interactionism.
Answer: How does gender affect our every day interactions? How is
gender socially constructed?
Meanings we ascirbe to things and act based on those meanings →
think about how our understandings of gender change based off our
interactions with others
◉ Joan Alway - The Trouble with Gender: 4 reasons that sociology as
a discipline has been resistant to feminist theory. Answer: 1. The
radical challenge feminism poses to sociology
- Feminism exposes sociology as it existed as a male discipline (by
men, about men, for men)
2. The unfamiliar nature of its "voice" (i.e., emphasis on lived
experience of women, personal and subjective interpretations)
- Hard to except
- Feminist theory bridges social reality with physical reality
3. Its lack of grounding in the major sociological paradigms
(perspective/framework)
, - Academia as an institution rewards work from framilair paradigms
(grant money, legitimate work)
- People are less likely to engage in research
4. Feminism's 'questionable' Status as a theory
- Instead of specific criteria, feminism is a lens → view of the world
◉ Feminist Methodology: 3 goals of feminist methodology. Answer:
1. Bringing women in or finding what has been ignored, censored,
and/or suppressed
- Central to research
2. Searching for a science that minimizes harm to women
- How can you engage in research on women, for women without
causing harm to them?
- Ethical concerns
3. Seeking a methodology that will support research of value to
women, leading to social change or action beneficial to women
◉ feminism critique. Answer: relies on womens subjective
experiences
