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Feminism theory - Coggle Diagram
Feminism theory
Marxist feminism
Benefit to capitalism:
1) women reproduce the labour force
2) women absorb anger (Fran Ansley, 'takers of shit')
3) women are a reserve army of labour
4) women keep labour force happy & wealthy by performing free domestic labour
Familism:
Michele Barrett - why do women marry and live in nuclear families where they are oppressed? we need to look at the ideology that is used to control women's consciousness (link to Gramsci)
1) ideology paints nuclear family & gender roles as natural & biological
2) makes us think this is the only way to live together
3) makes women think to feel fulfilled we must be mothers, provide for husband etc
Overthrow of capitalism:
We are so deeply ingrained with ideas of gender that we need to overcome the ideology of familism to be free
- overthrow necessary but not enough
Ideology of familism:
- nuclear natural
- only way to live
- must provide for fulfilment
'Sex and World Peace
Novel by Hudson, Baliff Spanvil, Caprioli and Emmett
- Barber Conable of the World bank once opined that women do 2/3 of the world's work
- 1997 UNIFEM estimate if unpaid labour of women paid it would be 40% of worlds GDP
- in the US, the largest risk factor for poverty in old age is to be a mother
- economically inactive women denied social benefits e.g. pension unless with a working man
Evaluation of marxist feminism:
Strengths:
- explains links between female oppression and capitalism
- not a circular agreement, oppression by patriarchy caused by capitalism
Weaknesses:
- ignores other differences between women (postmodern feminists)
- radical say it ignores biological differences that force women into submission, all men benefit not just bourgeoise
- women exploited before private property
- women picked for unpaid labour but why?
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Dual systems feminism
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Quest for profit in capitalism needs women to work for free in private sphere, so difficult to get a job, dependent on men
When economy needs more workers it recruits women, but patriarchy makes subordinate, so low paid jobs so still dependent
Patriarchy makes us believe being cut throat etc are masculine traits, but really capitalist - men use this idea to keep women below them
Liberal feminism
Critique of functionalism
Want to break the 2 spheres of public and private, both genders can do both roles
Cultural changes:
- change in socialisation and culture is leading to rational attitudes to gender
- gender is a social construct
- women need to stop being seen as crazy, emotional, mothers etc
- MeToo by Tarana Burke
Legal changes:
political action to introduce anti-discriminatory laws and policies is steadily bringing progress to society where gender no longer important
- Equal Pay Act, Divorce Reform Act, Human Rights Act
Liberal feminism thinkers:
Jenny Sommerville argues women's role within the family has significantly improved e.g. better access to divorce. But she recognises the need for further reforms.
Sue Sharpe, study of young women, now more focus on education and career than marriage and children
Criticisms:
- law reforms are not enough, radical feminism
- the state actually upholds patriarchy, marxism
- despite law changes, there is still a division of labour and power relations with law in charge, cultural lag between law changes and attitudinal changes
Radical feminism
Key beliefs:
- patriarchy is universal
- men are women's main enemy
- all men oppress women & benefit from patriarchy
Shulamith Firestone: the origins of patriarchy lie in women's capability to bare children which makes them dependent on men
Sexual politics:
Sexual - men usual dominate over women in these relationships, gendered element
Political - personal relationships political, involve power and dominance
Sexual politics - we need to look at patriarchy in personal relationships and how it affects womens lives
The personal is political:
- Even decisions that appear individual can have a bigger effect on society, and thus are political
- patriarchy actually effects everyone
Brownmiller fear of rape stops women going out at night alone
How to solve patriarchy?
We need a new society as this system is too deep rooted to fix
- Separatism: seperate men & women, Greer matriphocal households
- Consciousness raising: making women aware of what other own are going through, collective consciousness
- Political lesbianism: only non-oppressive form of love & sexuality
Evaluation of radical feminism:
Strengths:
- revealed how personal relationships affect society
- drawn attention to serious issues e.g. domestic abuse
Criticisms:
- radical feminists are ethnocentric (assume everyones experience the same as theirs)
- marxists, capitalism not patriarchy
- Anna Pollert, logical criticism, patriarchy is a circular concept (causes violence but also effect)
- liberal feminists, patriarchy is in decline
Intersectionality
Women's overlapping identities impact how they experience oppression, Kimberle Crenshaw
- First wave feminism fought for the vote for upper-class white women before "degraded black men"
- white women 79c, black women 64c, for every $1 a white man earns
- white women only fight patriarchy
The problem of essentialism:
Other forms of feminism suffer with this, that all women have the same 'essence' and share same experiences, equal struggle
- Zanzibar, women got vote 2015, only to be divorced by husbands who told them not to vote, dont vote out of fear
Criticism:
if we focus too much on divisions, we will be too divided as a movement, making it weaker
Waves of feminism
The first wave (1830s-1930s):
Women's fight for equal contract and property rights, and right to vote (1918-1928)
- suffrogettes
- WW1 forced gov to change women's rights
The second wave (1960s-1980s):
Broadening the debate, focused on workplace, sexuality, reproductive rights, divorce
- equal pay act
- divorce reform act
- reproductive rights e.g. the pill
The third wave (1990s - early 2000s):
The "micropolitics" of gender equality and individualism, girl power, female sexuality, breaking stereotypes
- same sex marriage
- breaking stereotypes
The fourth wave (2011-now):
Social media, calling out sexism & subtle misogyny, questioning older gens
- MeToo
- call out past cases of abuse
Feminism
Key stats:
- women paid just £340,000 in lifetimes versus £643,000 men (effects pensions)
- only 1 Supreme Court judge is a woman and 34% MPs female
- 4/5 sex trafficing are girls
- 62m girls around the world refused education
- 1/4 women will experience domestic abuse