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Feminism - Coggle Diagram
Feminism
Core themes
Intersectionality
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- This idea of intersectionality seeks to show how women of different backgrounds experience misogyny.
- According to this idea, womendon't just have a single gender-based identity under which they are oppressed, its crossed with other factors (race, age, social class).
- So different women will face different types of oppression based on the factors interconnected with their gender.
- Intersectionality implies that women are subject to interlocking systems of oppression and discrimination, as misogyny becomes entangled with racism, homophobia etc...
- Crenshaw went on to argue that 'all inequality isn't created equal', by looking at the way it overlaps, it's possible to see the compounding experiences of oppression.
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Patriarchy
Differing views:
- Liberal feminists:
- use it primarily to draw attention to the unequal distribution of rights and opportunities in society. The face of patriarchy is the under-representation of women in senior positions.
- They use the word to describe the existence of discrimination in society and don't see it as a widespread system of oppression.
- Socialist feminsts:
- Emphasise the economic aspects, patriarchy operates in tandem with capitalism.
- Some reject the significance of the term altogether, in that gender inequality is a consequence of the class system.
- Radical feminists:
- See to as a systematic, institutionalized, and pervasive form of male power that's rooted in society.
- Patriarchy expresses the belief that the pattern of male domination and female subordination that characterizes society at large is a reflection of the power structures that operate within domestic life.
- Postmodern feminists:
- Patriarchy adapts and mutates in different cultures and classes and appears in many different ways to many different women.
- In Western countries, the social position of women improved significantly during the 20th century, e.g., abortion and divorce laws.
- In parts of the developing world, patriarchy still assumes a cruel, gruesome form. women in Africa are still subjected to female genital mutilation, and in India, bride murders still occur.
- Feminists use the concepts of patriarchy to describe the power relationship between men and women. 'Rule by the father'.
- Many argue that the patriarchal family lies at the heart of a systematic process of male domination.
- Millet (1970) suggested that patriarchy contains 2 principles: 'male shall dominate female, the elder male shall dominate younger'.
- A patriarchy is a hierarchic society, characterized by both sexual and generational oppression.
Ways patriarchy oppresses women in society:
- Paid work: historically women were denied the opportunity of paid work, and when they did it was in industries where men didn't dominate. It was argued women shouldn't take the job of a man, but they were still encouraged to look for work in certain industries.
- Household: the family is the source of all socialization and young girls are taught to know their place. Through watching gender roles, toys they are given, and expectations of them.
- Culture: patriarchal culture is so widespread that it has become the norm. Society seeks to impose on women the behaviors that keep women in a subordinate position to men. This can be through appearance, Wolf says ' Dieting is the most potent political sedative in women's history.
Ways patriarchy oppresses women in society, Cont:
- Sexuality: Historically society has told women that they mustn't appear to like sex, so women were taught to repress their sexual urges. Any woman who showed any interest in sex and dared to have more than one partner was castigated by society.
- Violence: up until recently, it was accepted that a husband had as much right to discipline his wife as he did his children. UN figures show, in 2020, a woman is killed by a man every 3 days in the UK, and worldwide, 6 women an hour are killed by men. This keeps women under a self-imposed curfew.
- State: women weren't given the right to vote and the same legal rights as men, even once they were given these, it was still hard for them to get represented within state institutions.
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The State, Society, Economy and Human Nature
Human Nature
- The vast majority of feminists are equality feminists, who believe that the natures of men and women are the same and that the distinction between sex and gender is artificial.
- They support gender equality, believing gender stereotypes to be a social construct.
- Difference feminists disagree with this, and believe that men and women have fundamentally different natures stemming from biology.
- Equality feminists believe patriarchy can be overthrown when gender roles and stereotypes are challenged.
- They believe that a woman's biology shouldn't determine her social position.
- By contrast, difference feminists believe that liberation can only be achieved when women are encouraged to allow their different natures and creative spirit to flourish.
The Economy
- Socialist feminists:
- Believe that the economy is the key determinant of female oppression - that capitalism in the economic sphere, not patriarchy, determines the nature of female oppression in society.
- They argue that capitalism needs women to play subservient roles in the economy and society because capitalism requires them to fulfil that function.
- Modern socialist feminists have argued that there is an interplay between capitalism in the economy and patriarchy in society that causes the oppression of women.
Society
- Liberal feminists:
- Argue that women are discriminated against in society, but focus their attention on the public sphere.
- Radical feminists:
- Believe that society is pervaded by patriarchal values that seek to preserve men's dominant position in society.
- They argue that 'the personal is political'.
- Radical equality feminists want a society in which gender ceases to structure a person's identity, whereas radical difference feminists believe this encourages women to be 'male identified' and perpetuates feelings of 'otherness'.
- Postmodern feminists:
- Challenge the notion that 'gender' is the sole factor in determining female oppression in society, arguing that black and working-class women's experiences of patriarchy are different from those of white, middle-class women.
The State
- Liberal feminists:
- Believe that the state can play a role in promoting female liberation by promoting legal and political equality.
- The state can also help to ensure equality of opportunity between the sexes.
- Radical feminists:
- Believe that providing an equal, legal framework is insufficient to overthrow the patriarchy.
- They argue that the state primarily promotes the interests of the patriarchy.
- Socialist feminists:
- Reject the liberal idea of the state as a neutral body, suggesting instead that it works in the interest of capitalism and thus patriarchy.
- Radical feminists:
- Believe that the state has a role to play in eradicating patriarchal values in the public and private sphere by outlawing pornography and ensuring harsher punishment for domestic violence, rape and other crimes against women.
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