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Contemporary Feminist Issues, Political authority - Coggle Diagram
Contemporary Feminist Issues
Natural Law
idea that universal moral principles exist independently of human laws
justice rooted in moral truths that come from nature/human reason rather than from govs
laws created by political authorities should reflect pre-existing principles
if a law contradicts these moral truths, can be considered unjust even if legally enforced
Aristotle/Thomas Aquinas/John Locke - argued human beings have natural rights like life/liberty/property due to rational nature
political authority only legitimate when aligns w/ universal moral principles
Tradition
explains political authority through historical continuity + inherited customs
argues institutions become legitimate bc they've developed gradually over time + reflect accumulated experience of a society
Edmund Burke
social institutions - monarchies/parliament/social hierarchies - evolve slowly in response to historical circumstances
attempting to redesign complex societies according to abstract ideas/universal rights can ignore practical wisdom embedded in traditions
political authority comes from precedent/custom/continuity
Social Contract
political authority as a result of agreement among people who decide to form a society + create a gov
people are imagined to begin in "state of nature" - no organised political authority
to secure safety/stability/protection of rights people consent explicitly/implicitly to establish political institutions
Thomas Hobbes/John Locke/Jean-Jacques Rousseau
shared the view that govs derive legitimacy from consent of governed
authority collective agreement + mutual benefit
Equality + Equity
equality - treating everyone the same regardless of starting conditions
fairness achieved when same rules/opportunities/resources apply equally to all
equity- focuses on producing fair outcomes rather than identical treatment
historical + social circumstances create unequal starting points for different groups
inequalities means achieving fairness may require different forms of support/recognition
Olympe de Gouges
French writer + social reformer - challenged conventional ideas about women's roles
self-educated - criticised slavery (system rooted in greed + prejudice) + argued for broader social reform
one of earliest figures in history of feminism
addressed French queen - Marie Antoinette - to support revolutionary cause + warned that failure to do so could lead to destruction of monarchy
criticised the way women were treated as disposable objects within social + marital relations
included model marriage contract that called for shared ownership of property
executed during French Revolution 1793 after being accused of counterrevolutionary activity + condemned as "unnatural"
The Declaration of the Rights of Women 1791
response to Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen 1789
later became central to modern democratic thought
all men born free + equal in rights, sovereignty belongs to nation rather than monarch
laws should apply equally to all citizens + have a right to participate in creating those laws
purpose of gov defined as protection of natural rights - liberty/property/security/resistance to oppression
defended freedoms like speech + religion
emphasised legal protections - due process, punishments should correspond to severity of crimes
property described as sacred right that couldn't be taken away except under strict legal conditions
despite women participation in revolution, the declaration defined rights that excluded them
political participation as incompatible w/ women's supposed domestic role
meant to remain politically passive even in revolution that declared universal rights
challenges contradictions by producing declaration that paralleled original document but explicitly included women
extended language of universal rights to women - exposed inconsistency between revolutionary ideals of equality + actual exclusion of women from political life
right to free speech important - had used it to express political views
extends rights of "man" to women but also highlights limitations of applying universal principles w/out considering gender differences
Article XI - women have the right to name the fathers of their children - shows how universal rights overlook problems that affect women
contradiction within Enlightenment thought - revolutionary ideology claimed natural rights belong to all human beings, but many thinkers insisted that natural differences between men + women justified excluding women from political life
Gouge insists if rights are natural + inherent, then must apply to all bodies
Preamble to the Rights of Women
presents women - mothers/daughters/sisters/female reps - as demanding recognition as national assembly
argues the ignorance/neglect/contempt of women's rights is main cause of social + political corruption
so declaration seeks to establish natural/inalienable/sacred rights of women so these rights remain constantly visible to society + guide actions of gov + people
Personal is Political
2nd wave feminism - Carol Hanisch
challenges traditional divide between "private" sphere of home + "public" of politics
individual struggles - unequal distribution of domestic labour/fight for reproductive rights - not isolated private matters but deeply rooted in systemic structures of patriarchy + gender-based oppression
validates personal narratives + fostered solidarity + reframed issues like domestic violence + workplace discrimination as urgent political concerns
2nd wave origins + legal milestones
reaction to frustrations of college-educated mothers in post-war suburban america - discontent inspired daughters to seek new directions
galvanized by civil rights movement + protests of Vietnam War
JFK addressed women's concerns by establishing Commission on Status of Women 1961, led by Eleanor Roosevelt
1963 report initially upheld nuclear family, it documented systemic employment discrimination + unequal pay
Equal Pay Act 1963 + Civil Rights Act 1964
EPA federal requiring equal pay for equal work in same workplace / ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) proposed constitutional amendment to guarantee equal rights - more protections
EPA can be amended or repealed by Congress, ERA part of US constitution - harder to overturn + provides higher level of judicial scrutiny for sexual discrimination cases
EPA requires comparisons of jobs + has weakened by "Factor other than sex" defenses - ERA designed to eliminate loophole
EPA in effect since 1963/ ERA passed by Congress in 1972 and still not ratified into Constitution
Major Streams of Fem Thought
Liberal Fem
Betty Friedan + National Organisation for Women
mainstream branch focused on pragmatic institutional change
legal reforms, equal pay + reproductive choice
radical fem
Shulamith Firestone + Kate Millett
patriarchy as root of all oppression
women's subservience woven tightly into social fabric that only revolutionary restructuring of society + traditional gender roles could achieve true liberation
Marxist/Socialist Fem
Juliet Mitchell
analysed capitalism + patriarchy as interconnected systems that oppressed women through economic inequality + unpaid labour
Cultural feminism
rejected idea that men + women identical, celebrating unique female qualities, matriarchal values + "difference"
intersectional fem
2nd wave criticised for being led by middle-class white women who prioritised own concerns over marginalised groups
Black fems like Bell Hooks, Alice Walker highlighted essential interplay between racism + sexism
white fems failed to understand situations of women of colour - white women could be seen as oppressors as much as white men
various identities - race/class/gender - interact to create unique experiences of oppression
Globalization of Feminism
end of 20th C, began interacting w/ Asia/Africa/Latin America - came with tension
Western fems viewed themselves as "saviours" - focused on veiling/female genital cutting w/ consulting women involved
women from developing nations prioritised issues of underdevelopment/international debt/impacts of colonialism - wanted children's survival rather than focus on reproductive rights
rise of women's studies + targeted efforts against traditional practices like widow burning in India
International Women's Day
evolution + significance of resistance
fem discourse focuses on progress of emancipation - Woolf noted that history of men's opposition to progress more revealing
resistance not a reaction to change but calculated effort to maintain existing power structures + hierarchies
arguments against women's rights rooted in deep anxieties about shifting social roles + disruption of "Natural" order/morality/family structures
opposition framed as attempt to "protect" women - contradiction in patriarchal logic - using care as justification for restricting autonomy
backlash forced fem movements to refine strategies + continues to manifest today through wage gaps/political discourse + challenges to reproductive rights
Origins
grew out of labour movement at turn of 20th C
momentum began 1908 w/ 15,000 women marched through NYC to demand better pay/shorter hours/voting rights
national declaration in US a year later - Clara Zetkin (communist activist + advocate for women's rights) proposed making the day international
approved by 100 women of 17 countries at 1910 International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen
date March 8 not formalised until 1917 - russian revolution demanding "bread and peace" - women got right to vote
UN started celebrating in 1975
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire
1911 NYC - few days after first IWD
146 workers - mostly young immigrant women - died in sweatshop due to exploitative conditions - locked exit doors + non-existent safety measures
women forced to jump to their death
owners avoided manslaughter charges but public outrages led to 36 new workplace safety laws
modern global challenges + stats
significant barriers to gender equality remain globally - 140 yrs to bridge global gender gap at current rate
violence pervasive issue - 1in3 women experiencing physical/sexual abuse in lifetime - worsened during Covid lockdowns
economic + educational disparities persist - 72 countries restrict women's ability to open bank accounts + millions of girls remain out of school - increasing risk of forced marriage + poverty
women underrepresented in leadership - US historically been fewer women in top leadership roles than there are men named John
symbolic traditions + contemporary debates
purple/green/white official colours - UK's Women's Social + Political Union 1908
purple - justice + dignity / green=hope / white=purity
International Men's Day
Nov 19 1990s - not UN-recognised but aims to highlight positive male role models + raise awareness for men's well-being
are strict gender quotas necessary for workplace equalityh
ow to balance universal women's rights w/ cultural relativisms
strong emphasis on intersectional fem as necessity
Advertising + "Femvertising"
historically advertising reinforced rigid beauty standards + gender roles - pressuring women to conform to specific physical ideals to achieve "romance" / social acceptance
modern marketing uses "femvertising" - pro-female messages + imagery to challenge traditional stereotypes + empower women
Dove "Real Beauty"/ Nike "Dream Crazier" - aim to build brand loyalty through positive social change, but also face criticism for "femwashing"
"femwashing" - brands that use fem slogans for profit w/out implementing genuine internal policies - equal pay/parental leave
truly fem ad is one that subverts "Male gaze", prioritizes diversity over tokenism + backed by authentic corporate action
corporate feminism + risk of Co-optation
radical + socialist roots of IWD often overshadowed by "corporate"/"market" feminism
commodifies fem struggles into marketing slogans on apparel + consumer goods, while celebrating "girlboss" idea of individual success while ignoring systemic barriers
performative corporate feminism identified w/ companies that promote equality but fail to publish gender pay gap data, exclude marginalized groups (trans/disabled) from conversations or lack supportive maternity/paternity policies
true feminism in corporate context requires structural change + accountability rather than symbolic gestures
Global perspectives
intersectional lens - challenges "whitewashing" of history + Eurocentric lens that prioritised needs of white/middle-class women
Ni Una Menos - Latin America - born in Argentina to protest gender-based violence + femicide - inspired by murder of 14yr old Chiara Páez
South Korean #Metoo - ignited by prosecutor Seo Ji-hyun, exposed deep-rooted misogyny + workplace discrimination
Amazons of Dahomey - West Africa - all-female military unit that resisted French colonisation, disrupting western stereotypes of passive pre-colonial African women
movements demonstrate that while IWD faces threat of becoming obsolete through neoliberal consumerism, it remains vital platform for grassroots activism + structural demands worldwide
Political authority