Feminism Essay Plans
1. CRITICISM
On what grounds has feminism been criticised. (15): Conservatives: undermining
some of the key institutions of society such as the family. This has contributed to
a range of social problems linked to the family's breakdown. They have also argued
that an ideology focusing on the differences between men and women undermines
social cohesion and national unity.
Liberals: undermining the fundamental importance of individuals and individual
rights through its focus on groups, women and men. Liberals have also criticised
feminist attempts to break down the private and public spheres, preferring to maintain
a private sphere as a foundation of freedom in society.
Socialists: as it emphasises the conflict of interest between women and men rather
than the conflict of interest between capital and labour. Some socialists would
argue that this can weaken class consciousness and undermine the prospects of
fundamental social change.
2. PATRIARCHY
What is patriarchy, and why is it important to feminist analysis. (15): -DEFINITION:
Patriarchy literally means rule by the father, and refers to the domination of
the husband/father within the family in the subordination of his wife and children.
However, the term is usually used in the general sense of 'rule by men', drawing
attention to the totality of oppression and exploitation to which women are subjected.
Patriarchy thus implies that the system of male power in society at large both reflects
and stems from the domination of the father in the family.
Women are oppressed in terms of: psychological, sexual, political, economic and
cultural senses: all of these things are connected, giving the patriarchy its strength
and endurance.
Millet said: "those in society that are female are controlled by the other half which
are male" in a "patriarchal government".
-LIBERAL FEMINISTS: Patriarchy is important in feminist analysis because it highlights
the extent to which relations between women and men are structured by
,unequal gender power. Patriarchy is important, because it draws attention to the
systematic, institutionalised and pervasive nature of male power. Whereas conventional
political theory treats gender relations as natural, feminist theorists, through
the notion of patriarchy, view them as part of the political institution of male power.
-SOCIALIST FEMINISTS: While some feminists have viewed patriarchy primarily as
a cultural force, others, notable socialist feminists, have used it to highlight the links
between patriarchy and capitalism. Patriarchy may be applied in either the public
sphere, the private sphere, or both.
Class relations and capitalist exploitation of women through their roles in the household
are the cause of women's oppression. Capitalism profits from the free provision
of labour from women. -> Fourier and Engels maintained this.
-RADICAL FEMINISTS:
in particular, emphasises that its roots lie in family and private existence.
Radical feminists use patriarchy to draw attention to the systematic, institutionalised
and pervasive character of male power, present in all social institutions and every
society. Patriarchy thus expresses the belief that gender divisions are deeper and
more politically significant than divisions based on nationality, social class, race
and so on. They agree that we need a complete revolution to truly overthrow the
patriarchy, and thus advocate for revolution, like firestone and her ideas on women's
reproduction or the ideas of Ti Grace Atkinson on lesbian separatism.
Kate Millet "Patriarchy's chief institution is the family"
3. PERSONAL IS THE POLITICAL
On what grounds have radical feminists claimed that "the personal is the
political" (15)
RADICAL FEMINISM
In what sense have radical feminists sought to redefine the nature of politics
(15): Intro:
-Radical feminism has been closely associated with the idea that 'the personal is the
political'. By this they mean that female oppression operates in all walks of life, public
and private, and in many respects originates in the family itself.
Oppression begins in the family:
,Radical feminists tend to view the process of conditioning in the family, the distribution
of housework and other responsibilities and the politics of personal and sexual
conduct, as the root of patriarchal oppression.
-They see conditioning takin place in sexual, domestic relationships.
-The family is "patriarchy's chief institution.
The family needs to be radically restructured in a political way.
-"one is not born becomes a women" - simone de beuvoir. She anticipated that
groups of people would in future gather together voluntarily to rear children without
resorting to permanent male-female relationships and without the idea that particular
children "belong" to one couple.
-Men/women relationships: about power - and power is a political concept.
"Politics is power-structured relationships where 50% of the population can control
the other" Millet
-This could be true as much of a husband over a wife as a politician over the country.
-They have therefore been reluctant to associate politics with elections, political
parties, government and so forth.
-Radical feminists in particular have defined politics as power-structured relationships,
arrangements whereby one group of persons is controlled by another.
Socialist feminism:
Some feminists have also criticised the public/private divide in that it conceals
aspects of female oppression such as the failure to recognise the significance of
domestic work carried out by women in the home.
believe the economic exploitation begins in the home.
Women work for long hours for no pay and provide a reverse army of labour.
Engels: "World historic defeat of the female sex.",
-Germaine Greer: - The house wife is an unpaid employee in her husband's house
in return for the security of being a permanent employee. One of the themes of the
book is that the nuclear family is a damaging environment for women and the raising
of children. This is due to the fact that women's sexuality is manufactured and girls
are feminised from childhood by being taught rules that subjugate them.
-Germaine Greer: - The house wife is an unpaid employee in her husband's house
, in return for the security of being a permanent employee. One of the themes of the
book is that the nuclear family is a damaging environment for women and the raising
of children. This is due to the fact that women's sexuality is manufactured and girls
are feminised from childhood by being taught rules that subjugate them.
4. SEX V GENDER
Why is the distinction between sex and gender crucial to feminist analysis.
(15): SEX IS BIOLOGICAL AND GENDER IS SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTED:
-Feminists had usually emphasised key differences between sex and gender.
-Betty friedan is largely responsible (as a second wave feminist) for recognising the
modern importance of gender, as opposed to sex.
-In their view, sex refers to biological differences between females and males,
differences that are natural and therefore unalterable.
-Gender, on the other hand, refers to the different roles that society ascribes to men
and women, usually imposed through contrasting stereotypes of 'masculinity' and
'femininity'. Sex is therefore 'given' while gender is 'constructed'.
EXPLODING THE MYTH THAT BIOLOGY IS MYSTERY:
-Explode the myth that biology is destiny, sex does not dictate or limit a women's
destiny.
-This distinction has been important in feminist theory because it emphasises that a
woman's physical, biological and anatomical make-up do not determine her social
position and political status.
-Feminists believe that sex should have no economic, political or social significance.
They believe that women, and men, should be judged on their personalities and
talents - as androgynous persons rather than binary men and women.
-Thus, women are deserving of equal treatment in the public and private sphere.
GENDERED ROLES ARE DAMAGING FOR WOMEN:
-It is these gendered roles of women (as home makers and mothers) which constrain
them and see them as inferior to men and feminists like mary wollenstencraft.
-Especially important in the radical analysis (eg Shulamith firestone) because they
look for revolution.
-A post-patriarchal society is therefore possible because gender roles and stereotypes
1. CRITICISM
On what grounds has feminism been criticised. (15): Conservatives: undermining
some of the key institutions of society such as the family. This has contributed to
a range of social problems linked to the family's breakdown. They have also argued
that an ideology focusing on the differences between men and women undermines
social cohesion and national unity.
Liberals: undermining the fundamental importance of individuals and individual
rights through its focus on groups, women and men. Liberals have also criticised
feminist attempts to break down the private and public spheres, preferring to maintain
a private sphere as a foundation of freedom in society.
Socialists: as it emphasises the conflict of interest between women and men rather
than the conflict of interest between capital and labour. Some socialists would
argue that this can weaken class consciousness and undermine the prospects of
fundamental social change.
2. PATRIARCHY
What is patriarchy, and why is it important to feminist analysis. (15): -DEFINITION:
Patriarchy literally means rule by the father, and refers to the domination of
the husband/father within the family in the subordination of his wife and children.
However, the term is usually used in the general sense of 'rule by men', drawing
attention to the totality of oppression and exploitation to which women are subjected.
Patriarchy thus implies that the system of male power in society at large both reflects
and stems from the domination of the father in the family.
Women are oppressed in terms of: psychological, sexual, political, economic and
cultural senses: all of these things are connected, giving the patriarchy its strength
and endurance.
Millet said: "those in society that are female are controlled by the other half which
are male" in a "patriarchal government".
-LIBERAL FEMINISTS: Patriarchy is important in feminist analysis because it highlights
the extent to which relations between women and men are structured by
,unequal gender power. Patriarchy is important, because it draws attention to the
systematic, institutionalised and pervasive nature of male power. Whereas conventional
political theory treats gender relations as natural, feminist theorists, through
the notion of patriarchy, view them as part of the political institution of male power.
-SOCIALIST FEMINISTS: While some feminists have viewed patriarchy primarily as
a cultural force, others, notable socialist feminists, have used it to highlight the links
between patriarchy and capitalism. Patriarchy may be applied in either the public
sphere, the private sphere, or both.
Class relations and capitalist exploitation of women through their roles in the household
are the cause of women's oppression. Capitalism profits from the free provision
of labour from women. -> Fourier and Engels maintained this.
-RADICAL FEMINISTS:
in particular, emphasises that its roots lie in family and private existence.
Radical feminists use patriarchy to draw attention to the systematic, institutionalised
and pervasive character of male power, present in all social institutions and every
society. Patriarchy thus expresses the belief that gender divisions are deeper and
more politically significant than divisions based on nationality, social class, race
and so on. They agree that we need a complete revolution to truly overthrow the
patriarchy, and thus advocate for revolution, like firestone and her ideas on women's
reproduction or the ideas of Ti Grace Atkinson on lesbian separatism.
Kate Millet "Patriarchy's chief institution is the family"
3. PERSONAL IS THE POLITICAL
On what grounds have radical feminists claimed that "the personal is the
political" (15)
RADICAL FEMINISM
In what sense have radical feminists sought to redefine the nature of politics
(15): Intro:
-Radical feminism has been closely associated with the idea that 'the personal is the
political'. By this they mean that female oppression operates in all walks of life, public
and private, and in many respects originates in the family itself.
Oppression begins in the family:
,Radical feminists tend to view the process of conditioning in the family, the distribution
of housework and other responsibilities and the politics of personal and sexual
conduct, as the root of patriarchal oppression.
-They see conditioning takin place in sexual, domestic relationships.
-The family is "patriarchy's chief institution.
The family needs to be radically restructured in a political way.
-"one is not born becomes a women" - simone de beuvoir. She anticipated that
groups of people would in future gather together voluntarily to rear children without
resorting to permanent male-female relationships and without the idea that particular
children "belong" to one couple.
-Men/women relationships: about power - and power is a political concept.
"Politics is power-structured relationships where 50% of the population can control
the other" Millet
-This could be true as much of a husband over a wife as a politician over the country.
-They have therefore been reluctant to associate politics with elections, political
parties, government and so forth.
-Radical feminists in particular have defined politics as power-structured relationships,
arrangements whereby one group of persons is controlled by another.
Socialist feminism:
Some feminists have also criticised the public/private divide in that it conceals
aspects of female oppression such as the failure to recognise the significance of
domestic work carried out by women in the home.
believe the economic exploitation begins in the home.
Women work for long hours for no pay and provide a reverse army of labour.
Engels: "World historic defeat of the female sex.",
-Germaine Greer: - The house wife is an unpaid employee in her husband's house
in return for the security of being a permanent employee. One of the themes of the
book is that the nuclear family is a damaging environment for women and the raising
of children. This is due to the fact that women's sexuality is manufactured and girls
are feminised from childhood by being taught rules that subjugate them.
-Germaine Greer: - The house wife is an unpaid employee in her husband's house
, in return for the security of being a permanent employee. One of the themes of the
book is that the nuclear family is a damaging environment for women and the raising
of children. This is due to the fact that women's sexuality is manufactured and girls
are feminised from childhood by being taught rules that subjugate them.
4. SEX V GENDER
Why is the distinction between sex and gender crucial to feminist analysis.
(15): SEX IS BIOLOGICAL AND GENDER IS SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTED:
-Feminists had usually emphasised key differences between sex and gender.
-Betty friedan is largely responsible (as a second wave feminist) for recognising the
modern importance of gender, as opposed to sex.
-In their view, sex refers to biological differences between females and males,
differences that are natural and therefore unalterable.
-Gender, on the other hand, refers to the different roles that society ascribes to men
and women, usually imposed through contrasting stereotypes of 'masculinity' and
'femininity'. Sex is therefore 'given' while gender is 'constructed'.
EXPLODING THE MYTH THAT BIOLOGY IS MYSTERY:
-Explode the myth that biology is destiny, sex does not dictate or limit a women's
destiny.
-This distinction has been important in feminist theory because it emphasises that a
woman's physical, biological and anatomical make-up do not determine her social
position and political status.
-Feminists believe that sex should have no economic, political or social significance.
They believe that women, and men, should be judged on their personalities and
talents - as androgynous persons rather than binary men and women.
-Thus, women are deserving of equal treatment in the public and private sphere.
GENDERED ROLES ARE DAMAGING FOR WOMEN:
-It is these gendered roles of women (as home makers and mothers) which constrain
them and see them as inferior to men and feminists like mary wollenstencraft.
-Especially important in the radical analysis (eg Shulamith firestone) because they
look for revolution.
-A post-patriarchal society is therefore possible because gender roles and stereotypes
