NORTH GEORGIA
COLLEGE & STATE UNIVERSITY
POLS 4160, "WOMEN AND POLITICS"
SPRING SEMESTER 2008
The goal of feminists is to theorize sources of gender inequality. Feminist theorists understand the sources of gender inequality in terms of theory or history (Mundy).
A number of factions arose (or linked to earlier approaches) as the modern feminist movement organized in the 1960s.
| Faction | Perceived cause / source of problem | Manifestations of problem | Proposed remedy | Representatives |
| Liberal feminism | • ". . . [T]he
patriarchal culture and the state are complementary systems of oppression"
(Mundy) • ". . . [T]he manner in which women are treated by society[, which] is the direct cause of their personality traits" (Mundy) • Rules and legislation that inhibit women from full social participation (Mundy) |
". . . [G]overnment intervention within their personal lives is unnecessary and obtrusive" (Mundy) | • It is
necessary to "free women from the oppressive, patriarchal gender roles"
(Mundy) • Use of political and legal systems • Reform of discriminatory laws |
• Abigail
Adams • Seneca Falls Conference • Mary Wollstonecraft • Gloria Steinem • NOW |
| Radical feminism | • The sex-gender
system (Radical-libertarian feminists say that femininity, women's sex, and reproductive roles limit women's development) • "Patriarchal organization of heterosexuality: A women is defined based on being a virgin or a whore. Women don't own their own bodies" (Mundy) |
Women don't own their own bodies (Mundy) | • Total
revolution • Men and women must be "freed from their previous narrow gender roles" |
• Anne Koedt • There were many adherents from 1967 until 1975; then, the number declined |
| Marxist-socialist feminism | Capitalism | • Women's
economic dependence on men • Women are the caretakers • Women work as laborers during the day, then work a "second shift" at home in the evening ("Give me an hour to make dinner"); thus, "women reproduce their own repression" (Mundy) |
• Overthrow of
the capitalist system •"Public policy that aims to redistribute wealth and opportunity" (Ford, p. 23) |
|
| Global feminism | Forces of colonialism and nationalism | "Dowry, bride price, female circumcision, and many religious customs" (Ford, p. 23) | • Unification
of women (and of feminist factions) across continents and nationalities, and
across economic classes • Empower women in all societies "through access to resources such as health, education, and housing" |
|
| Black feminism | Sexism and racism, which are intertwined (supplemented by heterosexual and class oppression) | • Violence
against women • Persistence of poverty that disadvantaged women cannot possibly overcome |
• Simultaneous
confrontation against both sexism and racism • Work with white feminists, but recognize that white feminists may be insensitive to specific oppression experienced by black women |
|
| Eco-feminism | Patriarchy's hierarchical framework ("A patriarchical society will exploit its resources without regard to long-term consequences as a direct result of the attitudes fostered in a patriarchical/hierarchical society. Parallels are often drawn between society's treatment of the environment, animals, or resources and its treatment of women.") | Dismantle "woman-nature" connections | Green movements of Europe | |
| Gender feminism (aka Cultural feminism) | The socialization process that causes male humans to become masculine and female humans to become feminine | ". . . [G]ender-specific values and virtues (1) reflect the importance of separateness in men's lives and of connectedness in women's lives and (2) serve to empower men and disempower women in a patriarchal society" (Tong, 1998) | • Elimination
of gender differences • Replacement of the patriarchical state with a state whose power will enforce gender-neutral policies and bring about a just society |
Sources:
Cindy Tittle Moore, ed., "soc.feminism Terminologies"
bdf
1/23/2008