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Feminism
Feminist theories emerged in the 1970s as a challenge to a mainstream sociology
which studied and explained society largely from the male perspective, ignoring the
gender inequalities that exist across all social structures/processes. Feminist theories
have revolutionised sociology as they have put women and gender at the heart of
sociological thinking and research, furthering our understanding of society. Most
feminist theories seek to explain society by focusing on women's unequal position
within it and also aim to improve women's lives.
Different types of feminism:
Radical Feminism
Liberal Feminism
Marxist Feminism
Dual System Feminism
Difference Feminism
Post-Structural Feminism
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Radical Feminism

Regard patriarchy as the most fundamental form of inequality - the world is divided
into two 'sex classes', men and women, with men dominating and controlling women
in all areas of society (public/private).

Irrespective of social class or ethnicity, all men are 'the enemy' who oppress women
through VIOLENCE, FEAR and INTIMIDATION, and turn women into sex objects for
their own pleasure.

Control in public: 'glass ceiling', triple shift, don't walk home alone, catcalls.
Control in private: domestic violence, marital r*pe.

Propose a COMPLETE DESTRUCTION OF PATRIARCHY: claim that women should

begin to free themselves from male oppression by living their lives separately from
men through SEPARATISM (living apart), consciousness raising (reclaiming power
through the shaing of experiences) and political lesbianism (avoiding hetersexual
relationships).

DWORKINS - 'all men are rapists'.

GREER - 'every woman knows that, regardless of all her other achievements, she
is a failure if she is not beautiful'.
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Evaluation
+  Evidence to support ideas - DOBASH & DOBASH, domestic
violence.
-  SOMERVILLE - failed to recognise improvements to womens
position as we have shifted into a posmodern society.
-  POLITICAL LESBIANISM would never work due to heterosexual
attraction.
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Liberal Feminism

Women's inequality arises primarily from factors like:

Sexist stereotyping
Gender role socialisation
Sex discrimination
Outdated laws and attitudes

All these generate a lack of opportunies for women, keeping them in lower-paid and
lower-status occupations.

Gender equality can be achieved through legal, economic and social reform that
would enable women to full take part in exisiting society.

EMMA WATSON - UN Goodwill Ambassador for Women, #HeForShe -  wants to

achieve political, social and economic equality
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Evaluation
+  Evidence to suggest that this type of feminism works and is
appealing - E.G- #HeForShe, shared parental leave, Sex Discrimination
Act 1975.
-  Radical feminists would argue that these movements are not
effective enough as there is still the existence of patriarchal control.
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Marxist Feminism

Argue that gender inequality arises primarily from the nature of capitalist society,
rather than from an independent system of patriarchy. Capitalism intensifies
patriarchal inequalities in pursuit of its own interests. Women are:

cheap labour force

reserve army of labour who can be sacked and returned home during periods of
economic recession and re-employed during times of economic prosperity
free labour in the form of unpaid domestic labour and childcare at no cost
expressive role - to absorb the mans anger and frustration at exploitation from
work, thus keeping capitalism stable (w/class women suffer the greatest degree
of subordination).

Capitalism is the root cause of inequality so improving women's position in society

involoves fundamental changes in capitalism and class inequality.

ANSLEY - women are 'takers of sh*t'

BARRETT - ideology of society teaches women they want to be housewives and
mothers, need to change ideology as well as capitalism.
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Evaluation
+  Marxists like ENGELS agree - women's role is to reproduce the workforce and they
are the reserve army of labour.
-  Engels isn't critical of this explotation of women, Marxist feminists are critical of it.
-  Considered to be outdated -  changes in the family and women's employment
have affected the nature of family and society.
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Dual System Feminism

Combines features from radical feminism and Marxism.

Capitalism and patriarchy are seen as two separate systems that interact with and
reinforce one another in the form of 'PATRIARCHAL CAPITALISM'. This generates
dual roles for women, both as home makers and as paid workers. 

Patriarchal and capitalist structures also relate to other factors such as CLASS and
ETHNIC inequalities to generate multiple causes for the subordination of women.

Believe that by removing the twin structures of patriarchy and capitalism through
reform would bring about improvements in the position of women. 

Includes tackling the partriarchal nature of relationships in the private sphere (at
home, in the family) and the patriarchal capitalist exploitation of women in the public
sphere (labour market, business, govt., media).

Tony Blair's cabinet with women = 'Blair's babes'

WALBY
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Evaluation
+  Considers class and ethnicity and how this can increase/decrease
the exploitation of women.
+  Establishes a clear distinction between capitalism and patriarchy
and focuses on how both affect women.
-  Could be argued that patriarchy isn't a 'system', it is more of a
description of the various forms of oppression women experience.
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Difference Feminism

Includes black feminism, which originated as a result of concerns that many feminist
theories focuses too much on the subordination of white, m/class women and
ignored the different experiences of black and minority ethnic women.

Emphasise that while many white women may suffer the same problems, not all
women are in the same position because oppression can take diverse forms in
different contexts and among different social groups.Specific groups may face
multiple forms of oppression, such as racism and homophobia, as well as patriarchal
oppression = black women face dual oppression. 

May particularly be the case in postmodern societies where social structures like
gender, social class and ethnicity have weakened sources of identity and people
pick'n'mix their identities and lifestyles from a wide range of choices avaliable in a
media-saturated, consumer-based society.

White feminism = 'false universality' - claims to be about all women but in reality only
represents white, m/class, western women.

OPRAH'S Golden Globes Speech - 1st black women to achieve the Cecil B
DeMille award and how there will be many young black girls watching knowing
that they now can achieve this.
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Evaluation
+  Accounts for different forms of oppression that women experience
besides patriarchy (homophobia, racism).
-  Doesn't bring branches of feminism together but further fragments
it and weakens the theory.
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Post-Structural Feminism

Concerned with discourse (ways of seeing, thinking and speaking

about things) and power and knowledge.

BUTLER - white, m/class women have dominated the feminist

movement and falsely claimed a universal womanhood'. 
Argues that there is no fixed essense of what it is to be a women - 
identities and discourses are constantly changing.
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Evaluation
+  Accounts for the diverse nature of feminity in comtemporary
society.
+  Falls in-line with postmodernist ideas.
+  Supported by numerous campaigns that aim to challenge gender
stereotypes - E.G.- This Girl Can.
-  Ignores structural factors that do impact on women's experiences
and similarities that women do share.
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Feminist Critique of Sociological Research

PAM ABBOTT - sociology is 'malestream':

Sociology is concerned with research BY men and FOR men.

Research on men is generalised to the whole population.
Women's issues are overlooked and seen as unimportant.
Women are represented in a sexist way.
Sex and gender are rarely seen as an explanatory variable.
When included, women are seen as 'add-ons'.

Sociology is either SEX BLIND (ignores sex/women) or is SEXIST and PATRIARCHAL.

ANNE OAKLEY:

Research should take the woman's side and be free from sexism/patriarchy.
Value laden.
Researcher should be involved and aim for equality and collaboration with
participants.
Critical of quantitative methods -- she used unstructured interviews when
interviewing women who had become new mothers.
Positivism = masculine as it's objective, detached and hierarchical.