DOMINANT APPROACHES AND IDEAS OF SOCIAL SCIENCES – INSTITUTIONALISM AND

FEMINIST THEORY

INSTITUTIONALISM - Institutionalism is an approach to the study of political and economic

organizations, which emphasizes the role of institutions in shaping behavior and decision-making.

- It holds that institutions, such as laws, customs, and norms, shape the behavior of individuals and
groups, and that understanding these institutions is essential to understanding how societies and
economies function.

Types of Institution Description

The role of this institutions is to procreates (have children), nurture,
1. Family
and teach values.
This institution answers the unanswerable, establish morality, deal
2. Religion
with death and the afterlife.
This institution is concerned with the production, consumption, and
3. Economy
distribution of goods and services; supply & demand.
This institution is entrusted with making and enforcing the rules of a
4. Government society as well as with regulating relations with other societies.
(political order)
It is a place where people of different ages gain an education,
5. Education including preschools, childcare, primary elementary schools,
secondary-high schools, and universities.

Feminist Theory - is a range of political movements, ideologies, and social movements that share a
common goal which is to define and advance political, economic, personal, and social rights for women
(Berroya 2017).

Basic Principles of Feminism – Source: (Mohammad Salik 2017)

Principles
Working to increase equality
Expanding human choice
Eliminating gender
stratification
Ending sexual violence and
promoting sexual freedom
Description
Feminist thought links ideas to action, insisting we should push for
change toward gender equality and not just talk about it.
Feminists believe that both men and women should have the
freedom to develop their human interests and talents, even if those
interests and talents conflict with the status quo.
For example, if a woman wants to be a mechanic, she should have
the right and opportunity to do so.
Feminists oppose laws and cultural norms that limit income,
educational and job opportunities for women.
Feminists feel that women should have control over their sexuality
and reproduction.

Types of Feminism – Source: (Mohammad Salik 2017)

Types of Feminism
Liberal Feminism
Description
Liberal feminism is a type of feminism that emphasizes the political,
legal, and economic equality of men and women. It is often associated
with "first-wave" feminism, which emerged in the late 19th and early
20th centuries, and focuses on women's right to vote and to hold
political office, equal pay, and equal access to education and
employment.
 Liberal feminists argue that society holds the false belief that women
are, by nature, less intellectually and physically capable than men.
Socialist feminism is a branch of feminism that focuses upon both the
public and private spheres of a woman's life and argues that
liberation can only be achieved by working to end both the economic
and cultural sources of women's oppression.
Socialist Feminism
Socialist feminists argue that women's oppression is not only a
product of gender discrimination but also of class oppression and
economic exploitation.

Radical feminism is a perspective within feminism that calls for a

Radical Feminism radical reordering of society in which male supremacy is eliminated in
all social and economic contexts.