Intro to Feminism

In this unit of work, we will be looking at the representation of men and women in the media, our dominant
roles in society, and the problems we face that stem from gender.

To start, create a brainstorm coming off of the Venus symbol which identifies all your initial ideas about
feminism. Consider what the word means literally, what it means to you, how it might have changed
throughout the years, political or social movements that have been influenced by it etc.

Be prepared to share and add to your brainstorm.

What is Feminism?
Feminism is a social movement and ideology that fights for the political, economic and social rights for
women. Feminists believe that men and women are equal, and women deserve the same rights as men in
society.

The feminist movement can be separated into three waves, which have fought for many different causes.

The first wave of feminism happened in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. First wave feminists were
known as the suffragettes, they campaigned for women’s right to vote. Imagine living in a democracy where
only half the population could vote! Unfortunately this is still the case in some countries, but we are lucky in
Australia that women have the same democratic rights as men.

The second wave of feminism came in the 1960s and 1970s. They had a much broader scope of rights they
were campaigning for. These include the right for equal pay, the right to live free from both physical and
sexual violence and the reproductive rights- like access to contraception and safe and legal abortion.
Feminists in Australia are still fighting for these rights today.

The third wave of feminism started during the 1990s and continues on today. The third wave is a more
inclusive form of feminism that considers things like race, ethnicity and sexual identity. It recognizes that
every woman’s experience is different, but continues to fight for the same rights and principles as the second
wave.

Ref: https://rosie.org.au/our-world/womens-rights/what-is-feminism/

Feminist Criticism
Feminist criticism is concerned with the way gender assumptions, especially about women, operate in the
reading and writing of literary texts. They wish to show how literary texts either reinforce or challenge the
structure of patriarchy – a social system in which power is kept in the hands of men.

Feminist critics argue that gender inequalities are reproduced at three levels:
1) in the production of texts
The production of texts is gendered because the ‘means of production’ – publishing houses, printing presses,
bookshops – traditionally have been owned by men. This has made the publishing industry more receptive to
stories which support masculine views of life.
2) in the structure and language of texts
The structure and language of texts reproduce gender inequalities by marginalising femininity. The use of
the male pronoun ‘he’ as the general term for ‘human being’ is one way in which this occurs. Another factor
is the emphasis on male ‘heroes’ and female ‘obstacles’ or ‘prizes’. Women are reduced to objects, whereas
men are the characters who matter.
3) through reading practices
Reading practices combine with the above to reinforce inequalities. Dominant reading practices encourage
readers to identify with characters in a story. In traditional narratives, the only options available to female
readers are either identify with the male hero or with the passive, helpless heroine. In order to challenge this,
feminist critics advocate two courses of action. One is to deliberately challenge the text by pointing out its
gender inequalities. The second is to promote texts that do not reproduce traditional concepts of gender.
Ref: (B. Moon, Literary Terms: A Practical Glossary, 1992)

Feminist Readings
Adopting a Feminist Reading of a Text:

A feminist reading is one that looks at how the social, political and economic position of women is
represented. You need to consider:
 What are the representations of men and women? (What are shown as acceptable or unacceptable
versions of masculinity and femininity?)
 How are the representations created? (through conventions – be specific and give evidence)
 Why are the representations like this? What are we being positioned to think men and women should
be like (what is acceptable)? These are the gender politics of the text. Are men reinforced in power,
women reinforced in dependence – this is a traditional, conservative patriarchal set of
representations. OR are women empowered, shown positively in non-traditional roles or shown to
question traditional roles? This is a radical, feminist set of representations.

A feminist text is one that challenges the traditional social, political and economic position of women.

Practice:

Add a table to your OneNote like the one below. Then, read the story on the next page (Little Red Riding
Hood) and fill out the table as you go.

Character Which stereotype do they Supporting evidence Explanation

fulfil or challenge?

Mother

Little Red

Grandma

Wolf

Woodchopper

Little Red Riding Hood

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who lived in a
village near the forest. Whenever she went out, the little
girl wore a red riding cloak, so everyone in the village
called her Little Red Riding Hood.
One morning, Little Red Riding Hood asked her mother
if she could go to visit her grandmother as it had been
awhile since they'd seen each other.
"That's a good idea," her mother said. So they packed a
nice basket for Little Red Riding Hood to take to her
grandmother.
When the basket was ready, the little girl put on her red
cloak and kissed her mother goodbye.
"Remember, go straight to Grandma's house," her
mother cautioned. "Don't dawdle along the way and
please don't talk to strangers! The woods are
dangerous."
"Don't worry, mommy," said Little Red Riding Hood,
"I'll be careful."
But when Little Red Riding Hood noticed some lovely
flowers in the woods, she forgot her promise to her
mother. She picked a few, watched the butterflies flit
about for awhile, listened to the frogs croaking and then
picked a few more.
Little Red Riding Hood was enjoying the warm summer
day so much, that she didn't notice a dark shadow
approaching out of the forest behind her...
Suddenly, the wolf appeared beside her.
"What are you doing out here, little girl?" the wolf
asked in a voice as friendly as he could muster.
"I'm on my way to see my Grandma who lives through
the forest, near the brook," Little Red Riding Hood
replied.
Then she realized how late she was and quickly excused
herself, rushing down the path to her Grandma's house.
The wolf, in the meantime, took a shortcut...
The wolf, a little out of breath from running, arrived at
Grandma's and knocked lightly at the door.
"Oh thank goodness dear! Come in, come in! I was
worried sick that something had happened to you in the
forest," said Grandma thinking that the knock was her
granddaughter.
The wolf let himself in. Poor Granny did not have time
to say another word, before the wolf gobbled her up!
The wolf let out a satisfied burp, and then poked
through Granny's wardrobe to find a nightgown that he
liked. He added a frilly sleeping cap, and for good
measure, dabbed some of Granny's perfume behind his
pointy ears.
Questions:
Answer the following questions in full sentences either below or on our OneNote page.
The wolf let out a satisfied burp, and then poked through
Granny's wardrobe to find a nightgown that he liked. He
added a frilly sleeping cap, and for good measure, dabbed
some of Granny's perfume behind his pointy ears.
A few minutes later, Red Riding Hood knocked on the
door. The wolf jumped into bed and pulled the covers
over his nose. "Who is it?" he called in a cackly voice.
"It's me, Little Red Riding Hood."
"Oh how lovely! Do come in, my dear," croaked the wolf.
When Little Red Riding Hood entered the little cottage,
she could scarcely recognize her Grandmother.
"Grandmother! Your voice sounds so odd. Is something
the matter?" she asked.
"Oh, I just have touch of a cold," squeaked the wolf
adding a cough at the end to prove the point.
"But Grandmother! What big ears you have," said Little
Red Riding Hood as she edged closer to the bed.
"The better to hear you with, my dear," replied the wolf.
"But Grandmother! What big eyes you have," said Little
Red Riding Hood.
"The better to see you with, my dear," replied the wolf.
"But Grandmother! What big teeth you have," said Little
Red Riding Hood her voice quivering slightly.
"The better to eat you with, my dear," roared the wolf and
he leapt out of the bed and began to chase the little girl.
Almost too late, Little Red Riding Hood realized that the
person in the bed was not her Grandmother, but a hungry
wolf.
She ran across the room and through the door, shouting,
"Help! Wolf!" as loudly as she could.
A woodsman who was chopping logs nearby heard her cry
and ran towards the cottage as fast as he could.
He grabbed the wolf and made him spit out the poor
Grandmother who was a bit frazzled by the whole
experience, but still in one piece."Oh Grandma, I was so
scared!" sobbed Little Red Riding Hood, "I'll never speak
to strangers or dawdle in the forest again."
"There, there, child. You've learned an important lesson.
Thank goodness you shouted loud enough for this kind
woodsman to hear you!"
The woodsman knocked out the wolf and carried him
deep into the forest where he wouldn't bother people any
longer.
Little Red Riding Hood and her Grandmother had a nice
lunch and a long chat.
1) What is the difference between sex and gender?
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2) What does ‘patriarchy’ mean?

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3) What does ‘marginalising’ mean?

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4) How does the production of texts help to reinforce gender inequalities?

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5) Why does using the pronoun ‘he’ when talking about ‘humans’ marginalise women?
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6) How can you challenge gender assumptions when you read?

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7) Define feminism in your own words.

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8) Based on this definition, would you identify yourself as a feminist? Why/why not?
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9) Do you think there is still a need for feminism, or do we now have gender equality? Explain your
answer.
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