Feminism

Politicization of the sex-class identity

Gender
Oppression
 Political
Resources
Education, & Interest
Economic
&
Political
 1929 JCPC reversed Supreme Courts decision

1927 “Person’s Case” Senate appointments

1921 Agnes Macphail 1st elected women MP

1866 British MP John Stuart Mill petitioned the Parl.
1920 ofNat.
the League of Women
UK to grant Voters
suffrage to womenwas created

1830s- 1860s Movement to abolish slavery

Universal Suffrage vote
1921 Federal Election
1800s Organized women’s rights movement
“No room at the top”
In 1990:
 only 3.5% of the world’s cabinet ministers
were women
 women held no ministerial
positions in 93 countries
 women were completely absent from the four highest
levels in government in 50 countries: 5 in the group of
Western European states; 16 in Asia and the Pacific; 8 in
Latin America and the Caribbean; 21 in Africa
 women occupied less than 5% of the top positions in
international organizations, including the UN and the
European Community
 only a handful of women served as finance ministers
(Bhutan, Finland, New Zealand, San Marino, Taiwan)
 entering the polling booth

Occupying highest offices of the state

Gro Harlem Brundtland Indira Ghandi

Twice Prime Minister Prime Minister of
of Norway in the 1980s India, 1966-77

Margaret Thatcher
Prime Minister of
Britain, 1979- 1990
1830s- 1860s Movement to Abolish Slavery

“The first organized movement

for women’s rights came form
the movement to abolish slavery.

….. women’s rights organizers

broke down many conventional
barriers to the public
participation of black people and
women.”
Rowbotham (1992)
 Political Participation
Substantial growth for women?

Women’s lack of direct participation

in top-level policy-making

ETHNICITY
FINANCES
ORGANIZATION
TRADITION
 Different
Ideologies Different
Strategic
Measures

Different
Political
Goals
 1869 J.S. Mill Published
On the Subjection of Women

PRIVATE SPHERE
Pursuit of the
franchise
legal rights
PUBLIC SPHERE
LEGAL ACCESS TO
RIGHTS EDUCATION

Private, political
& economic sphere
 PUBLIC SPHERE
PRIVATE SPHERE

Sacrifice?

Who occupies the private sphere? ?

1988 - Supreme court confirmed abortion
laws unconstitutional

1982 Charter of Rights and Freedoms

1970s and 1980s women entered universities

and work force in increasing numbers

“happy-housewife” Betty The Feminine

myth Friedan Mystique

1960s Powerful emergence of Liberal Feminism

Gloria Steinem Naomi Wolf

KATE MILLET
 The electoral gap in the
US has been shown to be
critical to the success of
the Democratic Party and
to the nomination and
election of some women
candidates.

Largest & most activist women’s mvt in the world

1992: outgoing Congress had only 6.4% women
members incoming =11% in House, 7% in Senate.
 structural reforms

WILL WOMEN SHARING POLITICAL POWER

EQUALLY WITH MEN
CHANGE THE WAY WE LIVE?
 & Political Leadership
Studies indicate that a ‘critical mass’ of from 30-35%
inclusion of women in political leadership and gov’t is
needed to affect public policies.
Women should not settle for an in-name-only share
of leadership…should use their positions to campaign
for specific party commitments to the nomination,
election and appt = # of men and women to national
office, parls, cabs, courts, regional and st. legs,
commissions, advisory groups.
Parties and women’s orgs should seek out potential
women candidates for political office and provide
them with training in pol. and ldsp skills, funding and
campaign assistance creation within G of a ministry,
dept.,or national commission on = for women to
gather.
“Good Wives & Wise Mothers”

$
TRADITION

?
?
Biased Work force

Deeply rooted Traditions

Choices?

April 10, 1946

Japan’s first VOTE
“all person’s” election
Radical Reform Liberal Feminism

Marxist Feminism
CYBER-FEMINISM