This is an in-depth document of essay plans on the feminism topic as well as keynotes to describe each strand and thinker. It contains various quotes which are helpful and detailed answers.
To what extent do feminists agree and disagree on human nature?
Agree: All equality feminists would agree that the understanding of sex and gender is crucial if
one is to understand human nature. Equality feminists argue that human nature is
androgynous (being partly female and male), and that gender is a cultural and not a biological
construct. ‘Masculinity’ and ‘femininity’ should not be considered as natural but are artificially
created. Liberal, radical, socialist and postmodern femininity are all equality feminists,
believing that biological differences are inconsequential and women are just as rational as
men. ‘The mind has no gender’ ~ Mary Wollstonecraft. Charlotte Perkins Gilman ~ women
and men are equal and biological differences are largely irrelevant.
Disagree: difference feminists disagree with equality feminists in their understanding of
human nature, as they believe in essentialism. Women should embrace and not reject their
natural femininity. Difference and cultural feminism is a more extreme version that challenges
dominance of male values in society and argues that ‘women’s values’ should be promoted as
they are superior. Kate Millet ~ women are oppressed by men (patriarchy) and should free
themselves by engaging in lesbian relationships.
Disagree: Transfeminism argues that sex is socially constructed. Liberal feminists, radical
feminists, socialist feminists and difference feminists argue that sex is a biological fact. In
addition postmodern feminists are influenced by the ideas of bell hooks and intersectionality.
Bell hooks had the idea that women have multiple identities and therefore experience multiple
forms of oppression
To what extent do feminists agree and disagree about the role of the state?
Agree: Feminism lacks a distinctive theory of the state but there is general agreement that
historically the state has been complicit in making women subordinate to men. Feminists can
hence broadly agree that the state can be reconstructed to enhance the position of women
within society and economy. Liberal feminists = state should be a conduit for reform and
tackling patriarchy in the public area of society and economy. E.g. granting formal equality.
Simon de Beauvior ~ the state reinforces a male-dominated culture that limits women’s
autonomy and freedom.
Disagree: Radical feminists are more critical of the state than liberal feminists and many see
the state as promoting and sustaining patriarchy. Liberal feminists argue that the state should
only intervene in the public sphere of society while radical feminists argue that the state must
also intervene in the private sphere of society. ‘Personal is political’. Kate millet ~ state
facilitates patriarchy
Disagree: Socialist feminists like Sheila Rowbotham argue that the state must be abolished
so that women can be free from both capitalist and patriarchal oppression. Rowbotham ~
state facilitates capitalism which in turn oppresses women.
Postmodern feminists argue that there is a complexity to state oppression that other branches
, of feminism miss because of their tendency to view gender as the only variable for female
identity. Bell hooks ~ white men dominate the state at the expense of women.
To what extent do feminists agree and disagree on society?
Agree: all agree that women face discrimination in society and that this is an historical
problem. Societal attitudes have seen women play a subordinate and supporting role to men
in society to the extent that women see these gender roles as natural (agreed by Simone de
Beauvoir). Charlotte Perkins Gilman ~ women have been historically assigned an inferior role
in society.
Agree: Equality and advancement within society have been difficult for women because of the
innate, institutionalised cultural disadvantages. Simon de Beauvoir ~ societal norms restrain
both men and women from achieving self-realisation and true freedom of expression.
Disagree: Liberal feminists argue that there is discrimination within the public sphere of
society and argue that society can be reformed via the state.
However radical feminists go further, arguing that patriarchy is pervasive and is present in
every facet of society: politics, religion, culture, education and media and the private sphere of
women’s lives. Kate Millet ~ Society is patriarchal in both the public and private spheres
Socialist feminists like Rowbotham argue that society is economically determined by male
capitalism and that a revolution is needed in order to change the status of workers and
women. Sheila Rowbotham ~ Capitalist society reinforces the dominance of establishment
males to the detriment of women.
Disagree: Post-feminists such as Camille Paglia argued that most feminist goals have been
achieved and patriarchy has largely been defeated within society. However postmodern
feminists argue that post-feminism is white, middle-class centric and ignores the struggles of
women of colour and those of lower social class.
Intersectionality argues that gender interacts with multiple other factors such as race, class
and age to disadvantage women in myriad different ways. Bell hooks ~ Society is a
multifaceted arrangement between minority groups. Women who are of lower class and of a
racial minority are oppressed on several levels.
To what extent do feminists agree and disagree on the economy?
Agree: Feminists are united in their belief that the economic world discriminates against
women in the workplace. Wollstonecraft (‘mind has no gender’) and Gilman both argued that
economic independence was a fundamental part of female emancipation and that there must
be equality of opportunity within the workplace. All feminists agree that with the breakdown of
gender stereotypes, women can achieve equality in the workplace and be no longer
economically dependent on men. Charlotte Perkins Gilman ~ Men dominate the economy
because societal norms obligate women to a domestic role.
Agree: The labour market is divided because of gender roles, with women being employed in
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