Study guide
Feminist Theory of Inequality - 40 marker Study Guide
- Institution
- WJEC
Exam guide/plan for sociological theories of inequality in A2 Sociology Unit 3.
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Introduction● Feminism is a conflict theory - observes inequality in relation to gender
● Three strands - Liberal, Marxist and Radical.
Liberal Feminists
Point - Liberal Feminists examine the socialisation process as a reason for inequality in
society.
● From a young age, girls experience social control which leads boys to go on in life to
see women as subordinate to them - leads to inequality as adults in areas such as
the workplace, politics etc.
● Anne Oakley - Four processes during primary socialisation
○ Canalisation - buying cooking sets for girls = Housewives, building sets and
doctor sets for boys = assertive
○ Verbal Appellation
○ Different Activities
○ Manipulation
● Girls are discouraged to show behaviour outside of gender norms.
● The media further the narrative of girls and boys as unequal
○ Movies like disney movies - Cinderella show women as damsels in distress
and boys as heroes - teaches that girls need to be reliant on men - furthers
inequality later in life , e.g Laura Bates and casual sexism which exacerbates
inequality elsewhere.
AO3
● Has improved in recent years
○ Initiatives like HeForShe have men and women teaming up to battle
gender inequality and reform the socialisation process.
○ Media images of female superheroes, metrosexual men - argue this
creates greater equality in society
● Functionalists - Parsons argued against reform of socialisation process due to
biological determinism
○ Women are naturally nurturing and so have to be housewives.
○ However, feminists argue gender norms are constructed
○ Mead (1948) - tribes with reversed gender norms still functioned.
○ However, if gender norms are socially constructed and we all know
this - why does inequality still exist? Some truth to the functionalist
argument.
Marxist Feminists
Point - Argue women are oppressed by men and capitalism
● Bentson - Capitalism exploits women in two ways:
○ Women reproduce the new generation of workers
○ Housewives responsible for upkeep of domestic situations and
husbands at no cost to capitalist class.
● Women are Reserve Labour - easily disposable e.g shown after World
War 2.
● Further point to economic inequality - Pay Gap still persists.
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