WOMS Exam 1

WOMS Exam 1 Chapter 1. intro: What were the origins of Women's Rights Activism in the United States? (Include 3 points discussed by the authors) - 1) Started with abolition movement to end slavery 2) "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman" by Mary Wollstonecraft 3) Seneca Falls Convention 4) Women's Suffrage Association Chapter 1. intro: What is CEDAW? what position has the US taken on CEDAW - Convention on the elimination of all-forms of discrimination against women. -US hasn't ratified convention over fear of too much UN power (Obama supports ratification) Chapter : what are 4 myths frequently associated with feminism - Feminists are: 1) hate men 2) are lesbians 3) reject motherhood and female things 4) feminism is a white middle class movement (#1) Rich argues that women have a responsibility to themselves. What does she mean by this? - - Refusing to let other think or talk for them - Have respect for your body - Resist society's standards of women -Demand respect and to be taken seriously (#2) What is the greatest challenge for the field of Women and Gender studies according to Guy- Steftall? what is the meaning of intersectionality? - -Women of color critiqued women's studies for its lack of attention to race, class, ethnicity and cultural differences. -Intersectionality: involves the way people's experience of gender are created by the intersection of multiple identities such as race, class, and ethnicity. (#4) According to Baumgardner and Richards what are some of the conditions that existed before feminism that have changed in response to feminist activism? - - mainly traditional families - No sexual harassment laws - Virtually no childcare - Abortion is illegal - Lesbians were rarely out - To divorce, someone needed to be at fault - If husband dies women only get portion of social security, even if she worked - Boys take auto repair, girls take home ec (#6) What does Gloria Steinem see as the most important issue for American women? Why is it so important? - -Reproductive freedom - having control over your body allows you to make decisions about your own life -can end female/male roles (#8) What points does Quindlan make to counter the argument that we are in a "post-feminist" era? - If we were post- feminist -women wouldnt have to hide their intelligence -it wouldnt be so important to compete with male counterparts - Women have less of a sense of belonging - Schwarzenegger still governor after women came forward about sexual assault Chapter 2 intro: Identify and briefly explain the 5 characteristics of oppression by Young - - Exploitation: the process of transfer of labor results to another group for beneficial results - using efforts of minority group to benefit majority -Marginalization: the expulsion of entire groups of people for useful participation in social life that potentially subjects them to severe material deprivation and possible extermination -excluding people -Powerlessness: lack of respectability -Cultural Imperialism: the universalization of a dominant groups experience and culture, established as a norm. -Violence: members of subordinate groups live with the threat of violence based on their status as group members Chapter 2 intro: What is discourse and how does it work to create societal norms and expectations - Discourse: the process of creating knowledge or a culturally constructed representation of reality - creates "regimes of truth" that tell us what is appropriate - allows us to identity us - can create prejudice Chapter 2 Intro: What are institutions? what are 3 ways that institutions function to support systems of inequality and privilege - Institutions: social organizations with established patterns of behavior organized with a specific purpose 1) Women's work roles/ economy