FEMINISM Jeanine Sturgeon WHY WE NEED FEMINISM What

FEMINISM Jeanine Sturgeon

WHY WE NEED FEMINISM What is sexism? At the individual level At the institutional level

IS SEXISM STILL A RELEVANT ISSUE? Inequality still exists

WAGE GAP Comparative median annual earnings No significant annual increase since 2007. If this continues at the same rate as it has since 1960, men and women won’t reach parity until 2059

WAGE GAP

HYPHENATED FEMINISM Before looking at the big picture, we will break it down into the seven puzzle pieces that make up the feminist movement Liberal feminism Marxist feminism Radical feminism Psychoanalytic feminism Existentialist feminism Socialist feminism Postmodern feminism Tong, R. (1989). Feminist thought: A comprehensive introduction. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

LIBERAL FEMINISM The root of female subordination Society excludes women because they are thought to be less capable than men Tong, R. (1989). Feminist thought: A comprehensive introduction. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

MARXIST FEMINISM Equal opportunity cannot happen when wealth is produced by the powerless many and possessed by the powerful few. For women’s liberation, a socialist system must replace the capitalist system. Tong, R. (1989). Feminist thought: A comprehensive introduction. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

RADICAL FEMINISM Liberal and Marxist feminism doesn’t go far enough. A patriarchal system is the cause of women’s oppression. It cannot be completely reformed so it must be destroyed with institutions like family, church, and academy that keep it functioning. Women’s anatomy is oppressive because they’ve been controlled as child bearers. Women need to decide on the use of reproductive technologies and how to raise her children. Both male and female sides of oneself should be explored to create a sense of wholeness. Tong, R. (1989). Feminist thought: A comprehensive introduction. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

PSYCHOANALYTIC FEMINISM Oppression is embedded in a women’s psyche. Autonomy and authority are linked to males. Love and dependence are linked to females. Autonomy, authority, love, and dependence should be every person's right. Tong, R. (1989). Feminist thought: A comprehensive introduction. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

EXISTENTIALIST FEMINISM Religious alternative founded by Simon de Beauvoir Man = Self Woman = Other It may be harder for a women to become and remain a self, especially with children, but women's capacity for selfhood is not any less than a mans. Women must work and become intellectuals. The path to liberation will never be an easy one. Tong, R. (1989). Feminist thought: A comprehensive introduction. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

SOCIALIST FEMINISM All the other forms and theories of feminism weaved together. Unity and integration The best feminist theory is a unified one. Tong, R. (1989). Feminist thought: A comprehensive introduction. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

POSTMODERN FEMINISM Completely disagree with socialist feminism. They resist patriarchal principles by promoting individual thinking not a unified truth. Tong, R. (1989). Feminist thought: A comprehensive introduction. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

FEMINISM AS A WHOLE With all the meticulously defined subtypes of feminism, an all encompassing definition of the word feminism should be easy. Instead, everyone seems to have a different definition of feminism that is politically and emotionally charged People are afraid to say, “I’m a feminist, ” because they see a feminism as a negative movement for hating men. Tong, R. (1989). Feminist thought: A comprehensive introduction. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

“I AM NOT A FEMINST…. YES I DO BELIEVE IN EQUALITY AND EQUITY FOR ALL GENDERS”

KAREN OFFEN “Defining Feminism: A Comparative Historical Approach” Offen, K. (1988). Defining Feminism: A Comparative Historical Approach. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society

THE ORIGIN OF FEMINISM The term feminism originates from France and early definitions were more often “rights of women” than “rights equal to those of men”, a subtle yet profound distinction. French scholars led the way in women’s studies

Relational Feminism “Gender-based but egalitarian vision of social organization" A nonhierarchical, malefemale couple as the basic unit of society Women's rights are women in relation to men Gives room for the natural feminine characteristics like childbearing. Individualist Feminism The individual, regardless of sex, is the basic unit of society More abstract ideas of human rights Celebrated the quest for autonomy Minimized sex-linked qualities like childbearing Justifies an independent, non-family-based, single woman TO UNDERSTAND FEMINISM HISTORICALLY, BOTH INDIVIDUALIST AND RELATIONAL FEMINISM MUST BE ACCOUNTED FOR. THEY ARE VERY DIFFERENT, BUT EQUALLY NECESSARY IN THE SEARCH FOR A DEFINITION OF FEMINISM

PROGRESS Right to vote Maternity benefits Domestic violence denounced Participation in the work force Autonomy in many nations Offen, K. (1988). Defining Feminism: A Comparative Historical Approach. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society

DEFINING FEMINISM: THE 1970’S Feminist: A person who espouses feminism Feminism: “A theory and/or movement concerned with advancing the position of women through such means as achievement of political, legal, or economic rights equal to those granted men”

KAREN OFFEN’S DEFINITION OF FEMINISM “As an ideology, feminism incorporates a broad spectrum of ideas and possesses an international scope, one whose developmental stages have historically been dependent on and in tension with male-centered political and intellectual discourse but whose more recent manifestations transcend the latter. Thus, feminism must be viewed as not intrinsically a subset of any other Western religious or secular ideology, whether Catholic or protestant Christian, Judaic, liberal, socialist, or Marxist. ” Although feminism is pro-woman, it is not anti-man

KAREN OFFEN’S DEFINITION OF A FEMINIST 1. 2. 3. They recognize the validity of women's own interpretations of their lived experience and needs and acknowledge the values women claim publicly as their own in assessing their status in society relative to men They exhibit consciousness of, discomfort at, or even anger over institutionalized injustice toward women as a group by men as a group in a society They advocate the elimination of that injustice by challenging, through efforts to alter prevailing ideas and/or social institutions and practices, the coercive power, force, or authority that upholds male prerogatives in that particular culture. Thus, to be a feminist is to be at odds with male-dominated culture and society"

CONFLICT THEORY AND FEMINISM Women are oppressed by men who have the power and resources. "Gender inequality exists because it benefits men, who use the power it gives them to ensure its perpetuation. By regulating women to the home, men have been able to deny women those resources they need to succeed in the larger world. ” Conflict theorists would agree with feminism because they see unresolved conflict over a long time as dysfunctional for society however they do not believe equality, the goal of feminism, is anything more than an illusion Hughes, M. , & Kroehler, C. (2013). Sociology The Core (11 th ed. ). New York, NY: Mc. Graw-Hill.

CONCLUSION Relevance Solutions The goal