Feminism

1
Feminism

• As theory and practice

2
Patriarchy (95)

• System of male dominance

3
Social construction of woman

• Woman as inferior, flawed man.
• Seductress, temptress, cause of original sin.
• Only good woman is an obedient woman.

4
Autonomy and Emancipation

• Virginia Woolf, A Room of Ones Own.
• Women should be able to participate, to be and to
  become themselves.

5
Simone de Beauvoir

• Argued that women have been defined purely in
  relation to men and not as autonomous beings.
• Her goal was the right of women to express
  themselves as individuals.

6
Woman as peaceful

• One aspect of socialization
• Reclaiming power

7
The personal is political (112-113)

• In 2002-2003, there were an average of 223,280
  victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual
  assault.
• Only about 40 of rapes sexual assaults were
  reported to law enforcement in 2003.
• Since 1993, rape/sexual assault has fallen by
  over 65.
• Every two and a half minutes, somewhere in
  America, someone is sexually assaulted.
• --source http//www.rainn.org/statistics/

8
Murder

• Every day four women die in this country as a
  result of domestic violence
• the most conservative estimates indicate two to
  four million women of all races and classes are
  battered each year
• --source http//www.now.org/issues/violence/stats
  .html

9
The public/private myth (112-113)

• Feminists argue that the separation of public and
  private perpetuates inequality of women.
• Housework is one example.

10
Women in leadership

• Women have the vote but do they have power?
• Women priests?
• Women politicians?
• 16 women in the Senate (33 women senators have
  been elected)
• 70 women in the House

11
Descriptive representation

• Seeing a woman in office will inspire more women
  to run for office.

12
The politics of language (115-116)

• Political correct
• The B!_at_

13
Reform or Liberal Feminism (117)

• Focus on Rights
• The equal rights amendment
• On March 27, 2007 House and Senate Democrats
  reintroduced the measure under a new name the
  Womens Equality Amendment.
• What are the 15 states that have not ratified the
  ERA?The 15 states that have not ratified the ERA
  are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia,
  Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri,
  Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina,
  Utah, and Virginia.

14
Marxist feminism

• Critique based upon the patriarchal familys role
  in supporting capitalism.

15
Socialist Feminism

• Similar to other forms of feminism but emphasize
  the democratic, egalitarian aspects of socialism.

16
Integrative Feminism

• Focus on equality but not sameness

17
Separatist or Radical Feminism

• Takes Woolfs argument to the extreme.
• Women will only be free when they completely
  escape the patriarchal world.
• For an interesting novel read Herland.

18
Intersectionality-race/class/gender

• bell hooks Feminist Theory from margin to center
• Unity of oppression
• Advocating feminism

19
Third World Feminism

• Poverty vs. Patriarchy

20
Reproductive Rights

• Transforming society to allow full participation
  by women.
• The right to choose is about more than a woman's
  right to safe, legal abortion. Freedom of choice
  encompasses preventing unintended pregnancy
  through sex education and improved access to
  birth control, defending a woman's right to bear
  healthy children, defending the independence of
  our nation's courts, and addressing the
  inequities in reproductive health care.