Whyte

Name: Najwa Whyte

Subject: Sociology

Tutor: Mr Ashton

Class: 12K

Date: September 30, 2019

Question # 1: The feminist perspective argues that since its origin, sociology has highlighted

the male view point while neglecting to incorporate the opinions and experiences of the

female population. Discuss three (3) feminist critiques levelled at the discipline of sociology.

(25 marks)

As one of the number of social sciences, sociology explains human behaviour and focuses

more on social groups rather than on individuals and less on biological differences as well.

Sociologists, therefore, places emphasis on the different ways in which social groups learn

the behaviours expected of them. Consequently sociological perspectives tend to “provide

general outlines as to how theorists view social patterns and the assumptions they make about

society and individuals. Each perspective provides sociologists with a different view of

social life and a starting point for viewing the world.”(Nasser Mustapha, 24). One such

sociological perspective which itself is critical of the representation of women as a social

group, is feminism. Feminism examines the ways in which gender operates within social

structures such as families or education systems. Consequently, the feminist approach to

sociology argues that much of traditional sociology is the study of society from the man’s

point of view and by looking at it from a woman’s view point, a whole range of findings of

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traditional sociology are brought into question, and a set of new questions about the

representation and (re) presentation of women emerge.

Feminism as a political movement exists to rectify sexual inequalities in representation

and (re) presentation of women in literature and in society. For feminists, patriarchy has been

the dominant cause for gender inequality simply because men have been the arbiters of

political, economic and social discourse for centuries. Deeply imbedded in the critique of

feminists is the notion that women have been seen as socially inferior to men and as such

women are neglected to the patriarchy of discourse. Feminist critique of sociology have

sought to position women at the centre of the literary text discourse and political liberation by

criticism. Many feminists believe that much mainstream sociology, which they call “male

stream” sociology, has a masculine bias. Abbott et al (2005) identify the following ways in

which sociology has been seen as “male stream,”

 More research has been conducted about men than women, and it has been

generalized to people in general, even when all-male samples have been used

 Issues of particular concern to women have been neglected

 Women are often presented in sexist ways

 Gender is often just added on to existing variable and is not seen as having the

central importance feminists believe it should have.

A second criticism of sociology stems from Radical feminism, a distinctive feminist

perspective which argues that women are exploited by, and subservient to men. For radical

feminists, patriarchy is the main cause of gender inequality where women are subordinate

simply because men have more power. For many kinds of discourse in various societies the

males are usually the ones who function as kings, emperors, chiefs, and the head of the

household, the bread winner and the owner of property. Consequently, inequality exists

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between men and women because the males usually comprise the ruling class while women

are subjected to discrimination, violence, harassment- these are all methods utilized to keep

women subjugated.

Radical feminists explain the inequality in various ways, some seeing biology as the

cause, others seeing culture or male violence as more important. Radical feminists explain

the origin of gender inequality in a variety of ways. Firestone (1972) argues that the sexual

class system is the most fundamental form of stratification. The biological family results

from women being burdened by pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and menstruation. The

women become dependent on men, and power psychology develops, which maintains female

oppression. Furthermore, Millet (1970) believes that several factors are important in

maintaining female oppression:

 Biology plays some part, through superior male strength and the use of violence

 Ideological factors and socialization are important, as are sociological factors, such as

the woman’s role as mother in the family

 Women have a caste-like status which means that even higher-class women are

subordinate to men

 Educational and economic inequalities tend to hold women back

 Myth and religion are used to justify male dominance

 Rape, sexual violence and the use of force underpin male power and dominance.

The third criticism which is levelled at sociology emanates from Marxist feminists who

sees capitalism rather than patriarchy as the principal source of women’s oppression.

Capitalism, for Marxists feminists, is the source of women’s oppression. It stresses the

importance of the exploitation of women as paid or unpaid workers. For Marxists feminists,

gender inequality had a materialist base as its origin. Gontz and Henderson, for example,

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argue that men became dominant due to the practice of ‘patrilocality’-a case where a wife

went to live with her husband’s family. This tended to mean that men gained control of

women’s labour and the wealth they produced.

Marxist feminists also posit varying views as to how gender inequality is maintained:

 Engels argues that men have retained power simply because of access to work, and

well-paid jobs. Gender inequalities will reduce, for Engells, if women gained greater

access to well-paid employment.

 Marxist feminists such as Benstan (1972), argues that women are used as a “reserve

army of labour,” benefitting capitalism by keeping wages low. This group is a

relatively docile and easily exploited workforce.

 Finally, Marxist feminist such as Hartman (1981) argues that capitalism might create

lower-paid jobs and a reserve army of labour, but this does not explain why women

occupy these positions. For Hartman, patriarchy provides the key. Men, she argues,

maintain their control over women by exploiting their labour and denying them access

to jobs that pay a living wage, so that they stay dependent on their husbands.

Marxists feminists tend to argue that most democratic societies operate a capitalist market

driven system and women are the ones who are mostly at a disadvantage. Women for

example, are the ones who produce the children who form the labour force- the essential

ingredient to keep the capitalist society fully functional. The society also teaches and expects

women to be good home makers- they are therefore expected to be good and supportive

wives to their husbands. In this kind of classical conditioning technique, women are taught to

be passive and unwittingly continue the ideological conditioning of being subservient to men.

In Summary, Feminism has been critical of the ways in which traditional sociological

perspectives tend to elide, omit or just flatly relegate the voices, experiences and issues of

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concerns to women to the periphery of literary discourse. Ostensibly, Feminism has its own

set of criticism from post feminists such Brooks (1977) who argues that most feminists fail to

acknowledge the progress made by women. Marxists theorists also criticize feminists for

neglecting class inequalities. Postmodernists also argue that gender identities are no longer

fixed, inflexible and oppressive. Pollert (1996) attacks the use of the term “Patriarchy” as too

sweeping. However, despite the criticisms of Feminism, the theoretical perspectives from its

many proponents, have been critical of “malestream sociology.” The representation of

women in traditional sociological perspective, for feminists, was felt to be one of the most

important forms of ‘socialization,’ since it provided the role models which indicated to

women, and men, what constituted acceptable versions of the ‘feminine’ and legitimate

feminine goals and aspirations. As a theoretical approach, then, feminism has made a

substantial contribution to sociology and understanding society. Feminism has ensured that

critical discourse records the voices, experiences and perspectives of women in society and

that we know most as much about women in society as about men.

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References:

Holborn, Martin et al. Sociology Themes and Perspectives, 7th Ed. London: Harper Collins

Publisher, 2009.

Moore, Stephen. Sociology Alive, 3rd Ed. United Kingdom: Nelson Thornes Ltd, 2001.

Mustapha, Nasser. Sociology for Caribbean Students, 3rd Ed. Kingston: Carlong Publishers,

2018.

Wilson, Pauline A. Kidd. Sociology GCSE For AQA. London: Harper Collins Publishers,

2008.