ASSIGNMENT

SUBJECT:
GENDER ISSUES IN PSYCHOLOGY
TOPIC:
F EMINISM
SUBMITTED BY:
H OORIA AMER
ROLL NO:
10691
SUBMITTED TO:
DR. NAVEED SHIBILI
EXPLAIN FEMINISM, HISTORY OF FEMINISM, TYPES
OF FEMINISM, FEMINIST MOVEMENTS AND FEMINIST
THEORY?
The term feminism can be used to describe a political, cultural or
economic movement aimed at establishing equal rights and legal
protection for women.
Explanation:
Feminism involves political and sociological theories and philosophies
concerned with issues of gender difference, as well as a movement that
advocates gender equality for women and campaigns for women's rights
and interests. Throughout most of Western history, women were
confined to the domestic sphere, while public life was reserved for men.
In medieval Europe, women were denied the right to own property, to
study, or to participate in public life.
History:
Simone de Beauvoir wrote that "the first time we see a woman take up
her pen in defense of her sex" was Christine de Pizan who wrote Epitre
au Dieu d'Amour (Epistle to the God of Love) in the 15th century.
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa and Modesta di Pozzo di Forzi worked in
the 16th century. Marie Le Jars de Gournay, Anne Bradstreet and
Francois Poullain de la Barre wrote during the 17th.
Feminists and scholars have divided the movement's history into three
"waves". The first wave refers mainly to women's suffrage movements
of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries (mainly concerned with
women's right to vote). The second wave refers to the ideas and actions
associated with the women's liberation movement beginning in the
1960s (which campaigned for legal and social rights for women). The
third wave refers to a continuation of, and a reaction to the perceived
failures of, second-wave feminism, beginning in the 1990s.
Types of feminism:
feminists identify themselves with several types of feminist thought.
Anarcha:
Anarcha-feminism (also called anarchist feminism and anarcho-
feminism) combines anarchism with feminism. It generally views
patriarchy as a manifestation of involuntary hierarchy. Anarcha-
feminists believe that the struggle against patriarchy is an essential part
of class struggle, and the anarchist struggle against the State. In essence,
the philosophy sees anarchist struggle as a necessary component of
feminist struggle and vice-versa.
Example:
As L. Susan Brown puts it, "as anarchism is a political philosophy that
opposes all relationships of power, it is inherently feminist".
Important historic anarcha-feminists include Emma Goldman, Federica
Montseny, Voltairine de Cleyre and Lucy Parsons.
Socialist and Marxist
Socialist feminism connects the oppression of women to ideas about
exploitation, oppression and labor. Socialist feminists think unequal
standing in both the workplace and the domestic sphere holds women
down. Socialist feminists see prostitution, domestic work, childcare and
marriage as ways in which women are exploited by a system that
devalues women and the substantial work they do. Socialist feminists
focus their energies on broad change that affects society as a whole,
rather than on an individual basis. They see the need to work alongside
not just men, but all other groups, as they see the oppression of women
as a part of a larger pattern that affects everyone involved in the
capitalist system.
Radical
Radical feminism considers the male-controlled capitalist hierarchy,
which it describes as sexist, as the defining feature of women’s
oppression. Radical feminists believe that women can free themselves
only when they have done away with what they consider an inherently
oppressive and dominating patriarchal system. Radical feminists feel
that there is a male-based authority and power structure and that it is
responsible for oppression and inequality, and that as long as the
system and its values are in place, society will not be able to be reformed
in any significant way. Some radical feminists see no alternatives other
than the total uprooting and reconstruction of society in order to achieve
their goals.
Liberal
Liberal feminism asserts the equality of men and women through
political and legal reform. It is an individualistic form of feminism,
which focuses on women’s ability to show and maintain their equality
through their own actions and choices. Liberal feminism uses the
personal interactions between men and women as the place from which
to transform society. According to liberal feminists, all women are
capable of asserting their ability to achieve equality, therefore it is
possible for change to happen without altering the structure of society.
Issues important to liberal feminists include reproductive and abortion
rights, sexual harassment, voting, education, "equal pay for equal work",
affordable childcare, affordable health care, and bringing to light the
frequency of sexual and domestic violence against women.
Black
Black feminism argues that sexism, class oppression, and racism are
inextricably bound together. Forms of feminism that strive to overcome
sexism and class oppression but ignore race can discriminate against
many people, including women, through racial bias. The Combahee
River Collective argued in 1974 that the liberation of black women
entails freedom for all people, it emerged after the early feminist
movements that were led specifically by white women who advocated
social changes such as woman’s suffrage. These movements were
largely white middle-class movements and had generally ignored
oppression based on racism and classism.
Postcolonial feminism:
Postcolonial feminists argue that oppression relating to the colonial
experience, particularly racial, class, and ethnic oppression, has
marginalized women in postcolonial societies. They challenge the
assumption that gender oppression is the primary force of patriarchy.
Postcolonial feminists object to portrayals of women of non-Western
societies as passive and voiceless victims and the portrayal of Western
women as modern, educated and empowered.
Multiracial
Multiracial feminism (also known as “women of color” feminism)
offers a standpoint theory and analysis of the lives and experiences of
women of color.
Feminist movement:
The feminist movement is also known as women movement and
feminism. It's referred to series of political compains or reform about
issues like;
 reproductive right.
 domestic violence
 matters of maternity
 women suffrage in society
 sexual harassment
Before we proceed let me briefly explain what we when talk about
reproductive right. Reproductive right are legal right and freedom
related to reproduction and reproductive end that varing in various
country around the world. The femisnt movement also discusses
domestic violence. Domestic violence is a broad term and it vary across
the globe with different countries, religion and society. Domestic
violence is also name as do domestic abuse and family violence. It is
related with violence on other abused in domestic setting like in
marriage and Co habituation. Domestic violence refers to
sometime violence that is committed by a spouse or partner in an
intimate relationship against the other spouse or partner. It can take
place in heterosexual or same sex relationship or between former spouse
or partner. In the domestic violence include violence against children,
parents, elderly. It takes place in various forms like;
(a) Physical abuse
(b) Verbal abuse
(c) Emotional abuse
(d) Economic abuse
(e) Religious abuse
(f) Reproductive abuse
(g) Sexual abuse.
It's taken place in many forms like
(a) Martial rate
(b) physical abuse such as beating
Acid troughing causing was disfigurement content these are cases
many in Indian society. As compare to with other countries of the world
the domestic murder also falls under the domestic violence. The other
important aspect that is relating with feminist movement is matter
related with maternity live many kinds of live Coexist with this kind of
live e.g. paternity live or be adoption live. The feminist movement also
include compains of women or equal pay rights. These also covered
women suffrage and such situations perhaps are there due to the
western intense of people those come out these privileges those are
already available in western cultural. Women's suffrage means the right
of women to vote a in election women. The next aspect that is related
with feminist movement is sexual harassment a type of harassment
technique. With implicit or explicit sexual over tone including un
welcome or in appropriate promise of reward in exchange for sexual
favor. Sexual harassment includes a range of a. From verbal
transgression to sexual abuse.
Feminist theory:
Feminist theory is a type of conflict theory that examines inequalities in
gender-related issues. It uses the conflict approach to examine the
maintenance of gender roles and uneven power relations. Radical
feminism, in particular, considers the role of the family in perpetuating
male dominance (note that “radical” means “at the root”). In patriarchal
societies, men’s contributions are seen as more valuable than those of
women. Patriarchal perspectives and arrangements are widespread and
taken for granted. As a result, women’s viewpoints tend to be silenced or
marginalized to the point of being discredited or considered invalid.
Patriarchy refers to a set of institutional structures (like property rights,
access to positions of power, relationship to sources of income) that are
based on the belief that men and women are dichotomous and unequal
categories of being. The key to patriarchy is what might be called the
dominant gender ideology toward sexual differences: the assumption
that physiological sex differences between males and females are related
to differences in their character, behavior, and ability (i.e., their gender).
These differences are used to justify a gendered division of social roles
and inequality in access to rewards, positions of power, and privilege.
The question that feminists ask therefore is: How does this distinction
between male and female, and the attribution of different qualities to
each, serve to organize our institutions (e.g., the family, law, the
occupational structure, religious institutions, the division between public
and private) and to perpetuate inequality between the sexes?.
Standpoint theory:
theory that feminist social science should be practiced from the
standpoint of women. Since the 1980s, standpoint feminists have argued
that feminism should examine how women's experience of inequality
relates to that of racism, homophobia, classism and colonization.
Intersectional Theory:
utilizes multiple identities of females (i.e. such as race, ethnicity,
sexual orientation, class, etc.) as important to understanding inequality.
intersectional theory examines multiple, overlapping identities and
social contexts (black, Latina, Asian, gay, trans, working class, poor,
single parent, working, stay-at-home, immigrant, undocumented, etc.)
and the unique, various lived experiences within these spaces.
Post-structural and postmodern:
Post-structural feminism, also referred to as French feminism, uses the
insights of various epistemological movements, including
psychoanalysis, linguistics, political theory (Marxist and post-Marxist
theory), race theory, literary theory, and other intellectual currents for
feminist concerns.
--------------------------------------
Personal Discussion:
This women movement have some affects like every new thing has its
bright or dark side so The feminist movement has effected change in
Western society, including women's suffrage; greater access to
education; more nearly equitable pay with men; the right to initiate
divorce proceedings and "no fault" divorce; and the right of women to
make individual decisions regarding pregnancy (including access to
contraceptives and abortion); as well as the right to own property.
feminism is the term derived from Europe but we have to discuss it from
religious aspects as Islamic feminism is concerned with the role of
women in Islam and aims for the full equality of all Muslims, regardless
of gender, in public and private life. Islamic feminists advocate women's
rights, gender equality, and social justice grounded in an Islamic
framework. Although rooted in Islam, the movement's pioneers have
also utilized secular and Western feminist discourses and recognize the
role of Islamic feminism as part of an integrated global feminist
movement. Advocates of the movement seek to highlight the deeply
rooted teachings of equality in the Quran and encourage a questioning of
the patriarchal interpretation of Islamic teaching through the Quran,
hadith (sayings of Muhammad), and sharia (law) towards the creation of
a more equal and just society.
____________________________________