Feminism - Notes

Political Science

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Introduction
Feminism is a movement as well as an ideology that represents efforts to achieve the objective of equality, dignity, rights, emancipation and empowerm
Feminist thoughts have been available in Political Domain since the 18th century, but as a political Ideology it received acceptance during the twentieth

Origins and Evolution

The first text of modern feminism was developed by Mary Wollstonecraft’s Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792).

By the mid-nineteenth century, the women’s movement was initiated in the U.S.A. Seneca Falls Convention (1848) marked the birth of the momen

The National Woman's Suffrage Association, led by Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, was set up in 1869.

Waves of Feminism

Key Components of Feminism

Patriarchy
The term literally means 'rule by the father' (pater meaning father in Latin).
Feminists describe dominance of the husband-father within it. It reproduces male dominance in all other walks of life, in education, at work and in poli
and generational oppression, according to Kate Millet.

The Sexual Division of Labour

They have been concerned to analyze what can be called 'the politics of everyday life.'

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This includes the process of conditioning in the family, the distribution of housework and the politics of personal and sexual conduct.

Personal is Political
The most important theme of feminist thought is to redefine the word ‘Political’
Politics has usually been understood as an activity that takes place within a ‘public sphere’ of government institutions, political parties, pressure group
part of a ‘private sphere’ and therefore to be non-political.
Modern feminists insist that politics is an activity that takes place within all social groups and is not merely confined to the affairs of government or ot
found.
Feminist therefore challenge the divide between ‘public man’ and ‘private women’ and proclaim that ‘the personal is political’. Women oppression is als
needs to redefine the scope of the word “Political”.

Sex and Gender

The most common of all anti-feminist arguments is that biology is destiny and women subordination is biologically correct. Feminist have traditionally
between sex and gender. Sex refers to biological differences between females and males as natural and therefore unalterable. Gender thus is a cultural t
As Simon de Beauvoir pointed out, ‘Women are made, they are not born.’
Types of Feminism

1. Liberal Feminist
2. Radical Feminist
3. Socialist Feminist

Liberal Feminism
Early feminism, particularly the ‘first wave’ of women’s movement, was deeply influenced by the ideas and values of liberalism.
Mary Wollstonecraft argued that women should be entitled to the same rights and privileges as men on the ground that they are ‘human beings.
The philosophical basis of liberal feminism lies in the principle of individualism, a belief that the human individual is all important and therefore that all
equality and equal rights were chief concerns.
Key proponents – Mary Wollstonecraft, J S Mill , Betty Friedan, Carole Pateman etc.

Betty Friedan

A Liberal Feminist Thinker

Most Famous Books:
The Feminine Mystique (1963)
The Second Stage (1981)
Beyond Gender (1997)
She is considered as the inspiration behind the Second Wave of Feminism (1960-1980s).
She coined the term "the feminine mystique" to describe the sense of dissatisfaction and unfulfillment experienced by many women who were limited
Problem with the "happy housewife" myth: Friedan argued that the prevailing cultural narrative of the "happy housewife" myth was a form of societal
intellectual potential.
The importance of work and identity: Friedan emphasized the importance of women's participation in the workforce as a means of gaining economic
Friedan argued that the narrow confines of the feminine mystique had a detrimental impact on women's mental health. Many women felt trapped and
a questioning of their sanity. Friedan called for women to reject the feminine mystique and seek personal fulfillment through education, career opport

Socialist Feminism
The central theme of socialist feminism is that patriarchy can only be understood in the light of social and economic factors.
For socialist feminist, sexual oppression is every bit as important as class exploitation.
The ‘bourgeois family’ is patriarchal and oppressive because men wish to ensure that their property will be passed on only to their sons.
The core goal of socialist feminism was to restructure economic life to achieve gender equality.
Key Proponent - Charles Fourier, Friedrich Engels, August Bebel, Juliet Mitchells, Sheila Row Botham.

Radical Feminism
The central feature of radical feminism is the belief that sexual oppression is the most fundamental feature of society and other forms of injustice- cla
Radical feminism wanted to reshape society entirely, they refer to Patriarchy as a systematic, institutionalized and pervasive process of gender oppres
Female liberation thus requires a sexual revolution in which these structures are overthrown and replaced.
Radical feminism seeks radical transformation of all spheres of life.
Key Proponent – Virginia Woolf, Simon de Beauvoir, Shulamith Firestone, Kate Millett, Germaine Greer, Eva Figes etc.

Simone de Beauvoir
A Radical Feminist Thinker
Most Famous Book:
The Second Sex (1949)

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The Women Destroyed (1967)

The Ethics of Ambiguity (1947)
In ‘The Second Sex’ book, Beauvoir argues that women, throughout history, have always been subordinated and treated as the “other.”
She rightly points out in her work, “One is not born a woman but becomes one.”
Notion of Femininity - According to Beauvoir, femininity is not inherent to a woman and is, the result of social and cultural construction.
De Beauvoir argues that women were always treated like dolls. Since they are kids, they are incessantly given lectures, by their family or society, to beh
other men, and hence women end up objectifying themselves just like the man does to them.
According to Beauvoir, if a woman wants to free herself off this patriarchal bondage, she has to first realise that all her feminine characteristics are soc
woman can, live a free life with complete agency and not a life of being treated like an accessory of man.

Black feminism

Black feminism centers the experiences of Black women, understanding their position in relation to racism, sexism and classism as well as other social
The core goal of black feminism is to counter interconnected racial, gender and class structures.
According to Bell Hooks, Race, gender, and class discrimination are all aspects of the same system of hierarchy, which she named as "imperialist white
Key Proponent – Sojourner Truth, Anna Julia Cooper, Bell Hooks etc.

Transfeminism
Transfeminism mainly advocates the rights of transgender, especially transwomen, to identify as their preferred gender rather than the one they were
Its central theme is rejection of the binary conception of gender.
Key Thinkers - Emi Koyama, Sandy Stone etc.

Post Feminism
Post feminism started during the 1980s.
Post-feminism counters the classical feminist idea of considering women as a victim of patriarchy. It recommends that women need to plan a greater
Key Thinkers - Camille Paglia, Naomi Wolf etc.

Postcolonial feminism:
Postcolonial feminism, also known as Third World feminism, draws on postcolonialism, which deliberates experiences undergone during colonialism, includ
race, gender, place and responses to the influential discourses of imperial Europe." Postcolonial feminism focusses on racism, ethnic issues, and the long-la
bound up with the unique gendered realities of non-White non-Western women.

Western feminists universalize the issues of females, thereby eliminating social classes and ethnic identities, reinforcing homophobia, and disregarding the
application of Orientalism. Some postcolonial feminists disparage radical and liberal feminism and some, such as Chandra Talpade Mohanty, criticized West
feminists, such as Angela Davis and Alice Walker, share this view.

List of Important Books and Authors

A Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792) – Mary Wollstonecraft
Subjection of Women (1869) – J S Mill
The origins of the family, Private and the state (1884) - Friedrich Engels
The Second Sex (1949) - Simon de Beauvoir
The Feminine Mystique (1963) – Betty Friedan
The Second State (1983) – Betty Friedan
The Dialectic of Sex (1970) - Shulamith Firestone
Sexual Politics (1970) – Kate Millett
The Female Eunuch (1970) - Germaine Greer
Patriarchal attitudes (1970)- Eva Figes
Sex and Destiny (1985) - Germaine Greer
Feminist Theory of the State (1989) - Catherine A. Mackinnon
Sexual Contract (1988) – Carole Patman
Public Man, Private Women (1981) - Jean Bethke Elshtain
Women, Resistance and Revolution (1972) – Sheila Rowbotham
Feminine Sexuality (1985) – Juliet Mitchell
Ain't I a Woman - Sojourner Truth Famous Speech published as book
Ain't I a Woman? Black Women and Feminism (1981)- Bell Hook

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SUBJECT | Political Science