SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION

AND EDUCATIONAL
ADMINISTRATION

FEMINISM
CHIGERWE, W.
 QUESTIONS
Assess the assertion that
gender equality is reverse
discrimination.
Gender equality is a myth.
Discuss.
Analyse the view that feminists
are fighting a losing battle.
 FEMINISM
• Giddens (2009) defines feminism as
the struggle to defend & expand the
rights of women
• is the advocacy for equal opportunity
for women & men in all spheres of life
• there are different versions of
feminism
• sexism is a belief in traditional gender
role stereotypes & in inequality
between men & women
 FEMINISM HISTORICAL
DEVELOPMENT
• borrows from Marxism
• dates back to 18thC in Europe
• Feminists were then challenging
patriarchal ideologies of society
(Sadovnik, 2011)
 History
• World Wars left women taking up
jobs usually meant for men
• USA: related to the abolition of
slavery
• Britain: 1877 National Society for
Women’s Suffrage
 History
• In the world, women fighting for:
 economic equality
 availability of abortion
 divorce laws
 education
 GENERAL FEMINIST VIEWS

• major division between men &

women
• women are exploited by men
• men monopolise positions of
power
• society is patriarchal
 Feminist Views
• men have the most power in
families & get:
 better-paying jobs
 better statuses
• end men’s domination & the
exploitation of women
• seek gender equality
 FEMINIST THEORIES
1. RADICAL FEMINISM
• sees society as patriarchal
• blames women exploitation on
men
• concerned with women’s rights
rather than equality
• gynocentric (emphasises female
interests)
 Radical
• family oppresses & exploits
women today
• calls for revolution to liberate
women
• Shulasmith Firestone blames
biology & giving birth
• Mary Daly (1978) blames male
aggression
 Radical groups
Separatist feminists
• want women to organise alone
Female supremacists
• say women are better than & morally
superior to men
• men cause oppression, exploitation,
conflict, war, environmental
destruction & abuse of science
 Radical Feminism criticism

• blames men
• says women are good & men are
bad
• believe men are the enemy
• they’re untrustworthy as fathers,
friends, lovers and leaders
 2. MARXIST-SOCIALIST FEMINISM

• does not blame men entirely for

women exploitation
• blames capitalism as source of
women’s exploitation
• capitalists benefit from women’s
unpaid work as:
 housewives
 mothers reproducing new labour
force for free
 Marxist-socialists
• women do not own MOP, so
working class & women to
collaborate
• wants revolutionary change to
establish a communist society
where:
MOP is communally owned
gender inequalities disappear
 Marxist-socialist criticism
• is less radical but focuses on class
inequality & economic factors
• ignores:
culture
violence
sexuality
race & ethnicity
• not much gained from communist
& socialist regimes
 3. LIBERAL FEMINISM
• has unclearly defined views of
gender inequalities
• enjoys greatest popular support
• has moderate views
• its views pose less challenge to
existing values
 Liberal
• wants gradual change in the
political, economic & social
systems
• nobody benefits from gender
inequalities
• blames culture & attitudes of
individuals, not institutions
• aims at creating equal
opportunities, especially in
education
 Liberal
• pursues equality via legislation&
attitudinal change
• fights sexism & stereotyping of
women & men from children’s
books & mass media
• works with all progressive
members
• men & women similar as
humanity
 Liberal criticism
• is least radical & most supported
• promotes gender mainstreaming
(inclusion of feminist ideas in
institutions)
• focuses on public life instead of
private life
• ignores institutional sources of
inequality
 4. African feminism &
postcolonial feminism
• Sojourner Truth, Afro-American
woman, campaigned for African
women right to vote
• blamed inequality on physical
inferiority
 African/postcolonial cont’d
• slavery shaped the position of
African women
• most feminist theories
suppressed African women’s
ideas
 POSTCOLONIAL FEMINISM

• gender inequalities resulted from

colonialism in developing
countries
• inequalities link to persisting
attitudes on race & ethnicity
• fight over how their differences
are perceived by those in power
 African/Postcolonial Criticism
African feminism:
• emphasises race/ethnicity
ignoring class or sexuality.
• Ignores oppression experienced
by white women.
Postcolonial feminism
• overemphasises colonialism in
shaping gender differences &
inequalities.
 SEX & GENDER DISTINCTIONS

Sex
• natural biological differences
between men & women (in
reproductive organs)
• difficult to change (born
male/female)
• found in history & across cultures
• policies respond to sex differences
in areas to do with the physical
body
 Sex & gender

Gender
• the culturally, socially-
constructed differences between
men & women
• is the way society encourages &
teaches the sexes to behave in
different ways through
socialisation
 Sex & gender
• changeable since gender identity
is determined by society
• historically & in different
societies, gender roles are
different
• policies can respond to gender
stereotyping & traditional gender
roles
N.B. sex & gender are closely
linked but not synonymous
EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS
• help us to understand:
 the significance of gender
relations
the role of education as a means
address gender disparities
• both boys & girls deserve equal
treatment as humans
 Implications cont’d
• Women’s right to independent
existence & education is
confronted by ‘Wollstonecraft’s
dilemma.’
• the dilemma is whether women
should ask for the same or
different treatment to men in life
generally and in education
specifically.
 Implications cont’d
• Education to promote women, e.g.
MTC’s constitution for the SRC
states that:
1. at least 1/3 of SRC to be women
2. the posts of Vice President,
The Secretary for Gender Affairs
& The Treasurer are reserved
for ladies.
 Implications cont’d
• Gender neutral terms to be
promoted in books and mass
media, e.g. chairperson instead of
chairman, school head for
headmaster etc.
• Both sexes to participate in all
classroom activities [sweeping,
moving furniture].
• Gendered subject allocation to be
discouraged in schools.
 Implications cont’d
• Education to promote gender
balance as enshrined in the
Constitution of Zimbabwe
Amendment (No. 20) Act 2013
Chapter 2 National Objectives
Section 17 by allowing full
participation of the girl child in
school activities.
• This includes allowing girls to lead,
play women soccer, study science
among others.
 Cont’d
• encourage girls to:
 be explorative
dress properly to overcome
hindrance to certain activities
(track suits or shorts)
• provide female models who
overcame discrimination [real,
pictures or films].
 REFERENCES [33]

• Sadovnik, A. R.(Ed) (2011) Sociology of

Education……..

• Haralambos, M. , Holborn, M. , Chapman, S. and

Moore, S. (2013), Sociology: Themes and
Perspectives, ……….

• Renzett and Curran (1998) ……http://……

 Refs END [34]
• Constitution of Zimbabwe (No. 20) Act 2013
Chapter 2, National Objectives Section 17
Gender Balance (p 19-20). Harare: Fidelity
Printers.

• Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture and

UNICEF (2000) Gender Resource Book for
Teachers. Harare : MESC and UNICEF.