Empowerment and Power Dynamics Quiz

Empowerment and Power Dynamics

• Empowerment is the capacity to attain power, often used in contexts where women are succeeding in traditionally male-dominated areas.
• There is little expectation that the current system will change.
• The personal is inherently political, meaning individual lives are inseparable from larger social systems.

Personal Responsibility and Systemic Change

• Individuals lack the power to independently alter the responses of others.
• The responsibility for change and attendant burdens are not solely placed on individuals but on a system as a whole.

Course Schedule Reminders

• Syllabus quiz due Monday.
• Textbook chapters are due before class.
• January 20th is a day off.
• 11 discussion boards for extra credit, due Wednesday.
• Week 1 Discussion Board requires 5 sentences for initial response and at least one response to a peer.

Upcoming Class Activities

• Read Chapter 1 of the textbook.
• Complete the syllabus quiz.
• Participate in the Week 1 discussion board.
• Analyze the film "Barbie" (2023), assessing the promotion of feminist ideas, connection to course materials, and exploration of intersectionality.

Film Review and Feminist Analysis (Student's View)

• "Barbie" (2023) effectively highlights different feminist perspectives.
• The film portrays a satirical and thought-provoking exploration of womanhood, identity, and societal expectations.
• It shows a progression from stereotypical portrayals of femininity to empowering women embracing their individuality, going beyond traditional gender norms.
• Liberal feminism (equality and individual rights) is exemplified by the film's encouragement of both men and women to pursue their goals and values.
• Intersectionality, acknowledging varied identities, is also demonstrated through the diverse characters, roles, and experiences presented.
• The film's representation of working mothers and different racial and body types enhances the inclusiveness of feminist thought.
• These themes effectively promote feminist ideals and work towards reducing sexism by showcasing and empowering women.

Feminism: Waves and Perspectives

• Post-feminism: The notion that equality has already been achieved, and feminism is no longer needed.

• Reasons for continuing feminism include the disproportionate impact of sexual violence on women, insufficient representation in government, and the importance of maintaining legal protections such as the original Supreme Court ruling on abortion.

• Wave 1 Feminism: focused on women's suffrage, with the aim of establishing fundamental rights, despite limitations such as the lack of control over sexual relationships.

• Wave 2 Feminism: occurred alongside civil rights, anti-war, and sexual revolutions and was largely defined by white middle-class women's struggles.

• Wave 3 Feminism: sought diversification, encompassing intersectionality, diverse classes, and races. The Combahee River Collective exemplifies this goal.

Feminism: Types of Feminism

• Liberal Feminism: Focuses on similarities between genders; differences are due to experiences, not inherent biology.

• Radical Feminism: Advocates for separatism and dedicated spaces for women; believes changing laws is insufficient due to deeply ingrained patriarchy. Emphasizes compulsory heterosexuality as a social construct.

• Socialist Feminism: Links gender oppression with capitalism, arguing for a system where power is constructed through work and production.

• Cultural Feminism: Emphasizes the unique values, perspectives, and experiences of women.

• Women of Color Feminism: Connects women’s inequality to white culture, promoting focus on diverse experiences and issues.

• Queer Feminism: Focuses on the construction of categories of "woman" and "man" in society.

• Post-colonial/Transnational Feminism: Challenges the notion of Western women's liberation as a global standard.

• Third world feminism: Advocates for addressing issues from diverse perspectives, rather than assuming a unified position.

Psychology and Feminism

• Early psychology (late 19th century) was heavily influenced by societal norms, mainly emphasizing white, heterosexual men.
• Challenges regarding participation impacted women's roles in this field.
• Pioneers such as Mamie Phipps Clark highlight the limitations encountered by Black women in the field.

Power, Privilege, and Social Identity

• Power: Defined as status and influence in society.
• Privilege: Social and political advantages derived from group membership.
• Social Identity: Self-perception rooted in group affiliation.
• Social Stratification: Ranking of social identities in a hierarchy, often resulting in unequal power distribution
• Intersecting Identities: Demonstrate complex access to power based on various social identities.
• Matrix of Domination: Interconnected systems of bias stemming from social stratification.
• Conferred Dominance: social assumption of power over another group.
• Legitimizing myths: attitudes, values, and beliefs that justify social hierarchies.

Gender Stereotypes and Effects

• Gender stereotypes often fall along the dimensions of communion (warmth, concern for others) and agency (assertiveness, competitiveness).

• Self-stereotyping: Acting in ways that reinforce stereotypes due to internalized beliefs.

• Stereotype Threat: Negative performance impacts resulting from awareness of stereotypes.

• Backlash Effects: Social and economic penalties for violating gender stereotypes.

• Doing Gender: Societal expectations shaping behavior.

• Overt Sexism: Easily identifiable unequal treatment of women.

• Modern Sexism: Subtle, indirect gender bias.

• Gender Microaggressions: Everyday acts of sexism.

• Ambivalent Sexism: Includes both hostile and benevolent sexism.

• Benevolent sexism: Positive stereotypes that can still reinforce inequalities.

• Gender Essentialism: Belief in inherent differences between men and women.

• Strategic Essentialism: Supporting gender essentialism to advocate for specific social causes affecting women.

Gender Differences in Studies

• Gender difference studies often reveal small, yet significant, effect sizes.
• Meta-analyses frequently show small male advantages in some math domains.
• Cohen's d is a measure of effect size, used to quantify the degree of difference between groups.