Feminist Theory Overview

Feminist Theory Overview

• Feminist theory examines the impact of sex and gender on behavior, analyzing issues from a woman's perspective. Conflict theories developed to explain this impact
• A feminist is someone who advocates for equal rights for women; their social, political, and overall rights should equal men's
• Feminism has evolved through three waves: the first wave in the 1940s and 1950s, the second in the 1960s and 1970s, and a third wave.
• Notable feminists include Betty Friedan and Emily Murphy.

Different Types of Feminism

• Types of feminism include: Liberal, Radical, Socialist, Marxist, Lesbian, and Humanist
• Additional types include: Third Wave Feminism, Ecofeminism, and Black Feminism (Womanism)
• Liberal feminism argues that discriminatory policies place women in an inferior social class, restricting their full participation in society based on individual abilities. It advocates for expanding values of liberty, equality, and justice through legal and social reform, using legislative action. Key figures include Mary Wollstonecraft and John Stuart Mill.
• Socialist feminism believes women's inequality stems from the sexual division of paid and unpaid labor. It blends radical feminism with Marxist analysis to advocate for overthrowing both class and gender inequality systems resulting in dual oppression.
• Radical feminism argues that differences in power between men and women create exploitative male-female relationships and that men, as a group, desire to control women, resulting in societal organization around oppression.
• Multi-racial feminism recognizes that people's racial identities cause macro-level segregation that leads to oppression. Different kinds of sexism and classism affect people of color.
• Postmodern feminism believes positivism (the idea that a knowable reality exists) is false. It argues that oppression is caused by powerful people controlling language and discourse, and a focus is placed on deconstructing social reality to examine how power is wielded.
• Marxist feminism aims to liberate women by dismantling capitalism.
• Lesbian feminism critiques heterosexuality and its role in upholding male supremacy.

Discussion Points

• How has feminist theory impacted society?
• Has gender equality improved, declined, or remained the same?
• Do you agree with its core tenets?
• Does feminist theory overlook other perspectives?
• What is feminism?
• Why does the word "feminism" have a negative connotation sometimes?
• Key historical points in feminist movements (first, second, and third wave concepts)