SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
DISCIPLINES AND IDEAS
IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
Quarter 2 – Module 1:
Institutionalism and Feminist
Theory
Disciplines and Ideas in the Social Sciences (DISS)
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 2 – Module 1: Institutionalism and Feminist Theory
First Edition, 2020
Republic Act 8293, section 176 states that: No copyright shall subsist in any
work of the Government of the Philippines. However, prior approval of the government
agency or office wherein the work is created shall be necessary for exploitation of such
work for profit. Such agency or office may, among other things, impose as a condition
the payment of royalties.
Borrowed materials (i.e., songs, stories, poems, pictures, photos, brand names,
trademarks, etc.) included in this module are owned by their respective copyright
holders. Every effort has been exerted to locate and seek permission to use these
materials from their respective copyright owners. The publisher and authors do not
represent nor claim ownership over them.
Published by the Department of Education
Secretary: Leonor Magtolis Briones
Undersecretary: Diosdado M. San Antonio
Development Team of the Module
Writer: Ezra May A. Corona MAT-Soc. Sci.
Editor: Daisy A. Grafil
Reviewer: Ed Vincent A. Cahulugan
Illustrator:
Layout Artist:
Management Team: Bianito Dagatan, Division Schools Superintendent, SDO- Bohol
Casiana P. Caberte, PhD, OIC-ASDS
Marina S. Salamanca, PhD, CESO VI, ASDS
Carmela M. Restificar, EPSvr. Kindergarten, OIC CID Chief
Jupiter I. Maboloc, PhD, EPS Araling Panlipunan
Josephine D. Eronico, PhD, EPSvr. LRMDS
What I Need to Know
This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help you master
the Institutionalism and Feminist Theory. The scope of this module permits it to be
used in many different learning situations. The language used recognizes the diverse
vocabulary level of students. The lessons are arranged to follow the standard
sequence of the course. But the order in which you read them can be changed to
correspond with the textbook you are now using.
In this module you will learn about:
1. The basic concepts and principles of Institutionalism and Feminist Theory
Lesson
2
Institutionalism and Feminist
Theory
Institutionalism is a general approach to
governance and social science. It concentrates
on institutions and studies them using inductive,
historical, and comparative methods (Bevir
2009).Institutions, according to AlejandriaGonzalez (2016) are patterns, routines, norms,
rules, and schemes that govern and direct social
thought and action. It is an approach that aims to
understand and analyze how actions, thoughts,
and
meanings
penetrate
the
social
consciousness deeply enough to embed
themselves into the social psyche.
Institutionalism, at its core, studies how
institutions achieve balance and stability as they
Photo credit: Word Press
manipulate their different regulative, normative,
and cognitive functions. The dynamics that happen when these three functions try to
meet or comply with environmental and organizational structures is where
institutionalism as a theory presents itself as a model for research analysis (AlejandriaGonzalez 2016).
Feminism or feminist theory, on the other
hand, studies gender and its relation to power,
and the dynamics these two concepts play out in
economics, politics, sexuality, race, and
nationality, among others. It is both a sociological
perspective and a philosophy that aims to
promotes gen der equality, social justice, and
women’s rights (Alejandria-Gonzalez 2016).
Feminism is support for equality for
women and men. It strives for gender equality.
The primary concern that tries to address is the
oppression of women in society and the
patriarchal structures of most societies. There
Photo credit: Clipartkey
are various ways to approach this theory, both
females and males who identify themselves as
feminists may disagree on many things (3G Elearning FZ LLC 2017).
What’s New
FILL ME UP!
Institutions (both formal and informal) control behavior of the society in different
aspects. On the list are basic formal and informal institutions. Categorize each
institution whether formal or informal, give a specific example and explain briefly how
it controls social behavior (PHINMA-Araullo University 2020).
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Institution
LAWS
BELIEFS
EDUCATION
GOVERNMENT
VALUES
NORMS
Type
GIVE ME MEANING!
Read the poem below and answer the questions.
I Stay at Home
by Guy Farmer
While I Stay at home
Tending to the boiling pot
On the stove, scrubbing the
Floor to a fine shine,
Example
Cleaning the streaks off the windows,
Dreaming of being in a classroom
Traveling to colorful new words.
1. What did you feel after reading the poem?
2. Give the meaning behind the poem. Write at least 4-7 sentences.
What is It
I.
INSTITUTIONALISM
Institutions
 It includes any form of constraint
(formal or informal) that human
beings devise to shape their
interaction (Arthur S. Abulencia
2017)
 “Institutions are the rules of the
game in a society; more formally,
they are the humanly devised
constraints that shape human
Photo credit: EURAC Research
interaction. In consequence they
structure incentives in exchange
whether political, social, or economic” (North 1991)
 They are also social political, economic, and cultural structures, customs,
practices, and mechanisms of social cooperation, order and governance that
determine the rules of games that govern the behavior of individuals.
Institutions are manifest in both formal organizations and informal social order
and organization (Arthur S. Abulencia 2017).
Features of Institutions
• Institutions are a structural feature of the society or polity. They are created with
the only reason: decrease uncertainty.
• Stable over time.
• They must pose constraints and affect individual behavior of its members.
Institutionalism as defined by Abulencia, et al (2017) is a method by which
scholars take institutions as subject of study to find and trace patterns and sequences
of social, political, economic behavior and change across time and space. It relies
heavily on case studies, and most of these studies rely heavily on the study of formal
institutions or formal rules. Moreover, they were highly normative and deterministic,
such as the linearity of history as Hegel, Marx and others did. Marx’s arguments relied
on “social class”, Weber on “bureaucracy”, Durkheim on “the division of labor”, which
identifies it as the sole determination of social changes.
Types of Institutionalism
1. Old institutionalism- characterized itself by legalism, structuralism, holism,
historicism, and normative analysis (Peters 1999).
2. New institutionalism- avoids the deterministic approaches to history and
emphasizes the autonomous role of institutions in shaping human behavior and
history. Institutions are treated as “actors” making choices based on some
“collective” interests, preferences, goals, alternatives, and expectations. This is
referred to as “rationality”
Contemporary approaches to Institutionalism
1. Historical Institutionalism- the actors are both determined by and are
producers of history. Ellen Immergut (1998) recognizes that institutions operate
in environment consisting of other institutions, called institutional environment.
Much of the research deals with the influence of institutions on human behavior
through rules, norms, and another framework. Moreover, it is path dependence.
2. Rational Choice Institutionalism- explains behavior of individuals by
emphasizing how institutions can create situations in which rational
choice/collective action paradoxes are resolved. It relies on the assumption of
actors will act rationally in response to this structure of costs and benefits, and
seek to maximize their utility while minimizing costs (Arthur S. Abulencia 2017).
3. Sociological Institutionalism- behavior can be explained by reference
institutions whose form and structure are importantly influenced by culture as
well as by function, with “culture” referencing symbols, ceremonies, etc., that
are specific to modes of activities not just territorial regions (Arthur S. Abulencia
2017).
FORMAL AND INFORMAL INSTITUTIONS
Formal organizations, generally
identified as “institutions,” may be
deliberately and intentionally created by
people in society to satisfy basic needs for
existence. The development and function
of institutions in general may seem
universal in all society. Institutions develop
and function in a pattern similar of social
organizations but cover a more defined
Photo credit: Kissclipart
and focused goal and have a larger scope
of operation, which goes beyond the conscious intentions of the individual humans
involved (Myla M. Arcinas 2016).
Informal institutions play
major roles that affect the formal
institutions in society. Examples of
these
are
non-governmental
organizations,
community
organization s, foundations and/or
people’s organizations that can affect
the political or economic landscape of
a given society. Informal institutions
have set rules that are also anchored
on the formal institutions, but there are
informal institutions that aim to
challenge rules or norms of formal
institutions (Myla M. Arcinas 2016).
Photo credit: Matthias Rauterberg
INSTITUTIONALISM
Institutions are social structures that have attained a high degree of resilience.
They are composed of cultural-cognitive, normative, and regulative elements that,
together with associated activities and resources, provide stability and meaning to
social life.
Institutions provide the rules, guidelines, and structure needed to carry out
everyday activities. The main job of an institution is to regulate three parts of the
society: economy, politics, and ideologies (PHINMA-Araullo University 2020).
FORMAL INSTITUTIONS
INFORMAL INSTITUTIONS
are those officially established in one
way or another, often by the
uoe
government like; Family, Education,
Church,
Laws,
Constitution,
Government
are not officially established but
are practices commonly accepted
throughout society. Beliefs, Norms,
Values
Theorists of Institutionalism
David Mitrany
Father of Functionalism in international relations which is
classified under liberal institutionalism. Functionalism, as applied
to the study of states, proposes an alternative territorialism, which
is the foundation from which states derive their power of authority
from territory. Functionalism explains that a state’s authority lies in
function needs, and the ability to provide those needs. It sees
scientific knowledge and technological advancements as sources
of authority from which the state can derive its power. Territory
then becomes negligible and focuses instead on expertise and the
Photo credit: Ena Limebeek
ability to produce what is needed by the people or other states (Alejandria-Gonzalez
2016).
Jean Monnet
One of the originators of the European Union, he saw how
the needs of the state are to be achieved through the principle of
supranationality. As Mitrany argued against territory being the
source of authority, Monnet used the argument to erase country
borderlines (Alejandria-Gonzalez 2016).
Photo credit: CVCE.EU
Stephen Krasner
Krasner argues that the American government and nongovernment organizations should prioritize the stabilization of
weakened states so that American interests would be
protected. To address the continued deterioration of weaker
states, he suggests creation of institutions that will allow the
weaker states to enter a market democracy. Krasner sees the
foreign policies and other political objectives of America as a
Photo credit: Hoover
direct reflection of the US president’s agenda and goals.
Institution
Krasner also argued that the formal institutions of the US come from the decisions
made by the president, but bureaucratic processes convey the idea that many people
decided on these matters and not just the president. He holds that the president’s
power to control, manipulate, and create policies is seemingly perceived as being
dissipated by the bureaucratic machinery (Alejandria-Gonzalez 2016).
II.
FEMINIST THEORY
Photo credit: Sara Nassif
 Gender Roles are acquired via the process of socialization rather than
biologically determined.
 Gender Ideology- a social belief that supports gender inequality. It is a social
divide that establishes perceived roles for men and women and relegating them
to specific roles. Some gender ideologies include women staying at home while
men go to work, and women being more delicate, emotional, and nurturing
compared to men who are more aggressive, assertive, and dominant.
 Gender Inequality- the actualization or realization of gender ideology. There is
gender inequality when the perceived role of women subordination to men
reflects hiring procedures and requirements; for example, a secretarial post
accepting only female applicants. Salaries are also unequal when it comes to
men and women.
 Feminism can be used to describe a political, cultural, or economic movement
aimed at establishing equal rights and legal protection for women. It 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 (Arthur S. Abulencia
2017).
According to Maggie Humm (1997) and Rebecca Walker (1995), the history of
feminism can be divided into three waves. Each movement addressed a particular
issue, which women struggles with at that time, thus:
1. The first wave of feminism took place during the 19th and early 20th centuries,
which challenged the legal issues concerning women. Women at that time
surrendered their properties to their husbands, were not allowed to hold public
office, and were not given the rights of suffrage. It was only during the 1920s
that women first voted in America. Women also advocated their right to choose
their own profession. When World War I went in full swing, men were sent to
battlefields, leaving the women to take on factory jobs. This development
showed that women were as productive as men in the workforce.
2. The second wave of feminism began during the 1960s up to the 1990s and
was born out of the civil rights’ movement. The primary issues that this
movement tried to address was of sexual equality and reproductive rights.
Unlike the first wave movement, the second wave movement encompassed
women of all economic classes, races, and nationalities. With Marxism
incorporated in feminism, women were a social class fighting a social conflict.
The second wave thus included all women in its advocacy and not just white
women of the middle class. This advocacy showed that race, gender, and color
were struggles that were interrelated in society. The second wave also
distinguished sex (biological) from gender (social construct). Finally, this
movement saw “feminine” objects such as bras, lipsticks, and high heels as
forms of male oppression and an objectification of women. The advocates of
this movement, believing that the objectification of women was most evident in
beauty pageants, parodied the Miss America pageant and crowned a sheep as
the title holder.
3. The third wave of feminism began in the late 1980’s and continues until today.
Feminists from the third wave do not consider “feminine” objects as artifacts of
male oppression, but also tools to enrich their femininity. For the movers of this
third wave, a woman does not have to pretend like a man or hold herself from
putting on makeup just to be treated equals. Women continuously advocate for
their right to individuality in whatever form or shape. This advocacy rues the
blame-the-victim practice in which sexually harassed women are treated as sex
objects and are blamed because of what they wear and because they put on
makeup.
Feminist Theory Suggests:
➢ Attempts to develop a comprehensive account of the subordination of women,
including it supposes essence and origin.
➢ A prerequisite for developing effective strategies to liberate women
➢ Identifies the underlying causes of women subordination
➢ Attempts to describe women’s oppression, explain its causes and
consequences
Feminist Theory Purposes
 To understand the power differential in between men and women
 To understand women’s oppression- how it evolved, how it changes over time,
how it is related to other forms of oppression
 How to overcome oppression
Goals of Feminism
1. Complete equality of men and women
a. Social equality
b. Economic equality
c. Political equality
2. Complete equality regardless of actual
or perceived sexual orientation or
sexual identity
a. Social equality
b. Economic equality
c. Political equality
3. Elimination of all forms of established
Photo credit:Fly Clipart
hierarchy, particularly mandatory and
enforced Patriarchy. This may include
the following:
a. Capitalism
b. Oppressive aspects religion
c. Racial supremacy and all racism
d. The current public education system
e. Dominionism
f. All government that does not recognized equal voting rights to all its
people
g. Other oppression such as ageism and lookism
h. Oppression of non-human animals and the destruction of the earth
i. All authoritarianism
Types of Feminism
1. Gender Differences
It examines how women’s location in, and experience of, social institutions
differ from men. For example, cultural feminists look to the different values
associated with womanhood and femininity as a reason why men and women
experience the social world differently (3G Elearning FZ LLC 2017).
2. Gender Oppression
Gender oppression is the individual acts
of abuse and violence, patterns of
power and control, and systems of
abuse and violence perpetrated against
women and girls due to their gender.
This includes state-sponsored violence,
the effects of imperialism and capitalism
on our material, social, and spiritual
conditions; corporate violence; media
violence; workplace violence; and
violence at the level of family and
intimate relations (Gender Oppression,
Abuse, Violence 2005).
Photo credit: PNGkit
Theories of gender oppression go
further than theories of gender differences and gender inequality by arguing
that not only are women different from or unequal to men, but that they are
actively oppressed, subordinated, and even abused by men (3G Elearning FZ
LLC 2017).
3. Structural Oppression
It postulates that women’s oppression and inequality are a result of capitalism,
patriarchy, and racism (3G Elearning FZ LLC 2017).
4. Feminism and Multiculturalism
Though the feminist perspective focuses on diversity and liberation, it has been
accused of being incompatible with multiculturalist policy. Multiculturalism
aims to allow cultures to reside together, as district enclaves within extensively
Western societies with national borders. One possible consequence of
multiculturalism is that certain religious or traditional practices are
objectionable to human rights and ought to be criminalized on those grounds
(3G Elearning FZ LLC 2017).
Thinkers of Feminism
Jane Flax in Women Do Theory and Thinking Fragments (1990)
 “Within Feminist theory is a commitment to change oppressive structures and
to connect abstract ideas with concrete problems for political action. There has
to be a commitment to do something about the situation of women”
 The goal of feminist theories is to analyze gender: how gender is constituted
and experienced and how we think-or equally important-do not think about it.
Marilyn Frye in The Possibility of Feminist Theory (1996)
 Connects feminist generalizing to hearing each other into speech. “The
experiences of each woman and of the women collectively generate a new web
of meaning.” Frye’s feminist method is recognizing and naming patterns,
identifying schemas. A pattern for instance is male dominance in conversations
 The task of feminist theory is to write a new encyclopedia entitled “The World
According to Women”
Bettina Aptheker in Tapestries of Life (1989)
 A bottom up approach that look for the meanings of the daily activities of
women’s lives
 By discovering and connecting meanings, feminists develop a “map” of
women’s reality from women’s point of view, a women’s standpoint.
 Women’s live are fragmented, dispersed, episodic and often determined by
events outside of women’s control.
Charlotte Bunch in Feminism and Education: Not By Degrees (1979)
 “Theory enables us to see immediate needs in terms of long-range goals and
an overall perspective on the world. It thus gives us a framework for evaluating
various strategies in both the long and the short run for seeing the types of
changes that they are likely to produce. Theory is not just a body of facts or a
set of personal opinions. Theory is not just a body of facts or a set of opinions.
It involves hypotheses that are based on available knowledge and experience.
It is also dependent on conjecture and insight about how to interpret those facts
and experiences and their significance”
Mary Wollstonecraft in Vindication of the Rights of Women (2008)
 She advocated that the human rights written by John Locke also be accorded
to women. Although Locke’s human rights did not discriminate sexes, their
application during that time was relegated only to men. Wollstonecraft thus
argued that women should have the right to life, property, pursuit of happiness,
and suffrage.
Adrienne Rich in Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence (1980)
 Rich defined how heterosexuality becomes an alienating and oppressing
concept that only lends to the establishment of male dominance over women.
Rich defined being a lesbian as more than a sexual preference, but a
cumulative lived experience of women and their history.
Photo credit: Phillweb
Jane Flax
Photo credit: Nick Romanenko
Charlotte Bunch
Photo credit: Alchetron
Photo credit: PeoplePill
Marilyn Frye
Bettina Aptheker
Photo credit: DEA PICTURE
LIBRARY
Photo credit: The Journal
Mary Wollstonecraft
Adrienne Rich
National and Local Organization Advocates
1. The General Assembly Binding Women for
Reforms, Integrity, Equality, Leadership, and
Action (GABRIELA)- an organization that
advocates for women's issues. It is a nationwide
network of grassroots organizations, institutions,
Photo credit: Wikipedia
and programs that address issues such as
human rights, poverty, globalization, militarism,
violence, rape culture, health, sex trafficking, censorship and other issues affecting
women
2. Junior Chamber International (JCI) Boholana
Kisses is an all women-LGBTQ chapter of JCI
Philippines. Its’ mission is to contribute to the
advancement of the global community by
providing young people the opportunity to
develop
the
leadership
skills,
social
responsibility, entrepreneurship, and fellowship
necessary to create positive change (Global NonProfit Organization n.d.).
Photo credit: JCI Boholana Kisses
3. Baji Arts Collective- is an all-Boholana multigenre, multi-discipline arts alliance advocating
for the creation of positive spaces for women to
nurture their creative expressions and
aspirations.
Photo credit: Baji Arts Collective
What I Have Learned
Directions: Answer the following:
A. Place each keyword below in its right category (PHINMA-Araullo University
2020).
FORMAL INSTITUTIONS
INFORMAL INSTITUTIONS
Established by the government commonly accepted
universal in function
challenge rule
deliberately created
larger in scope
Defined and focused goal
non-government orgs
rules anchored on formal institutions
B. Cite as many instances as possible or situations showing discrimination against
women (or men).
At Home
In School
Community
What I Can Do
Task: Apply It in Real Life
A. Direction: Imagine yourself as someone who has a position in the society, your task
to help a failing livelihood in your community due to the Global Pandemic. Your
goal is to study the marketing strategies of the most popular livelihood you know
and develop a marketing campaign for your client that could help it boost its sales.
Your campaign proposal could be presented in whichever medium (audiovisual,
collage, print, advertisement) you deem relevant. Your work will be evaluated
based on its feasibility and creativity.
Rubrics:
Relevance
Presentation
Creativity
Feasibility
-
25
20
30
25
100Pts
B. As a student, how can we stop Gender-based abuse that is happening in our
community?
Photo credit: US Embassy in Cyprus
Assessment
Multiple Choice. Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a
separate sheet of paper.
1. What is new about the new institutionalism?
A. It sees institutions as autonomous actors.
B. It emphasizes that institutions are not value-neutral.
C. It includes informal norms or rules as well as formal institutions.
D. All of the these
2. Which type of new institutionalism focuses on the costs, opportunities, and
constraints that institutions create for actors?
A. Historical Institutionalism
C. Sociological Institutionalism
B. Rational Choice Institutionalism
D. All of these
3. Which form of new institutionalism is path dependence associated with?
A. Historical Choice Institutionalism
C. Sociological Institutionalism
B. Rational Choice Institutionalism
D. All of these
4. ___________________ suggests the creation of institutions that will allow the
weaker states to enter a market democracy.
A. David Mitrany
C. Jane Flax
B. Jean Monnet
D. Stephen Krasner
5. The following are examples of Formal Institution, except:
A. Beliefs
B. Constitution
C. Education
D. Laws
6. Which of the following are purposes of Feminist Theory?
I. How to overcome oppression.
II. To understand that there is no power differential in between men and
women.
III. To understand women’s oppression- how it evolved, how it changes over
time, how it is related to other forms of oppression.
IV. Identifies the underlying causes of women subordination.
A. I & II only
B. I & III only
C. I,II, III only
D. II, III, IV only
7. This includes state-sponsored violence, the effects of imperialism and capitalism
on our material, social, and spiritual conditions; corporate violence; media violence;
workplace violence; and violence at the level of family and intimate relations.
A. Gender-Biased
C. Gender Oppression
B. Gender Differences
D. Structural Oppression
8. It is a bottom up approach that look for the meanings of the daily activities of
women’s lives.
A. Tapestries of Life
B. The Possibility of Feminist Theory
C. Feminism and Education: Not by Degrees
D. Women Do Theory and Thinking Fragments
9. The main goal of feminism is to:
A. Change voting behavior.
B. Influence the government.
C. Protect women from alienation.
D. Change the patriarchal nature of society.
10. What wave does not consider “feminine” objects as artifacts of male oppression,
but also tools to enrich their femininity?
A. First Wave B. Second Wave
C. Third Wave
D. Fourth Wave
Answer Key
Assessment
1. D
2. B
3. A
4. D
5. A
6. B
7. C
8. A
9. D
10.C
What’s New
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Formal
Informal
Formal
Formal
Informal
Informal