Topic 1: Historical Development Supposing that Truth is a woman what then? Is there not ground for suspecting that all philosophers, in so far as they have been dogmatists, have failed to understand women – that the terrible seriousness and clumsy importunity with which they have usually paid their addresses to Truth, have been unskilled and unseemly methods for winning a woman? Certainly she has never allowed herself to be won… - Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil Objectives • Understand the historical roots of the women’s movement • Differentiate the three waves of feminism • Appreciate the role of feminism in shaping one’s understanding of gender studies Coverage • Definition of terms: patriarchy, women’s movement, feminism • From Antiquity to the Age of Reason • First Wave Feminism • Second Wave Feminism • Third Wave Feminism Definition of Terms Patriarchy: society in which authority, value, and social order are consolidated in male lineage: Fathers pass authority, property to sons • Not universal, but widely prevalent in the world’s cultures – social hierarchies • Women in patriarchy: wives are properties of the husbands, daughters are properties of the fathers; no voting rights, no right to own properties or to receive education; the role of women is confined to the home and family Definition of Terms Women’s Movement – or women’s organizing was not, in general, in the late 60s and early 70s, called feminism. It refers to a movement for increased participation by women in social and political life or a movement which negotiated the relative and shared positions men and women were to occupy in the social, political, and economic order (Delmar, 1986). Definition of Terms Feminism – French philosopher and utopian socialist Charles Fourier (1837) coined the term, “féminisme” which means a new world order based on cooperative autonomy for men and women alike; all work should be open to women, according to their individual skills, interest, and aptitudes, and that their contribution – free from patriarchal oppression “ADVOCACY OF WOMEN’S RIGHTS” Definition of Terms Feminism – as used in the UK and the US during the early feminism waves means “a movement that aimed to achieve legal, economic, and social equality between the sexes, and to end sexism and the oppression of women by men” Today, feminism is a wide range of social movements and ideologies based on asserting women’s rights; collective activism for legal, economic, and social equality between the sexes; and the belief that women should have rights and opportunities equal to those of men Definition of Terms Waves – Sociologists identify three main “waves,” or time periods, of feminism. Each wave has been triggered by specific catalysts, although some view the metaphor is problematic, reducing each wave to a single goal when feminism is a constantly evolving movement with a wide spectrum of aims. Women in the Roman Empire In general, women in the Roman Empire lived with the following: 1. No formal education (if any, only basic literacy) 2. No formal legal/civic rights or means to go to court. 3. Arranged marriages at a young age. 4. Could be divorced for any reason. 5. Expected to take care of the home. 6. Bear and raise all children. 7. Could not inherit except under strict terms. 8. Subject to male guardianship. 9. If widowed, at the mercy of her family for sustenance. 10. Could work only with a male relative’s permission. 11. Did not travel except with a male relative or husband. 12. Could not negotiate contracts. 13. Could NOT bear witness in a legal court. From Antiquity to the Age of Reason Middle Ages Middle Ages Marguerite Porete Early Modern Feminism: Christine de Pizan, The Book of the City of Ladies Early Modern Feminism: Important Thinker Marie de Gournay Marie Gouze or Olympe de Gouges The Subjection of Women (1869) is an essay by philosopher and political economist John Stuart Mill. Mill argues in favor of legal and social equality between men and women. He writes that ‘the legal subordination of one sex to the other’ is ‘wrong in itself, and now one of the chief hindrances to human improvement’ (p. 1). It was widely believed that women were more emotional than rational, and did not have the intellectual capabilities of men. Mill argues that if women seem emotional, passive and apolitical, it is because they have been brought up to be so. Mill insists that until society treats men and women equally, it will be impossible to know the natural abilities of women, or whether there are inherent differences between the sexes. First Wave Feminism (1918 - 1920) Triggering Conditions: Age of Reason and Revolution, esp. American and French (1770s – 1790s); articulation on the rights of man (and the rights of woman); Mary Wollstonecraft, Vindication of the Rights of Woman Goals: dominated the feminist agenda in the US and Europe in the mid-19th century, and arose from the same libertarian principles as the drive to abolish slavery Early feminists (mainly educated, white, middle-class women): • Voting rights • Equal access to education and work • Equal rights in marriage First Wave Feminism (1918 - 1920) The End of the First Wave: • 7 decades after the Seneca Falls Convention, women (in the US) were afforded the right to vote in the ratification of the 19 th Amendment Second Wave Feminism (1960s – 1980s) Triggering Conditions: World War II (1939 – 1945); the feminist writings of the period influenced the rise of the Second Wave: Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex (1949), Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique (1963) The Second Sex (Le Deuxième Sexe, 2 vol.) – The central thesis of the book is that since patriarchal times, • women have in general been forced to occupy a secondary place in the world in relation to men. • This secondary standing is not imposed by natural ‘feminine’ characteristics but rather by strong environmental forces of educational and social tradition under the purposeful control of men • This resulted in the general failure of women to take place of human dignity as free and independent existents, associated with men on a plane of intellectual and professional equality, a condition that not only has limited their achievement in many fields but also has given rise to pervasive social (Parshley, 1953) Second Wave Feminism (1960s – 1980s) The Feminine Mystique • describes the pervasive dissatisfaction among women in mainstream American society in the post-World War II period • Feminine mystique is coined to describe the societal assumption that women could find fulfillment through housework, marriage, sexual passivity, and child rearing alone. • Prevailing attitudes held that “truly feminine” women had no desire for higher education, careers, or a political voice; rather, they found complete fulfillment in the domestic sphere. • Friedan, however, noted that many housewives were unsatisfied with their lives but had difficulty articulating their feelings. Friedan deemed that unhappiness and inability to live up to the feminine mystique the “problem that has no name.” Second Wave Feminism (1960s – 1980s) 1. New slogan: The personal is political; focuses on women’s experiences within the family, in sexual relationship and at work 2. Women identified that the legal rights gained during the First Wave had not led to any real improvement in their everyday lives, and they shifted their attention to reducing inequality in areas from the workplace to the family to speaking candidly about sexual “norms.” 3. Women’s Liberation Movement – sought to end female oppression; came out of the radical movements of the late 1960s. “Women’s Lib” was based on collective activism across many of the world’s industrialized societies. It rejected the idea that piecemeal political and social reform would lead to profound or rapid change, and held that a more deeprooted transformation was needed. Second Wave Feminism (1960s – 1980s) 4. Women’s studies (feminist theory) were offered in universities; examined the roots of oppression and analyzed the shaping of ideas of gender, grassroots organizations and injustices 5. Women wrenched back control of childbirth from the male-dominated medical profession, fought for the right to legal abortion, and stood up to physical assault 6. Rise of black feminism (also termed as “womanism” coined by Alice Walker) and the idea of intersectionality – a recognition of the multiple barriers faced by women of color, which feminism, dominated by while, middle-class women, had failed to address. This concept, first put forward in 1989 by Kimberlé Crenshaw, resonated not only in the US and UK, but also across former colonial countries worldwide Third Wave Feminism (1990s – present) Triggering Condition: Rebecca Walker, American feminist, responded to the acquittal of an alleged rapist in the early 1990s. She vocalized the need for a third wave, arguing that women still needed liberation, and not just the equality that postfeminists thought had already been achieved. Characteristics: • Comprised of diverse and often conflicting strands: attitudes toward “raunch culture” (overtly sexual behavior) as an expression of sexual freedom, the inclusion of trans women in the movement, and the debate over whether feminist goals can be achieved in a capitalist society • Addressing issues from sexual harassment in the workplace to the gender pay gap, feminism is more relevant now than it ever has been • Focus: personal choice and the empowerment of women as individuals Suggested Teaching Learning Activities (TLA) Type TLA Target Competencies Collaboration (3 – 5 members) Creating Infographics that depict the story (causes and effects) of the women’s movement Referencing skills, multimodal literacy, creative collaboration, critical thinking skills (synthesis) Dyads Concept map Referencing skills, ability to organize ideas Individual/Personal Critical reflection on one of the events of the women’s movement or on a particular “influential” text of feminism Reflective thinking (i.e. examining one’s beliefs and values) and reflexive practice (i.e. acknowledging that we take part in shaping our surroundings, thus we review and revise ethical ways of relating in our world) Summary and Synthesis 1. The narrative of feminism is the narrative of the women’s movement. Although some advocates for women’s rights do not want to be labeled as feminist, both women’s rights advocate and feminist work on the issues concerning women. 2. Women’s rights is the fight for the idea that women should have equal rights with men. Over history, this has taken the form of gaining property rights, the women’s suffrage, reproductive rights, and the right to work for equal pay. 3. The first wave of feminism was triggered by the European intellectual movement of the 17 th and 18 th centuries which espoused a new worldview – i.e. reason is the primary source of authority and legitimacy. It advocated for women’s suffrage, and for women’s legal and constitutional rights. Summary and Synthesis 4. The second wave of feminism started in the US as a delayed reaction against the renewed domesticity of women after World War II. It espoused the idea that the personal and the private is political. 5. The third wave of feminism (also started in the US) was a reaction against countermovements and postfeminist mentality – i.e. feminism is dead because equal rights had been achieved. 6. Feminism or women’s rights movement is the background of gender studies. The question on gender is deeply rooted in the “woman question” in 19th century England. 7. There is no unifying theory of feminism. Feminism is diverse and continues to evolve in response to the needs of the times. References https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Feminine-Mystique De Beauvoir, S., & PARSHLEY, H. M. (1953). The second sex. Translated from the French and edited by HM Parshley. Jonathan Cape: London. Herrmann, A. C. (2018). Theorizing feminism: Parallel trends in the humanities and social sciences. Routledge. Rutland, Z. ed. (2019). The Feminism Book (Big Ideas Simply Explained). Dorling Kindersley Limited. Great Britain.
