4.
Although feminism offers structural/positivist thinking – e.g. how
structures shape and determine women’s lives (theory), they favour an
action based/interpretivist methodology.
For instance, they use informal interviews to understand the true
feelings of women. E.g. Dobash and Dobash’s Study of Domestic
Violence.
Feminism has wider theoretical appeal. Feminists think in a similar way as Marxists as they recognise
the structures in society. Feminism is also based on the idea of conflict, emphasising the conflicts
between men and women.
Feminism does not just have one theory but has a number of branches, all of which have particular strengths. For
example, Marxist feminism illustrates the links between social class and gender. Radical feminism exposes the
exploitation of women through patriarchy and has had a major influence on the emancipation of women. Therefore it is
slightly less reductionist than other theories.
As feminism follows interpretivist methodology their empirical findings are high in validity.
For example, Dobash and Dobash’s research into domestic violence used unstructured
interviews and gave them a valid insight into the experiences of abused women.
Feminism can be criticised for being ideological and biased. By focussing on
patriarchy feminists ignore the fact that these days men are also used for
domestic labour and that women are becoming increasingly independent.
Weaknesses
Crit P



Strengths
Application of Feminism
Branches of Feminism:
Liberal feminism’s main concern is with inequalities in opportunities for women and the way the socialisation
process creates and reinforces traditional gender roles. Liberal feminists champion changes in legislation to
create more equal opportunities in society. Subordination is merely the product of stereotyping or outdated
attitudes.
Marxist feminists believe women are oppressed through an unequal class and gender system. They maintain
that women’s marginalised position in society is bound up with their role in reinforcing a capitalist class system.
Women’s subordination is rooted in capitalism.
Radical feminists believe that women’s marginalisation is due to the oppressive nature of
patriarchy. One of the main concerns of radical feminists is that men oppress and control
women and reduce them to sexual objects, this can be most clearly seen in the ‘sex
industry’.
Post- feminism recognises that fundamental shifts have occurred in the position of
women in post-modern times. E.g. a large number of women are in paid employment.
Hakim talks of the myth of patriarchy - modernist feminists often exaggerate their views
in order to prove their point. Many of the conditions that women find themselves in such as motherhood can
now be seen as a result of choice.
The post-modern feminist Walby puts forward a ‘triple systems theory’, stating that sociologists need to
examine how capitalism, patriarchy and racism all connect to create a complex set of structures which influence
female identities, status, and their position in post-modern society. I.e. different types of women e.g. working
class / middle class / black / lesbian all have different experiences of capitalism, patriarchy and racism. All three
complicate what it means to be female therefore they need to be combined to understand how females are
affected.
Education

Liberal feminists account for historical inequalities in educational achievement and subject choice in
terms of traditional gender patterns of socialisation. They also attribute such gender differences to
social processes operating inside of schools such as teacher expectations.

Post-modern feminists account for the rise in female educational achievement in terms of changing
employment markets and educational policies aiding females.
Family

The Family is exploitative and oppressive for women. It is the patriarchal unit where men are
dominant and relationships are unequal.

This unequal power can lead to the physical, mental and sexual abuse of women (and children).
Religion

Radical feminists believe that religion is an instrument of domination and oppression, and is a
product of patriarchy. Women have been and continue to be excluded from the key roles in many
religions. For e.g. religious figure heads such as the Archbishop and the Pope are male.
Crime

Liberal feminists claim that women are less likely to commit crime than men because they are less
likely to be socialised into values such as aggression.

Radical feminists maintain that patriarchal control over women in the private and public spheres
gives women fewer opportunities to commit crime. Radical feminists also attribute domestic
violence and sexual assault to patriarchal control by men.

Post-modern feminists account for rises in female crime in terms of shifting gender roles and the
poverty experienced by many women.
Links to RM
Key Ideas
Theory: Feminism – A Conflict Theory – A structural Theory
Change in Society – Varies – Some see Patriarchy as in decline but others still see it as powerful.
Feminism is based on the idea of conflict. This is due to society being patriarchal (based on male domination),
leading to women being in a subordinate position to men in all areas. There is therefore conflict between men
and women. Feminists’ main concern then is to look at gender relations in society. Feminists also believe that
sociology has been traditionally malestream and therefore ignored the role of women.
Early feminist theories can be criticised as they only offer a partial explanation of women’s
experiences in modern societies. This is because they only focus on the dynamic of gender
and ignoring other important social dimensions such as class and ethnicity.
Feminist methodology can be criticised for being low in reliability. This is because it is grounded in a small scale,
qualitative, and subjective approach, making the results of their studies difficult to generalise to all women.
Liberal feminists – Can be criticised for over-optimism. They see the obstacles to emancipation as simply the prejudices
of individuals or irrational laws that can be gradually reformed. They ignore the possibility that there are deep seated
structures causing women’s oppression.
Marxist feminism – Fails to explain women’s subordination in non-capitalist societies. As it is found in non-capitalist
societies, it cannot be explained solely in terms of the needs of capitalism. (However, in
their defence, Marxist feminists are only seeking to explain the position of women in
contemporary capitalist society.
Radical feminists – Assumes that all women are in the same position and ignores class,
ethnic differences etc between women. E.g. a middle class women may have more in
common with a middle class man than with a working class woman.
Although feminists provide a useful insight into the workings of society the theory is ideologically driven. Therefore, the theory is reductionist as it fails to take into account competing theoretical ideas.
Postmodernists are critical of the feminist meta-narrative as they claim to have a ‘totalising’ (all encompassing) theory of society. Postmodernists maintain that rival narratives should be considered for a full account of social life.
It is interesting to recognise the emerging branches of feminism for example ‘Eco-feminists’ that reflect changes to society.