The Feminist Paradigm
• Observation – the experiences of women are generally absent
in the three previous paradigms
• By neglecting women’s experiences, we contribute to
women’s inequality and subordination
• Eg. women are;
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paid less than men for the same kind of work
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less likely to be in positions of power
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more likely to die at the hands of men
•
fewer options in terms of employment, where they live,
what they might do on a day-to-day basis
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The Feminist Paradigm
• Goal of the Feminist Paradigm: To seek women’s equality and an end to
women’s subordination
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You are a feminist if:
a. you believe women should be paid the same amount as men
for the same kind of work;
b. men and women can do the same kind of work;
c. women should not experience job loss or wage reductions for having
children
d. women have the right to walk wherever they want,
whenever they want, wearing what they want, as men do
e. women should have the same options as men
f. women should be able to say “no” in any context and be respected
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The Feminist Paradigm
• “Waves” of Feminism
• First wave – late 1800’s – early 1900’s
• Goal – to ensure that women were treated equally in the
public sphere
• In Canada:
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women received right to vote in 1916
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not regarded as persons under Canadian law until 1929
• The “Famous Five” women launched the “Persons Case”
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The Feminist Paradigm
• Of Historical Importance:
• Depression in late 1920’s and early 1930’s diverted attention
from feminist concerns
• Focus on efforts towards World War Two in 1939
• Birth rates soared in 1950’s post-war Baby Boom
• Women occupied looking after children and families
• Prosperity allowed for increased education and a chance to
think about women’s experiences differently
• Contraceptive pill in late 1950’s and early 1960’s gave women
control over their bodies
• allowed them to focus on education and career
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The Feminist Paradigm
• Second wave – 1960’s and 1970’s
• Goal: changes in the public sphere to accommodate and respond to
women’s experiences
• Focus:
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a. equal pay legislation
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b. acceptance of women’s unique experiences (child-bearing)
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c. challenged pornography
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d. challenged ideals of feminine beauty
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e. challenges to the way rape and sexual assault were understood
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f. advocated for a health system that addressed women’s needs
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The Feminist Paradigm
• Third wave – 1990’s
• Goal: to understand the diversity of women’s experiences between
different groups and classes
• Dorothy Smith (1987, 1990) – to understand the human experience we
must pay close attention to how we make sense out of our everyday lives
• “standpoint theory”
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a. a critique of the value placed on objective rather than
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subjective ways of thinking
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b. the standpoint of men, the way men think about and understand the
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world, was and continues to be presented as objective, universal and
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neutral rather than subjective, local and partial – as a result women
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are silenced, excluded or subordinated
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The Feminist Paradigm
• One means to change is through institutional ethnography
• Ethnography – research by participating in the life of a
community or organization
• Institutional – focus on the operation of large organizations
• Used with standpoint theory – shows that institutions have
two sides, each associated with different information
• 1st side – ruling interests of those in power – policies,
regulations, reporting mechanisms
• 2nd side – subjective experiences of those who are part of the
organization
• Most often, policies, regulations, reporting mechanisms
subordinate subjective experiences
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The Feminist Paradigm
• Smith’s theory applied to sociology:
• Sociological concepts were produced by men, products of a
male social universe
• Women were analyzed from the male standpoint
• Women’s experiences were overlooked /did not reflect how
women understood themselves
• Women’s experiences when addressed were often distorted
and reflected men’s understanding not women’s experiences
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The Feminist Paradigm
• Research and thinking considered androcentric – the practice
of consciously or unconsciously looking at the world from a
male point of view, in the process distorting or neglecting
female considerations
• contributes to women’s inequality and subordination by
making their experiences invisible
• Important – androcentrism can also be practiced by women, a
discipline, or an organization (eg. medicine)
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