How have feminists investigated areas of inequality not covered by the classical theorists?
How have feminists investigated areas of inequality not covered by the classical theorists?
Feminists tend to see society as divided into different social groups. Feminism consists of diverse social movements and a range of theorists about inequality, and they are committed to "giving women their true value" (Wilson 1986). They see the major division as being between men and women, and that this division is due to the fact that women are oppressed and treated unequally. All feminists share the common view that that society is characterised by exploitation. They see that the most important source of this exploitation in contemporary society is the exploitation of women by men. Feminists see contemporary society as dominated by men, both in the home and the work place. However not all feminists believe there is one single source to this mistreatment.
The feminist movement and feminist scholarship are frequently seen as divided between the advocates of equality on the one side and the advocates of sexual difference on the other. In her book, 'Gender and the Politics of history', 1988, p172, Joan Scott commented
"When equality and difference are paired dichotomously, they structure an impossible choice. If one opts for equality, one is forced to accept the notion that difference is antithetical to it. If one opts for difference, one admits the equality is unattainable."
Some feminists are presented as demanding equality in the sense of the identical treatment of women as to men; and others as demanding that the distinctive characteristics and activities of women should be given special consideration, and it appears that women are forced to choose, and have always been forced to choose, between the two.
There have been three main waves of feminism. The first was the 'liberty and equality' movement; started by Mary Wolfstencraft in 1792, and has not been completed to this very day. This movement was the realisation of inequality of treatment towards women by men, and was shown in the vindication of the rights of women. This was continued by John Stuart Mill in 1869, when he started to identify the subjection of women.
"from the tyranny of man, I firmly believe, the greater number of female follies proceed...I likewise have repeatedly endeavoured to prove it is produced by oppression." J.S.Mill 1875
He questioned women's involvement in politics and civil life, and helped voice there need to be autonomous individuals. The biggest accomplishment of this movement was when women got given the right to vote in 1918.
The second feminism movement questioned why such acts were taking place silently at the backdoor of parliament. This all started in the 1960's when the liberal feminists continued the fight for women's individual ...
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"from the tyranny of man, I firmly believe, the greater number of female follies proceed...I likewise have repeatedly endeavoured to prove it is produced by oppression." J.S.Mill 1875
He questioned women's involvement in politics and civil life, and helped voice there need to be autonomous individuals. The biggest accomplishment of this movement was when women got given the right to vote in 1918.
The second feminism movement questioned why such acts were taking place silently at the backdoor of parliament. This all started in the 1960's when the liberal feminists continued the fight for women's individual liberty, but they did it louder. Following this was those feminists who raised women's consciousness and fought the concept of patriarchy. These feminists are known as the 'radical feminists'. Shulamith Firestone was the first to outline a radical feminist explanation, in her book 'The Dialects of Sex' (published in 1970). She believes that, what she calls, the sexual class system was the first form of stratification. In her book she says "men and women were created different and not equally privileged". Firestone, and radical feminists, believe that social inequalities within the home and work rouse directly from biological differences.
The third and final wave of femininity is still taking place today. It started in the 1980's with the rise of 'post-feminism'. By this time it was placed in the hands of the individual females to fight oppression (Wolf 1990). By this time the movement of feminism had reached the media and T.V, including the music industry. When 'Madonna' hit the air waves and the screen 1n 1984, she started to teach young women that it was ok to be fully female and sexual, while still being individuals and not under male oppression.
Feminists have even investigated the inequality contained within sociology itself. They argue that prior to the 1970's the majority of theories and written research was by men, about men and for men. This was brought about by the enlightening studies of Dr R. Stoller (1968). Stoller brought forward the distinctions between gender and sex, and that both played equally big roles towards the treatment of men and women. Due to this factor a large number of female theorists started to explore the "malestream sociology" to show that these treatments were unfair and sexist. Until recently these inequalities have been concerned with the treatment of women and femininity; however over recent years studies have recognised that men and masculinity also need investigating.
Another feminist view is that of sexual difference as the political difference between freedom (men) and subordination (women). In the book 'The sexual Contract', Stanford university press 1988, C. Pateman held that "men and women are free by nature". Women were held by nature to lack characteristics required for participation in political life. Women, our bodies and distinctive capacities, represented all that citizenship and equality are not. Women were incorporated as men's subordinates into their own private sphere, and so were excluded from civil society. The new political theory of the state claims that all individuals are equal by nature and have the same powers and rights. Thus dealing with a concept of equality, stating that we are equal by showing our original born right of human nature.
All areas of society and sociology have been investigated by all types of theorists. What makes feminists different are the approaches they take when exploring one of these areas. For example when research in undertaken on the subject of crime and deviance, most theorists look at the effect it takes upon society or the effect society has on crime; whereas feminists look at the sex and gender of the criminals to see if they are treated equally. Feminists brought forward the remark by other researchers that women commit more serious crimes than men. In 1977 Carol Smart stated in her book
"our knowledge is still infancy. In comparison with the great documentation of all aspects of male delinquency and criminality, the amount of work carried out on the area of women and crime is extremely limited." (taken from Haralambos and Holborn, 'Themes and Perspectives, fifth edition 2000)
In support of Smart's statement (also taken from Haralambos and Holborn, 'Themes and Perspectives, fifth edition 2000) tables from 1996 and 1998 show that the percentage of women who committed indictable offences was nearly half of that of the male percentage.
Similarly, feminists' theories of religion have taken a different approach than that of classical theorists. At first glance they follow that of the Marxist view, that religion is a world of dominance and oppression. However instead of seeing it as a world of capitalism, feminists see it as a world of patriarchy. They believe that religion is yet another area of society where the interests of men are served at the detriment of the interests of women.
In using this 'side' approach to investigate out 'malestream' society, feminists have developed a highly critical, yet new, look at the family life. Christine Delphy and Diana Leonard, who are radical feminists had this to say about the family,
"we see the family basis of domestic groups as an important element in continuing the patriarchal nature of our society; that is, in the continuance of men's dominance over women and children."
These theorists have concentrated on the harmful effects of the family environment on women. In doing this they have brought about new perspectives; on areas such as house work and how it helps men to control women, and they have brought about new issues; such as domestic violence.
In this essay I have tried to explore how feminists have investigated areas of inequality in society that classical theorists haven't. There is no easy answer to this question, as there never is in sociology, neither is there a right or a wrong answer. As I have hopefully shown you above; feminists have not necessarily investigated areas of inequality that other theorists simply did not, they have however taken a different approach to the same areas.
Whereas Marxists have investigated the work place and the family to show how capitalists are the beneficiaries at the exploitation of their workers; feminists have investigated the work place and the family to show how men are the beneficiaries at the exploitation of women. It is the same with post-modernist or functionalist views, whatever they may be investigating. Feminists simply change the argument to show that women are being oppressed; they have also brought forward new issues. For example when feminists investigated family life they exposed domestic violence.
Feminist theorists believe that out our society works to the advantage of men while working to the detriment of women. Feminists do not investigate different areas of inequality to that of the classical theorists; they simply show the world a different view of society, be it right or wrong.
Power and Inequalities
Charmiane Louise Heritage 1
