What is feminist theory? “An analysis of women’s subordination for

the purpose of figuring out how to change it” (Gordon 1979)

Includes theories about: the origins and nature of inequality the social construction of sex and gender Evaluative AND empirical Often used in combination with other

theories of families (e.g., exchange, life course).

Where does it come from?Emerged from three waves of feminist

(political) movements. First Wave – (1840s)-1880s-1920sSecond Wave – 1960s-1990sThird Wave – 1990s-present

Developed by scholars in a variety of academic disciplines (especially anthropology, philosophy, history, sociology, psychology).

What is it good for? Helping to explain:

Power relations in families. Division of labor in families and

societies. Meaning-making in (and about) families.

How understandings and assumptions

about gender influence family dynamics and public policies.

Three Waves of (Western) Feminism

First Wave (1840s)-1880s-1920s

Second Wave1960s-1990s

Third Wave1990s-present

The First WaveHeavily influenced by

Enlightenment thinking

Chief goals: Women’s suffrage (right to vote), access to education, family planning

Critique of women’s (restricted) role in the home

Elizabeth Cady Stanton (c. 1848) &

Anna Julia Cooper (1893)

The Second WaveLiberal and cultural variants Sought to expand access to

education, types of paid work, equal pay for equal work

Focus on sexual liberation and freedom from sexual violence

Aimed to free women from excessive concern with beauty and appearance Gloria Steinem &

Dorothy Pitman Hughes

The Third WaveRecognizes diversity

among women across race/ethnicity, class, sexual orientation

Promotes breaking down/ playing with gender categories

Three Waves of (Feminist?) Wonder Woman

Focus and Premises Women’s experience is central

Can provide a basis for knowledge claimsFeminist theory has many voices

Because different women come from different social locations (e.g., by race, ethnicity, social class, sexual orientation, age, nationality)

Feminist theory is emancipatory In addition to trying to predict social

processes, seeks to describe, evaluate, and prescribe social action

Main ConceptsSex and gender

Sex = biology Gender = social and cultural

Three dimensions of gender: Gender identityStructural gender (social status)Cultural gender (symbols and meanings)

SexismHarmful attributions made about everyone

with a certain trait believed to be inherent or genetic (e.g., sex)

Main Concepts Family and household

HH = coresidential units F = prevailing ideologies about

how/where/with whom people should live and divide labor

Public and private Gendered spheres (c. 1830s onward) Seen as artificial distinction that supports and

maintain an inequitable gender system

PropositionsGender structures our experiences. Gender structures all societies. Women as a class [sic] are devalued and

oppressed. As a result of sex, gender beliefs, and

historical and continuing sexism and oppression, there exists a “female culture.”

PropositionsThe family is not monolithic.

In terms of organization and in terms of patterns by race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation.

The family is a central institution for the reproduction of oppression. Via socialization and social expectations In terms of support for work, etc. [not in book]

Varieties of Feminist TheoryLiberal FeminismMarxist/Socialist FeminismCultural FeminismMulticultural and Critical Race [and Third

World] Feminism Other variants: Lesbian, psychoanalytic,

anarchist, etc.

Liberal FeminismRooted in Enlightenment

philosophy: “All men [sic] are created equal.”

Emphasis on equality of opportunity and removal of barriers (e.g., to education, work, leisure activities)

Mostly closely associated with first (and less-radical second) wave

Marxist/Socialist FeminismRooted in Marx and Engels’

writings Who controls the means of

reproduction (as well as the means of production)?

“Sex class” underlies other social divisions (e.g., race, SES)

Employers exploit women’s free reproductive labor, “cooperate” with male employees to limit women’s paid work (even though women might work for less)

Cultural FeminismPosits men and women as

(inherently) different, seeks to revalue traditionally devalued feminine traits (e.g., nurturing, expressiveness)

Mostly closely associated with radical second-wave feminism

Multicultural, Critical Race, and “Third World” Feminism Questions basic constructs like

“women” & “female” (and “family”)

Focus on intersecting identitiesConcern with exploitation of

immigrant and poor women Draws on poststructuralist and

postmodernist theory Associated with third-wave

feminism

Empirical Applications Understanding the gendered division of labor

Second shifts and the stalled revolution (Hochschild)

Equal vs. fair? The role of ideology “Capitalization” of housework (Ehrenreich)

Measuring Diversity in Feminism Are different strands of feminism associated

with age, social class, occupation, race, etc.?

Practical ApplicationsFamily policy reform

To reflect facts that families are diverse and that different family members may have different interests

Examples: Sexual violence & domestic violence, wage discrimination, day care, accounting for unpaid work

Family therapy Revising traditional family therapy to acknowledge

that conflict may be useful and good. Family scholarship and the research process

Critiquing research that presumes families are private, neglects diversity of family forms, avoids gender analysis

Incorporating reflexive methods