The Public / Private Divide -The "public" refers to activities that take place within a public sphere,
that can involve or affect everybody, such as politics, pressure groups, public debate, employment etc.
The "private" on the other hand refers to private activities which solely affect individua...
Feminism 4 QUESTION AND ANSWERS
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The Public / Private Divide -✔✔✔The "public" refers to activities that take place within a public sphere,
that can involve or affect everybody, such as politics, pressure groups, public debate, employment etc.
The "private" on the other hand refers to private activities which solely affect individuals alone, such as
housekeeping affairs, and family life. While those such as Liberal Feminists have seen the private divide
as "non political", and thus not to be interfered with as it could affect people's liberties (thus allowing
women to keep traditional roles if they wish), radical feminists argue that politics takes place within all
social areas, not just publicly, but also privately, where their holding of traditional roles engrains male
supremacy, allowing men to exploit not only in the home, but in all other walks of life.
"The Personal is the Political" -✔✔✔The opposite to the Public / Private Divide. This term was
developed by Hanisch, and it suggests that the dominant position of men and the political power they
exert over women are not confined to public life alone, because all relations between men and women
are political. Family life, sexual relations, work relations and politics itself, all display aspects of the
power relationship between men and women.
The Response to "The Personal is the Political" by different factions -✔✔✔Lesbian Feminists believe
that since this shows relations between men and women as power based, they should be ceased, and
lesbianism should instead be opted for, in order to produce a genderless community of women. Radical
feminists have been closely associated with the idea, as they view the process of conditioning in the
family (the distribution of housework and other responsibilities) and the politics of personal and sexual
conduct in the home (the private), as the root of patriarchal oppression, which needs to be recognised.
Socialist feminists agree with this, and thus criticise the public/private divide in that it conceals aspects
of female oppression in the home (unpaid domestic work, subservience to husbands etc). However,
other feminists have been deeply suspicious, particularly liberal feminism. This is because of their belief
in the need for distinction between public and private, to allow women to make their own lifestyle
choices in the private which are not interfered with by the state, as long as they don't interfere with
other women's choices in the public sphere.
"Otherness"
, (how it came about / acceptance) -✔✔✔This is the general term that women are seen as
fundamentally different than men, not just biologically, but in every other sense, particularly
economically, culturally and psychologically. Feminists argue that otherness was not only imposed on
women by men, but that they came to accept it themselves, largely due to their perception that they
have a separate role based on their biological differences (relating a little to Freud's "penis envy"
theory). This therefore meant that not only were women inferior to men, but also to themselves.
Because it was imposed on them however, those like Simone De Beauvoir argued that women were not
conscious of their own acceptance, with Betty Friedan arguing it was a learned response from childhood
through witnessing traditional family roles, making it difficult to dislodge
Response to "otherness" by Factions -✔✔✔For liberals, otherness can only be combated if other
experiences of women change, such as being granted equal status, which would allow women to shred
their own sense of inferiority. Radical feminists on the other hand argue that women need to set up a
complete counter culture against Patriarchy, rather than wait for gradual developments. The
consciousness of women themselves can thus be altered if they become separated from men, as they
can take control of their own inner being.
Freudian Theory and Feminism -✔✔✔Freud was a psychoanalyst who had extensive and highly
complex theories, but the most important one regarding feminism is the idea of "penis envy", which
Freud argued made women suffer from an undeniable sexual inferiority. This was because in his mind,
women grew up to believe that men must be more powerful since they possess a penis, while women
do not. Most feminists reject this analysis, as they believe that superiority arises from social conditioning
(such as Radical Feminist views on the family). However, post modernists use his theory to help
understand Patriarchy, as they believe his views on sexual differences are valid.
Feminist Views on Sex and Gender -✔✔✔Most feminists believe that sex and gender are two different
things. They tend to believe that sex is referring to biology (based on genitalia, chromosomes and
hormones, as well as social legal and medical classifications given to one's body at birth). These
distinctions are scientifically unavoidable. Gender however refers to traditional male or female roles
which are stemmed from childhood (men being expected to become producers and leaders and women
the housekeepers and child rearers). The process of developing such expectations are clear, being seen
for example in children's play, the relationships between father and sons, mothers and daughters, and
through traditional literature. In the past, it was also encouraged through educational practice (girls
learning sowing and cooking and needlework while men learned woodwork and metalwork).
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