Feminism: belief in the social, economic and political equality of the sexes and the movement organized around this belief

Feminist Theory and Sociology

Why sociology needed feminism

Dominance of men as sociologists Dominance of men as objects of study Universalizing of men’s experiences

Standpoint theory

Dorothy Smith We all have a standpoint based on our social

location All views are partial Including standpoints of marginalized groups

provides more objective knowledge

Multiple feminisms

Liberal feminism Radical feminism Marxist/socialist feminism Psychoanalytic feminism Multicultural/global feminism

Liberal feminism

Women have been systematically discriminated against and denied opportunities for success in the public world

Social institutions need to allow women to participate equally

Focus on fairness in laws and customs

Radical feminism

Modern social institutions have been created and maintained by men

Social institutions and norms need to be fundamentally transformed

Focus on creating new institutional structures

Marxist/socialist feminism

Patriarchy is inextricably linked to capitalism and class inequality through exploitation

Feminists cannot achieve gender equality without also addressing underlying class inequality

Focus on how gender inequalities benefit capitalist class

Psychoanalytic feminism

Subordination of women rooted in Freudian Oedipal process

Need to change gender roles around work and family to shift Oedipal dynamic

Focus on child development and family dynamics

Multicultural/global feminism

Much of feminist theory universalizes the experiences of all women

Feminist theory needs to include perspectives of marginalized women

Focus on intersectionality of different social locations with gender

Feminism’s impact in sociology

Women’s presence as sociologists Studies that include or focus on women Gender as an important analytic category Methodological impact Connection to activism

Tensions within feminist thought

Cultural vs. structural focus Essentialism vs. social construction

Studying gender through a sociological lens

Draw on various feminisms to understand a social phenomenon

Be aware of tensions Think about intersections of gender with

other social locations