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