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Why Feminism Today?. By: Andrew Carvajal. Feminism: what often comes to mind. Feminism and Gender Studies. Why speak about feminism when studying gender? Is it necessary? Feminist theories offer many explanations about the origins of gender differences and how they matter?
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Why Feminism Today? By: Andrew Carvajal
Feminism and Gender Studies • Why speak about feminism when studying gender? Is it necessary? • Feminist theories offer many explanations about the origins of gender differences and how they matter? • Feminist movement putting gender theory into practice
Why Feminism Today? Some Very Few Examples
Work • Doubleday of labour • “Equal access to jobs outside the home, while one of the preconditions for women’s liberation, will not in itself be sufficient to give equality for women; as long as work in the home remains a matter of private production” Margaret Benston • Childcare and eldercare • Women “opting-out” of work experience and tenure to start a family • Sweatshop labour • Different pay for sometimes equal work • 38% of the wage gap is not explained by differences in job/experience
Work • Job segregation and job polarization
Violence • Rape • Domestic violence • “The home is the most dangerous place for women and the safest for men” • War • Women are often the most affected by war according to the UN
Beauty and Health • Different beauty standards • “Thinness norm” • Eating disorders • Unequal exposure to cleaning products • Birth control
Sexuality • “Sexuality as a social construct of male power defined by men and forced on women” • “Woman is defined by what male desire requires for arousal and satisfaction” ---Catharine MacKinnon • Sex-trade • Pornography • Media representations
Why Feminism Today? Some Very Few Examples “Women do 2/3 of the world's work, receive 10% of the world's income and own 1% percent of the means of production.”- Richard H. Robbins, Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism “If women’s work were accurately reflected in national statistics it would shatter the myth that men are the main breadwinners of the world” - Mahbub ul Haq, UNDP 1995 • If you think any of these issues are relevant today and something should be done about them • I am afraid to tell you but you might be a feminist
Dealing with Gender Problems: Multiple Feminisms • Different approaches • Equal laws and equal opportunity (liberal) • Different economic system (Marxist and socialist) • New sexual, cultural and socio-political order (radical) • Fight neo-liberalism (global) • Battle other sources of oppression (multicultural) • Deconstruct gender (postmodern)
Most Important Lesson: Awareness! • Become aware of past and current sources and manifestations of gender inequalities • Identify how gender imbalances have affected knowledge, norms, social roles, institutions and social status • Don’t take gender for granted and question where it might come from (not just sex) • Be aware of how we may personally benefit from power imbalances and try to correct it • Make others aware of what we know and become intolerant of gender discrimination