Feminist Theories Course Code: 4647 Ms Mehreen Qaisar 13-9-2011

1. Feminist Theories Course Code: 4647 Ms MehreenQaisar 13-9-2011

2. Overview • Definition of Feminism: • Waves of Feminism: • Major Types of Feminism: • Questioning & Answering Session:

3. Definition of Feminism: • Feminism is political, cultural and economic movement that advocates more gender-specific rights for women and campaigns for women's rights, women interests and legal protection for women.

4. Waves of Feminism: • First Wave of Feminism • Second Wave of Feminism • Third Wave of Feminism

5. First Wave of Feminism: • This version of feminism continued to exist into the 1950s and 1960s. • The emphasis of liberal feminism is on inequality between men and women in the public sphere of life - employment, education and politics. • Liberal feminists champion legal and political equality with men. • Mary Wollstonecraft argued that women should be entitled to the same rights. • According to this philosophy, society itself does not need a major overhaul, but rather laws need to be changed.

6. Liberal feminists focus on individual empowerment. • In the United States and much of the Western world, liberal feminism is the most mainstream form of feminism. Second Wave of Feminism: • Second-wave feminism is a feminist movement beginning in the early 1960s and continuing to the present, and it coexists with third-wave feminism. Second wave feminism is largely concerned with issues of equality other than suffrage, such as ending discrimination.

7. Third Wave of Feminism: (Started in early 1990s) • Third wave feminism began as a response to perceived failures of the second wave and to the backlash against initiatives and movements created by the second wave. • Third wave feminist argued , that second wave has over-emphasize the experiences of upper middle-class white women. • Third Wave feminism celebrates the construction of individual identities in a complex, postmodern world. • Third Wave feminism is focused more on personal empowerment as a starting place for social change.

9. Liberal feminism seeks individualistic equality of men and women through political and legal reform without altering the structure of society. • Two important Issues to liberal feminists are ”equity in wage work” and gender inequalities in housework. reproductive and abortion rights, sexual harassment, voting, education, affordable childcare, affordable health care, sexual and domestic violence against women.

10. Radical Feminism: • Radical feminists believe that society is extremely patriarchal, and until patriarchy is transformed on all levels, the system will remain unjust. • Radical feminists emphasized the need for dramatic social change in order to achieve genuine equality for women . Cultural Feminism: • Cultural feminists believe that there are fundamental, biological differences between men and women, and that women should celebrate these differences. • They believe that if women ruled the world there would be no more war and it would be a better place.

11. Marxist Feminism: • Marxist feminists feel that overcoming class oppression overcomes gender oppression. • A form of feminism, based on the ideas of Marx. • Marxist feminists is a sub-type of feminism that sees contemporary gender inequality as determined by Capitalism.

12. Marxist feminism focuses on the dismantling of capitalism as a way to liberate women. • The position of women in the family serves the interests of the economy and the ruling class • Use of women as “Reserve army labor” • The unpaid work of the household

13. Socialist Feminism: • Socialist feminists can be defined as those feminists who are concerned with challenging “capitalism” as well as male supremacy or “patriarchy”. • Socialist feminist emphasizes that true equality will not be achieved without major overhauls within society-- particularly economic overhauls.

14. Islamic Feminism: • Islamic feminism is concerned with the role of women in Islam and aims for the full equality of all Muslims, regardless of gender, in public and private life. Islamic feminists advocate women's rights, gender equality, and social justice grounded in an Islamic framework.

15. Eco Feminism: • Eco feminist see men's control of land as responsible for the oppression of women and destruction of the natural environment. Post modern Feminism: • Postmodern feminists argue that gender is socially constructed concept. “Women is not born rather than it becomes” Simone de Beauvoir

16. Psychoanalytical Feminism: • Gender inequality comes from early childhood experiences. • It maintains that gender is not biological but is based on the psycho-sexual development of the individual.

17. Black Feminism: (emerged from 1980 onwards) • Black feminism argues that sexism, class oppression, and racism are inextricably bound together. Forms of feminism that strive to overcome sexism and class oppression.

18. Questioning & Answering Session:

19. Thanks for Patience Hearing