Feminism

An introduction for ICUDSBy Ed Middleton

Dec ‘12

Contents

The Feminist Movement

Employment

Objectification

Gender Roles

Intersectionality

What? and Why?

Introduction

GENDER IS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT

Both genders are equal “Different but equal” Identical

Differences: Biological Socialised

The Feminist Movement

First wave: De jure/mandated inequalities

Second wave: De facto/non-official inequalities

Third wave: Post-structural Deconstruction of gender

Employment – What?

Pay gap

Vertical segregation Positions of management

Horizontal segregation Types of career

Perception of colleagues

Employment – Why?

Maternity (genuine costs + excuse)

Lack of role models

‘Old boys club’

Similarity bias

Gender roles

Socialised behaviour

Employment - Solutions

Quotas for boards

Incentives to work Tax breaks Subsidies in education State sponsored childcare

Educational focus

Objectification – What?

1. instrumentality: the treatment of a person as a tool for the objectifier's purposes;

2. denial of autonomy: the treatment of a person as lacking in autonomy and self-determination;

3. inertness: the treatment of a person as lacking in agency, and perhaps also in activity;

4. fungibility: the treatment of a person as interchangeable with other objects;5. violability: the treatment of a person as lacking in boundary-integrity;6. ownership: the treatment of a person as something that is owned by another

(can be bought or sold);7. denial of subjectivity: the treatment of a person as something whose

experiences and feelings (if any) need not be taken into account.8. reduction to body: the treatment of a person as identified with their body, or

body parts;9. reduction to appearance: the treatment of a person primarily in terms of how

they look, or how they appear to the senses;10. silencing: the treatment of a person as if they are silent, lacking the capacity to

speak.

Objectification – What?

Pornography

Advertising

Individual interactions

Sexualisation of girls and women

Narratives about women

Objectification – Why?

Harms of pornography: Coercive Violent Deprecating

Rape culture

Paedophilia and abusive relationships

Value of women By men and women

Gender Roles – What?

Personality

Career

Parenting

Component of: Employment problems Objectification Basically everything

Gender Roles – Why?

Self-actualisation

Benefits to society

Family division of labour

Harmful effects of above

Other groups affected by defined genders: Men Transgender people LGBTQIA

Gender Roles – Solution?

Education

Up-bringing

Positive Discrimination

Education

Intersectionality

Interactions with other minority identities: Sexuality Ethnicity Class Religion

BUT IT AFFECTS MEN TOO…

…Who cares?