Feminism (AQA A Level Sociology): Revision Note

Feminism

• Feminism is a conflict theory that focuses on gender inequality in society

• It is a structuralist theory, as feminists examine how patriarchy is embedded in social structures such as the family and education

  • As a conflict theory, feminists see society as based on conflicting interests between genders

• Feminism is not one unified theory but includes different strands that explain the causes and solutions to gender inequality in different ways

• The four broad feminist explanations are:

  • Radical feminism

    • Focuses on the inequality between men and women

  • Marxist feminism

    • Focuses on the exploitation of women at home and in the workplace

  • Liberal feminism

    • Focuses on achieving equality between men and women

  • Difference feminism

    • Explains that the patriarchal experiences of women differ due to class and ethnic differences between women

Evaluation of feminism

Strengths

• Highlights how gender inequality is embedded in all areas of society

• Has led to major social and legal changes, including rights to vote, work, divorce, and equal pay

• Challenges male-centred approaches to sociology and brings women’s experiences into focus

• Encourages the use of qualitative methods to explore personal experiences and meanings

Radical feminism

• Radical feminism argues that patriarchy is the root of all social inequality

• Key ideas include:

  • men and women constitute conflicting social groups with opposing interests

  • patriarchy is a feature of society that exists in all social institutions

  • women are exploited by men in both public and private spheres (e.g., home, work, politics)

  • male violence and control are used to keep women subordinate (e.g., the use of or threat of violence)

  • men shape ideas about women's roles through gender role socialisation in the family to maintain power and wealth

  • men have more power than women in social institutions such as government, so they can pass laws that benefit men more than women

• Radical feminists often argue that achieving true equality requires the complete restructuring of society

  • This may include separating from men or creating women-only spaces where women can live free from male control and influence

Evaluation of radical feminism

Strengths

• Challenges gender norms

  • Radical feminists question the traditional gender roles that are seen as “natural”, encouraging society to rethink institutions like the family

Criticisms

• Overlooks diversity of women's experiences

  • Radical feminism tends to treat patriarchy as a universal experience, implying that all women are oppressed in the same way

  • Critics argue that it ignores how class, ethnicity, and sexuality shape women's lives differently

• Seen as too extreme

  • This is because of calls for separation from men as a solution to ending patriarchal oppression

  • Such views can alienate potential allies

• Not all men benefit equally

  • Critics point out that not all men benefit equally from patriarchy, and many actively support gender equality

• Underestimates progress

  Radical feminism has been criticised for ignoring the legal and social changes that have improved women's lives, e.g., equal pay laws and greater female representation in education and politics

Marxist feminism

• Marxist feminism focuses on how capitalism and patriarchy combine to oppress women

• Patriarchy benefits capitalism because it legitimises gender inequalities as:

  • women provide unpaid domestic labour, e.g., childcare and housework

    • This supports the capitalist economy by reproducing and raising the next generation of workers and keeping current workers healthy and productive

  • women are a reserve army of labour—used in the workforce when needed, then pushed back into the home

  • women workers can be hired at lower rates of pay, particularly in developing countries

• Marxist feminists believe the liberation of women requires the overthrow of capitalism and class society

Evaluation of Marxist feminism

Strengths

• Highlights the economic roots of oppression

  • Marxist feminism draws important attention to how capitalism exploits women's unpaid domestic labour and low-paid work

  • This helps explain the economic dependence many women experience and how gender and class intersect

Criticisms

• Reduces gender inequality to class

  • Marxist feminism tends to view women’s oppression solely through the lens of capitalism and class conflict, underplaying the influence of other sources of oppression, e.g., culture and religion

• Ignores oppression in non-capitalist societies

  • If capitalism causes patriarchy, Marxist feminism struggles to explain why women have been oppressed in pre-capitalist and non-capitalist societies

• Assumes all women experience oppression equally

  • Marxist feminism often overlooks differences among women based on class, ethnicity, and sexuality

• Underestimates social and legal progress

  • Liberal feminists argue that Marxist feminists ignore how far women’s rights have advanced in modern Western societies, e.g., equal pay and maternity rights

Liberal feminism

• Liberal feminism believes in gradual change through legal and political reform

  • Women's rights and opportunities have improved over the last century

• Liberal feminists acknowledge that inequalities remain in society

  • E.g., in childcare and the stereotypical portrayal of women in popular culture

• Liberal feminism advocates for:

  • equal pay

  • anti-discrimination laws

  • more female representation in positions of power

• Liberal feminists are optimistic that progress is possible through system reform, rather than revolution

  • They believe that gender inequalities will eventually disappear

Evaluation of liberal feminism

Strengths

• Successful in driving legal and policy change

  • They have led campaigns in Western governments introducing laws and policies that have improved women's position in society, e.g., the Equal Pay Act

Criticisms

• Too optimistic about progress

  • It underestimates the depth of structural patriarchy

    • E.g., the unequal division of labour in the home and misogyny in the media, politics, and some religions

• Fails to explain private patriarchy

  • Liberal feminism focuses on public legal rights but struggles to explain why patriarchal control persists in private life

    • E.g., there is still significant violence against women even in modern Western societies

• Narrow and middle-class focused

  • Often criticised for focusing mainly on the experiences of privileged women

  • It often neglects the intersecting inequalities faced by working-class women or those from ethnic minority backgrounds

Difference feminism

• Difference feminism rejects the idea that all women share the same experience

• It criticises other forms of feminism for focusing too heavily on the perspectives of white, Western, middle-class women

• It argues that class, ethnicity, sexuality, and religion affect how women experience oppression

  • E.g., a heterosexual woman may experience patriarchy differently from a lesbian woman

• Difference feminism suggests there are multiple feminisms, not just one; therefore, there are several paths towards liberation

Evaluation of difference feminism

Strengths

• Recognises intersectionality

  • Difference feminism has helped the feminist movement evolve by drawing attention to how gender intersects with class, race, sexuality, religion, and disability

  • This approach challenges the idea that all women share the same experiences and has enriched feminist theory and practice

Criticisms

• Risks weakening feminist unity

  • By emphasising diversity over common experience, difference feminism has been criticised for fragmenting the feminist movement

  • It can make collective goals and shared campaigns more difficult to organise and sustain