Feminism | PSIR Optional for UPSC

PYQs

• Comment: “Woman has always been man’s dependent, if not his slave; the two sexes have never shared the world in equality.” (Simone de Beauvoir) (09/20) 
• Distinguish between liberal feminism and socialist feminism in detail. (10/30)
• Comment: ‘Personal is political’ (10/20) 
• Comment on the difference between Liberal and Radical forms of Feminism. (150 words) (12/12) 
• Distinguish between liberal feminism and radical feminism. (19/15) 

Introduction

• Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. – Patricia Lengermann (2010) in "Feminism". 
• Mary Wollstonecraft is seen as a founder of feminism due to her book titled A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792). Charles Fourier is credited with having coined the word "feminisme" in 1837. 
• Much of feminist theory focuses on the promotion of women's rights and interests. 
• Merriam-Webster chose "feminism" as its 2017 Word of the Year. 

Central Idea

• The main idea of feminism is that societies prioritize the male point of view and women are treated unjustly in these societies. - Sarah Gamble in “Feminism and Postfeminism” (2001)
• Feminist theory aims to understand gender inequality and focuses on gender politics, power relations, and sexuality. 
• Some feminists argue that men's liberation is a necessary part of feminism, and that men are also harmed by sexism and gender roles. 
• Feminism seeks to achieve “egalite homme-femme”. i.e.the equality between men and women. 
• “Equality of the sexes” is an important component of feminism. It is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making. It values different behaviors, aspirations and needs equally, regardless of gender. 
• Liberal, socialist and radical feminism are called the "Big Three" schools of feminist thought. 

Thinkers’ Perspective

• According to Catherine MacKinnon, ‘Feminism has no definite theory. It has a theory of power: sexuality is gendered as gender is sexualized.’
• Hillary Clinton defined "feminist" as "someone who believes in equal rights." 
• Simone De Beauvoir argues that women are not fully human because femininity was defined by men, that they are the second sex in a world in which humanity is primarily defined in terms of the identity of man. 
• As per Simone de Beauvoir, “Woman has always been man’s dependent, if not his slave; the two sexes have never shared the world in equality.” 
• Men have exercised domination of two types over women – social authority and economic force. – Kate Millet. 
• Bell Hooks says that men’s liberation should be included in the feminist movement because men are also harmed by traditional gender roles. 
• “Feminist theory emerged from feminist movements which aims to understand the nature of gender inequality by examining women's social roles and lived experience.” – Carol Gilligan (1977) 
• Jacob Roberts says that “changes in female dress standards and acceptable physical activities for females have often been part of feminist movements”. 
• According to Kira Cochrane, fourth-wave feminism is "defined by technology". 

History and Evolution of Feminism

The history of the modern western feminist movement is divided into four "waves". 

1st Wave of Feminism - Women's suffrage movements (19th and early-20th centuries) 

• It promoted women's right to vote.
• The suffragettes and suffragists campaigned in Britain, which led to the passing of the Representation of the People Act in 1918. It granted the vote to women over the age of 30 who owned property. 
• Emmeline Pankhurst was the most notable activist in England. 
• In the USA, they campaigned for the abolition of slavery before championing women's right to vote. Notable leaders of USA included Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony. 

2nd Wave of Feminism -Women's liberation movement (began in the 1960s)

• It campaigned for legal and social equality for women. 
• In many continental European countries married women still had very few rights. 
• French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir provided a Marxist solution and an existentialist view on many of the questions of feminism in his publication of The Second Sex, in 1949. 
• Feminists challenged the sexual division of labour between private Woman (child bearing, child rearing, family care etc) and Public man (office, politics, education, art, literature etc.). 
• The phrase "the personal is political", or “The private is political” was coined by Carol Hanisch in the second-wave feminism from the late 1960s. It underscored the connections between personal experience and larger social and political structures. 
  
  • The idea that women being unhappy in their roles as housewives and mothers in homes was seen as a private issue.
  • However, "the personal is political" emphasizes that women's personal issues (e.g sex, childcare, care providers at home) are all political issues that need political intervention to generate change. 
• In 1963, Betty Friedan's book The Feminine Mystique helped voice the discontent that American women felt. 

3rd Wave of Feminism: Women’s individuality and diversity 

• The term third wave is credited to Rebecca Walker who wrote an article against the sexual harassment case in USA. 
• This wave challenged the second wave's paradigm as to what was or was not good for women. 
• Bella hooks, Chela Sandoval and Audre Lorde are some of the prominent leaders of this phase. 

4th Wave of Feminism: Me Too movement: Started around 2012 

• In this movement, social media was used to combat sexual harassment, violence against women and rape culture. 
• Scandals involving the harassment, abuse, and murder of women and girls have galvanized the movement. 
• These have included the 2012 Delhi gang rape, 2014 Isla Vista killings, 2017 Harvey Weinstein allegations and subsequent effect, and the 2017 Westminster sexual scandals. 
• Examples of fourth-wave feminist campaigns include the Everyday Sexism Project, No More Page 3, YesAllWomen, the 2018 Women's March, and the MeToo movement. 

Merits 

• The main advantage of the feminist movements is that they helped women to fight with gender discrimination. 
• Women got the opportunity to control their own lives and to determine own rights. 
• Feminists attracted the attention of society to sexual assaults experienced by women. E.g., Domestic violence used to be a private problem of a family which was changed by feminists. 
• Feminism improves the economic state of the country as women started working and the workforce expanded greatly. 
• It improved working environments for women. For examples, equal pay for equal work, sexual harassment at workplace, rights of home care workers were discussed by the government. 

Criticism 

• Anti-feminists argue that feminism is contrary to traditional values or religious beliefs. For example, that social acceptance of divorce and non-married women is wrong and harmful.
• Camille Paglia argues that feminism often promotes misandry and the elevation of women's interests above men's which is harmful to both men and women. 
• Radical feminism was dominated by white women. It accepts the notion that identities are singular and disparate, rather than multiple and intersecting. 
• Critics of liberal feminism argue that even if women are not dependent upon individual men, they are still dependent upon a patriarchal state. 
• Feminists demand equal economic, political, and social opportunities for the male and female sexes. But that seems to be contrary to Nature’s design of male and female body potential. 

Applicability

• Feminism clearly advocates the gravity of ideas of de Beauvoir. 
• Globally, feminist movements campaign for women's rights, including the right to vote, run for public office, work, earn equal pay, own property, receive education, enter contracts, have equal rights within marriage, and maternity leave. 
• Feminists have also worked to ensure access to contraception, legal abortions, and social integration and to protect women and girls from rape, sexual harassment, and domestic violence. – Alice Echols (1989) in “Daring to Be Bad: Radical Feminism in America” 
• Bell Hooks (2000) in “Feminism Is for Everybody” says that Although feminist is mainly focused on women's rights, men's liberation should be included within its aims, because men are also harmed by traditional gender roles. 
• Since the late 20th century, many new forms of feminism have emerged. E.g. Black feminism. 

Conclusion 

• The feminist campaigns have been the main force behind major historical societal changes for women's rights, particularly in the West. 
• The philosophy of Feminism extends to Race, gender, and class discrimination. As per Bell Hooks, these are all aspects of the same system of hierarchy. She calls it "imperialist white supremacist, capitalist patriarchy." 
• Hence, the ideals of feminism should extend to resolve the issues in all type of unequal societies. 

The crisis of half Globe: Simon de Beauvoir’s views

• As per Simon de Beauvoir, “Woman has always been man’s dependent, if not his slave; the two sexes have never shared the world in equality.”
• Almost nowhere her legal status is the same as that of the man, and it frequently seems more to her disadvantage. Worldwide, there is no society where both genders have equal access to property or resources.
• Even when her rights are legally recognized, long-standing custom prevents their full expression. For example, in the economic sphere, men and women can almost be said to make up two castes; where men hold better jobs and get higher wages, and have more opportunity for success than their new competitors. In industry and politics, men have a many more positions and the monopolize the most important posts.
• Even after seven decades of independence, in a democracy like India which believes in Right to Equality, gender equality never witnessed. We have never witnessed any parliament or legislative assembly having equal number of male and female M.P.s or M.L.A.s. There is no firm, industry or organizations with equal workforce of both genders.
• Woman herself recognizes that the world is masculine on the whole; those who fashioned it, ruled it, and still dominate it today are men.
• It is understood by her that she is inferior and dependent. Neither has she learnt the lessons of violence, nor did she stand for her rights. In fact, the right based and feminist movements have failed to a large extent.
• She sees herself as passive before these male gods who set goals and establish values for her.
• Woman is basically a utilitarian THING. This utility makes her truth and beauty a commodity. In this perspective she envisages the entire universe.
• Her life is not directed towards ends, she is absorbed in producing or caring for things that are just the means for others, such as food, clothing, and shelter.
• It is her duty to ensure the monotonous repetition of life in a mindless manner. It is natural for woman to repeat the same tasks again and again. She goes round and round without ever leading to anywhere. 
• Women is ever occupied without doing anything, and thus she identifies with what she has. 
• Woman is shut up in a kitchen or in a boundary, and her horizon is limited. Her wings are clipped, and it is established that she cannot fly.
• When woman suffocates in her gynaecium (female reproductive portion), or she seeks sexual pleasure, either in a middle-class home or a brothel, it very often puts a question on her character. She either remains sexually unsatisfied or becomes subject to masculine ugliness and cruelty.
• Simone de Beauvoir correctly summarizes that “Woman has always been man’s dependent, if not his slave; the two sexes have never shared the world in equality. And even today, the woman is heavily handicapped, though her situation is beginning to change.”