Essentialism
- masculine traits are aggressive, rational and assertive.
- feminine traits are gentle, intuitive and sensitive.
- 'it is important to maintain distinctions between the sexes in order to preserve the natural order
- 'woman is fickle and always changing' - virgil
- 'woman is an imperfect man' - thomas aquinas
Early modern feminist activity
- 1550-1700, english society was founded on the the rule of the father
- women had no formal rights and were not represented in the law
- early activity aimed at challenging the prevalent social view that women are weak and irrational creatures who should be controlled by men.
- there are a number of political events which supported in such efforts, in particular queen Elizabeth 1s accession to the throne in 1558 and her long and successful reign as a single female.
- english civil war and the interregnum period 1642-60 and the glorious revolution of 1688 questioned the supreme power of the king and demonstrated that it was possible to challenge the patriarchal rule.
First actions
- In 1642 impoverished women working in a variety of trades collectively rebelled and marched into London to petition the Houses of Lords and Commons - they wanted the law to take into account their status of working individuals and to improve the conditions of the working class.
- During the 18th and 19th centuries, many notable female figures were outspoken about the need to challenge women's subordinate social situation.
First wave feminism
- The opening of higher education to women and the reform of secondary education for girls.
- The Enactment of the Married Women’s Property Act, 1870 (Before 1870, any money made by a woman either through a wage, from investment, by gift, or through inheritance automatically became the property of her husband once she was married.)
- They failed to get the right to vote.
Suffrage
- New Zealand is the first to grant in 1902
- British women over the age of 30 are allowed to vote in 1918
- By the 1980s women could vote in almost all the countries in the world except a few Muslim countries.
- Following this, few feminists remained active, those who did fought for contraceptive rights, abortion law reform and the chance to be admitted into certain professions.
Backlash
- At the beginning of the 20th Century, a number of publications attacked feminists for being ‘immoral, bad mothers and lesbians’.
- 1901 an American psychiatrist wrote a novel which equated feminism with lesbianism and degenerate morality.
- In 1927 DR E.F.W Eberhard argued that feminism which promoted lesbianism could potentially destroy Western civilisation. The correlation was meant to scare women away from education that emphasised athletics as they would ‘ensure lifelong homosexuality.
Second wave feminism
- 1960 - first oral contraceptive developed by American scientists is approved for use
- 1966 - National Organisation for Women
- 1994 - Violence against Women Act (US)
- Late 1960s - The Women’s Liberation Movement
WLM demands
- Equal pay for men and women
- Equal education and job opportunities
- Free 24 hr nurseries
- Free contraception and abortion on demand
- Financial and legal independence
- An end to discrimination against lesbians and a woman's right to define her sexuality
- Freedom from intimidation by threat or use of violence and an end to male aggression and dominance
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