>> Support material: Chapter 12


Chapter 12 The Gender Order

 

Case studies Video clips Weblinks Further reading Podcasts
Case studies Video clips Weblinks Further reading Podcasts

 

Case study

Are you a feminist or a post-feminist?

Some commentators suggest that feminism is ‘dead’, or no longer necessary (in Western countries at least), citing the improved social status of women and the many gender-related social reforms since the 1970s (such as equal pay, anti-discrimination, and equal opportunity policies). Such a view, often referred to as post-feminism (a disputed term for a disputed view), assumes that the social conditions underpinning the need for feminism no longer exist, and thus that the political and social basis of the feminist movement has dissipated (see Brooks 1997).

Another view of post-feminism is presented by social commentators Camille Paglia and Katie Roiphe (1994), who criticised the feminist movement for being sexually conservative (particularly in its attitudes towards pornography and sexuality), promoting a view of women as victims, and for essentialising women (and thus marginalising racial/ethnic, class, and sexual differences). These authors call for a celebration of femininity, sexuality, and empowerment, citing post-feminist ‘girl power’ celebrities such as Madonna, who have appropriated highly sexualised notions of female identity as the basis for their success, embracing sexual freedom and personal empowerment rather than committing to any unitary social or political goal. Such approaches tend to dismiss or marginalise the perpetuation of continued gender inequality as an outcome of individual choice (see Hakim 2000). Others argue that post-feminism is part of a neo-liberal cultural backlash against the gains of the feminist movement (see Faludi 1991). So successful has this backlash been that many women refuse to publicly call themselves ‘feminists’, despite supporting feminist ideals of equality.

References

Brooks, A. 1997, Postfeminisms: Feminism, Cultural Theory and Cultural Forms, Routledge, London.
Faludi, S. 1991, Backlash: The Undeclared War against Women, Crown, New York.
Foucault, M. 1979, Discipline and Punish, Penguin, Harmondsworth.
Hakim, C. 2000, Work-lifestyle Choices in the 21st Century: Preference Theory, Oxford University Press, New York.
Roiphe, K. 1994, The Morning After: Sex, Fear, and Feminism on Campus, Little Brown, New York.

Discussion questions

  1. Are you a feminist or post-feminist?
  2. Given our changing attitudes to gender over the past few decades, how do you account for the persistence of sexism?
  3. Sexism often appears in our everyday interactions—can you think of some examples from your own life?
  4. Can you think of other examples of sexist comments that appear in the media?
  5. Can you think of ‘reverse sexism’ directed to men? Do such examples reflect sexual equality?