Feminism

Politicization of the sex-class identity
Gender
Oppression

Education,
Economic
&
Political
Political
Resources
& Interest

1800s Organized women’s rights movement
1830s- 1860s Movement to abolish slavery
1866 British MP John Stuart Mill petitioned the Parl.
of the UK to grant suffrage to women
1921 Agnes Macphail 1st elected women MP
1920 Nat. League of Women Voters was created
1927 “Person’s Case” Senate appointments
vote
Universal Suffrage
1921 Federal Election
1929 JCPC reversed Supreme Courts decision

“No room at the top”
 only 3.5% of the world’s cabinet
ministers were women
 women held no ministerial
positions in 93 countries
 women were completely absent from the four highest
levels in government in 50 countries: 5 in the group
of Western European states; 16 in Asia and the
Pacific; 8 in Latin America and the Caribbean; 21 in
Africa
 women occupied less than 5% of the top positions in
international organizations, including the UN and the
European Community
 only a handful of women served as finance ministers
(Bhutan, Finland, New Zealand, San Marino, Taiwan)
In 1990:

Occupying highest offices of the state
entering the polling booth
Twice Prime Minister
of Norway in the 1980s
Gro Harlem Brundtland Indira Ghandi
Prime Minister of
India, 1966-77
Margaret Thatcher
Prime Minister of
Britain, 1979- 1990

“The first organized movement
for women’s rights came form
the movement to abolish slavery.
….. women’s rights organizers
broke down many conventional
barriers to the public
participation of black people and
women.”
Rowbotham (1992)
1830s- 1860s Movement to Abolish Slavery

FINANCES
ETHNICITY
TRADITION
Women’s lack of direct participation
in top-level policy-making
Political Participation
Substantial growth for women?
ORGANIZATION

Different
Ideologies Different
Strategic
Measures
Different
Political
Goals

PUBLIC SPHERE
1869 J.S. Mill Published
On the Subjection of Women
Pursuit of the
franchise
legal rights
PRIVATE SPHERE

Private, political
& economic sphere
LEGAL
RIGHTS
ACCESS TO
EDUCATION

Sacrifice?
Who occupies the private sphere? ?
PUBLIC SPHERE
PRIVATE SPHERE

Betty
Friedan
The Feminine
Mystique
1982 Charter of Rights and Freedoms
1960s Powerful emergence of Liberal Feminism
1970s and 1980s women entered universities
and work force in increasing numbers
“happy-housewife”
myth
1988 - Supreme court confirmed
abortion laws unconstitutional

KATE MILLET
Gloria Steinem Naomi Wolf

Largest & most activist women’s mvt in the world
1992: outgoing Congress had only 6.4% women
members incoming =11% in House, 7% in Senate.
The electoral gap in the
US has been shown to be
critical to the success of
the Democratic Party and
to the nomination and
election of some women
candidates.

WILL WOMEN SHARING POLITICAL POWER
EQUALLY WITH MEN
CHANGE THE WAY WE LIVE?
structural reforms

Studies indicate that a ‘critical mass’ of from 30-
35%
inclusion of women in political leadership and gov’t is
needed to affect public policies.
Women should not settle for an in-name-only
share
of leadership…should use their positions to campaign
for specific party commitments to the nomination,
election and appt = # of men and women to national
office, parls, cabs, courts, regional and st. legs,
commissions, advisory groups.
Parties and women’s orgs should seek out
potential
women candidates for political office and provide
them with training in pol. and ldsp skills, funding and
& Political Leadership

“Good Wives & Wise Mothers”
TRADITION
?
$

Biased Work force
Deeply rooted Traditions
Choices?
?
April 10, 1946
Japan’s first
“all person’s” election
VOTE

Marxist Feminism
Radical Reform Liberal Feminism

CYBER-FEMINISM