Woman Gender Studies Lecture Notes 01 30 2014 LECTURE 1 WGS is interested in the category of the study of woman s lives as being different and now women have encounters that are different from men and that need to be studied Goals of WGS Debunk of stereotypes of feminism Interested in investigatory how knowledge is constructed wanted women to be included in higher education also minorities Knowledge as a social construction History usually told by people who won ex US tells how America came to be need to question who is left out of this story Learn about men and woman statuses in society in the past and present how have we thought of different ways to improve these WGS looks at world and society as a system how does privilege Encourage people to think critically about things that are taken for statuses granted benefit you in society feminism complex set of themes feminism different sets of theories ism political theory movements feminist theories emerge from feminist wave resurges and retreats 1st wave early 19th and 20th centuries o suffrage temperance drinking de jur came out of abolition movement feminism 2nd wave 60 s and 70 s civil rights movement o liberal feminism inclusion of woman in the liberal world assumes that society built out of date ideas homemakers woman should be in office education business including woman more is the answer o radical feminism radial root systems dependent upon particularly system of male dominance men interested in keeping it that way because our society built on patriarchy and leads to difficult problems Gender inequality domesticated Socialist feminism woman s oppression systematic don t believe that it is because of men both men and woman are harmed by capitalism 3rd wave 90 s o post modern transnational sex positive queer theory o original principle 2nd and 1st wave feminism ideas focused too much on woman as a category primarily middle aged white woman different woman experienced differently depending on how they look o celebrate girl power culture woman can wear makeup be girly and be empowered by that o Feminism of color emphasis that woman of color experienced inequalities different Post feminism wide range of the ones stating that Anti feminism debunk idea that social arrangement of gender benefit Power feminism woman have achieved equality under law so we should take control of our own destiny similar to liberal feminism difference is liberal feminism still wants to point out that inequalities still exist men History 1st wave occurring woman couldn t vote and still considered property woman wanted to make alcohol illegal because husbands drink and mess work temperance suffrage emerged out of a need for woman to be able to take control of their circumstances 1920 s women could vote then war and great depression so women got to work feminist voices war ended and 800 000 woman 1950 s emphasized on the domestication of woman 1960 s civil rights movement woman needed to be considered as equal feminist movement emerged out of circumstances going on were fired at current time LECTURE 2 systems of inequality and privilege oppression slavery and colonialism what systems of inequality cure connection between privilege inequality and oppression oppression two different forces pushing down cant rank oppression people are oppressed and experience this in different ways location in the world makes oppression different for people systems of inequality and privilege work in different ways to effect WGS looks at culture and society as a system System group of thing that work together organizing organism that network and dynamics and provides life and experiences within itself for peoples lives people Example LSU complex system different campuses Bureaucracy syllabus rules social construct drinking football greek life Can only learn the social construct of a system by experience and clothing southern charm learning and engaging In this complex system everyday not written in laws but you have to experience to learn how to be an LSU student and fit in In different country s states city s complex systems give different experiences Systems work with rules and social norms Discipline teaches right vs wrong System of inequality network or disciplining grid of social forces such as laws social scripts norms Etc produce and maintain hierarchies in society Certain things are better than other things Things we know or don t know but still exist After hierarchies are created good bad o Value things that shouldn t be valued o Clearer pathways to success pushed down Hegemony status quo norm of hierarchy in society Idea that over time the patterns don t change stay relatively stable Over time the hierarchies have maintained Status quo of dominance of one social group over another Example racism sexism ageism ableism we need to think complex how these work and not so much of it is ism systems of inequalities stable or not and not so stable that it still can be undone stability of hierarchies is a balancing act complex set of forces that recorrect itself Gramsci in order for this they have to reassert society just because there is dominance doesn t mean it is stable Men and woman changed things Woman get redomesticated after changes Point to the possibility of change Ways they work Oppression cant rank don t work isolated from one another experience life in dynamic ways Hierarchies religion classism lookism height etc Wagon wheel these things don t happen in isolation from one another represents different types of ways hierarchies are created in society intersect and produce complex experiences LECTURE 3 Examples of an oppressive circumstances people can be privileged and oppressed at the same time consistency across the categories race class gender status etc Ex1 girls get kicked out of honor society for being pregnant That responsibility falls under the girl and its solely not just her fault Ex2 it is necessary to breast feed your child for at least two years according to law and men can sue wife for not breast feeding child Ex3 higher valued people treat lower valued people unfairly and lower them on the hierarchy scale Privilege and oppression work together to make the systems of inequalities and create the wagon wheel Which supports ranking in society and prevents people from moving out of poverty Keep these rankings in place to keep the system LECTURE 4 Difference between gender and sex We learn certain social scripts and norms for gender norms Sex is