1 Introduction to Feminism
Freewrite
- Who is your favorite female writer? Why? What other female writers can you name? What stands out about them?
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Why study women writers?
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Is there a distinction between male and female writing?
In This Chapter
Why Study Feminism and Women Writers?
In Introduction to Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies (2017), Kang, Lessard, Heston, and Nordmarken discuss how there was a time when it seemed all knowledge was produced by, about, and for men. This was true from the physical and social sciences to the canons of music and literature. Looking from the angle of mainstream education, studies, textbooks, and masterpieces were almost all authored by white men. It was not uncommon for college students to complete entire courses reading only the work of white men in their fields.
Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies (WGSS) is an interdisciplinary field that challenges the androcentric production of knowledge. Androcentrism is the privileging of male- and masculine-centered ways of understanding the world.
Feminist scholars argue that the common assumption that knowledge is produced by rational, impartial (male) scientists often obscures the ways that scientists create knowledge through gendered, raced, classed, and sexualized cultural perspectives. Feminist scholars include biologists, anthropologists, sociologists, historians, chemists, engineers, economists and researchers from just about any identifiable department at a university. Disciplinary diversity among scholars in this field facilitates communication across the disciplinary boundaries within the academy to more fully understand the social world (Kang et al., 2017).
Check Your Understanding
A Quick Tour Through History
The Women’s Liberation Movement and Civil Rights Movement of the mid-20th Century called attention to these conditions and aimed to address these absences in knowledge. Beginning in the 1970s, universities across the United States instituted Women’s and Ethnic Studies departments (African American Studies, Asian American Studies, Latin American Studies, Native American Studies, etc.) in response to student protests and larger social movements. These departments reclaimed buried histories and centered the knowledge production of marginalized groups.
As white, middle-class, heterosexual women had the greatest access to education and participation in Women’s Studies, early incarnations of the field stressed their experiences and perspectives. In subsequent decades, studies and contributions of women of color, immigrant women, women from the global south, poor and working class women, and lesbian and queer women became integral to Women’s Studies.
More recently, analyses of disability, sexualities, masculinities, religion, science, gender diversity, incarceration, indigeneity, and settler colonialism have been centered in the field. As a result of this opening of the field to incorporate a wider range of experiences and objects of analysis, many Women’s Studies department are now re-naming themselves “Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies” departments (Kang et al., 2017).
Feminist scholars recognize the inextricable connection between the notions of gender and sexuality in U.S. society, not only for women but also for men and people of all genders, across a broad expanse of topics. In addition to reading a variety of literature produced by women, in this book, you can expect to learn about the impact of stringent beauty standards produced in media and advertising, the history of the gendered division of labor and its continuing impact on the economic lives of men and women, how sexual double-standards harm us all, and the historical context for feminist movements and where they are today (Kang et al., 2017).
More than a series of author biographies, this text offers a way of seeing the world differently. Women Writers is meant to help you make connections across institutional contexts (work, family, media, law, the state), value the knowledge that comes from lived experiences, and attend to, rather than ignore, marginalized identities and groups through the lens of intersectionality. That is, they see systems of oppression working in concert rather than separately. For instance, the way sexism is experienced depends not only on a person’s gender but also on how the person experiences racism, economic inequality, ageism, and other forms of marginalization within particular historical and cultural contexts. (Kang et al., 2017).
First and Second Wave Feminism: A Brief Timeline
Gynocriticism
Stop and Reflect
Stop and Reflect
Is this a valid concern? Why/why not?
Language and the Patriarchy
Some feminists argue that language itself is masculine; it is a man-made medium that favors the patriarchy. Here, there is a strong emphasis on the constructed-ness of femininity through the use of language binaries and how they relate to gender:
Masculine: Mind, Reason, Active, Dominant
Feminine: Body, Feeling, Passive, Subordinate
The concept of patriarchy in language refers to the ways in which language reflects and perpetuates gender inequalities and power imbalances between men and women. Language is not neutral, and it can often reinforce societal norms and expectations that favor men while marginalizing or erasing women’s experiences.
How Patriarchy Can Manifest in Language
1. Gendered Pronouns: Many languages, including English, use gendered pronouns such as “he” and “she,” with “he” traditionally being used as the default pronoun. This can reinforce the perception that men are the norm or the standard, while women are seen as deviations from that norm. It can also contribute to the erasure of non-binary and gender non-conforming individuals.
2. Occupational Terms: Certain professions and occupations are associated with specific gendered terms. For example, terms like “policeman,” “fireman,” or “mailman” imply a male presence in those roles, while alternative terms like “police officer,” “firefighter,” or “mail carrier” are gender-neutral and more inclusive. By defaulting to masculine forms, language can perpetuate the idea that certain jobs are primarily for men.
3. Generic Masculine Terms: In many languages, masculine terms are often used as generic terms that encompass both men and women. For instance, phrases like “mankind,” “man-made,” or “chairman” can be interpreted as excluding or marginalizing women. These terms reinforce male dominance and contribute to the erasure of women’s experiences and contributions.
4. Diminutive Forms and Patronizing Language: Language can employ diminutive forms or patronizing language when referring to women, thus belittling or infantilizing them. For example, terms like “girl,” “missy,” or “sweetie” may be used to address adult women, implying a lack of authority, competence, or maturity.
5. Stereotypical Language: Language can reinforce gender stereotypes by associating certain traits or roles with specific genders. For example, words like “bossy” or “hysterical” are often used to describe assertive women, while men exhibiting the same behavior might be seen as “confident” or “self-assured.” These linguistic choices perpetuate gender biases and limit opportunities for women.
6. Lack of Gender-Inclusive Language: Many languages lack gender-neutral or inclusive language to refer to individuals or groups. This can make it difficult to challenge traditional gender roles and hierarchies. However, efforts are being made to introduce gender-neutral pronouns and inclusive language options to address this issue.
It’s important to note that language is not the sole determinant of social change, but it does play a significant role in shaping our thoughts, perceptions, and behaviors. By recognizing and challenging patriarchal language patterns, we can work towards creating a more inclusive and equitable society.
Intersectional Feminism
Stop and Reflect
What common challenges do “Others” face that might relate to feminist criticism?
Can you think of some other contexts in which people who are marginalized in multiple ways might be left out?
What are some things you can do to include them?
Intersectionality can be challenging to understand. This video explains the intersectionality framework using the example of gender-specific and race-specific anti-discrimination policies that failed to protect Black women (Kang et al., 2017).
What Feminist Critics Do
Stop and Reflect
Barry, Peter. Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. 2nd ed., Manchester UP, 2002.
Cixous, Helene. “Sorties.” New French Feminisms: An Anthology, edited by Elaine Marks and Isabelle de Courtivron, University of Massachusetts Press, 1980.
Holmes, Janet and Miriam Meyerhoff. The Handbook of Language and Gender. Blackwell Publishing, 2003.
Hopkins, Peter. What is Intersectionality?, Newcastle University, 22 April 2018, https://vimeo.com/263719865.
International Women’s Development Agency. https://iwda.org.au/ Accessed 19 May 2023.
Kang, Miliann, Lessard, Donovan, Heston, Laura, and Sonny Nordmarken. Introduction to Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies. University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries, 2017, http://openbooks.library.umass.edu/introwgss/, CC BY 4.0
Lakoff, Robin. “Language and Woman’s Place.” Language in Society, vol. 2, no. 1, April 1973, Cambridge University Press, pp. 45-80, https://www.jstor.org/stable/4166707?origin=JSTOR-pdf
“Language & Feminism.” YouTube, uploaded by Vitamin Stree, 27 Mar. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=iU-xCSU-Vlw.
Litosseliti, Lia. Gender and Language: Theory and Practice. Taylor & Francis, 2006.
O’Connor, Kate. Feminist Approaches to Literature. Creative Commons, University of Oxford, 3 Aug. 2012, http://writersinspire.org/content/feminist-approaches-literature, BY-NC-SA
Rice, Phillip and Patricia Waugh. Modern Literary Theory, 4th ed., Hodder Arnold, 2001, pp. 143-146.
Showalter, Elaine. “Towards a Feminist Poetics.” Women Writing and Writing about Women, edited by Mary Jacobus, Routledge, 1979, pp. 34-36.
the privileging of male- and masculine-centered ways of understanding the world
subjects of gynocriticism include: the history, styles, themes, genres, and structures of writing by women; the psychodynamics of female creativity; the trajectory of the individual or collective female career; and the evolution of female literary tradition
Intersectional feminism acknowledges that there is an inseparability of race, gender, sexuality, and disability (as well as other aspects of identity). It shows that different kinds of prejudice can be amplified in different ways when put together. This means that not all women face the same amounts of prejudice or discrimination.
