Feminist theory aims to understand gender inequality by viewing social forces that create and support oppression. It promotes equality and justice, not women's superiority over men. The emergence of second-wave feminism in the 1960s sought women's liberation beyond political rights gained in the first wave. Key concepts include distinguishing between biological sex and socio-cultural gender roles and ideologies that legitimize inequality and lead to gender oppression.

1. By: Timothy Yutuc

2. Feminist theory is the extension
of feminism into theoretical,
fictional,
or philosophical discourse. It aims
to understand the nature of gender
inequality.

3. Feminism promotes the belief that
women and men should be treated
equally and that steps have to be
taken to realize the goal of gender
equality.

4. Feminism is not actually that
bad…..

5. Many people incorrectly believe that
feminist theory focuses exclusively
on girls and women and that it has
an inherent goal of promoting the
superiority of women over men.

6. In reality, feminist theory has always
been about viewing the social world
in a way that illuminates the forces
that create and support inequality,
oppression, and injustice, and in
doing so, promotes the pursuit of
equality and justice.

8. Historical Context

9. Women have been fighting for their rights
to achieve equal status with men as early as
the 19th century.
The so-called first wave feminism was
characterized by initiatives taken by women
to fight for women suffrage or the right to
vote and be educated, as well as labor rights
and other privileges.

10. The 1960’s saw the emergence of second wave
feminism which was characterized by so-called
women’s liberation.
In this period, feminist realized that the gains of the
first wave feminism were not enough.
Second wave feminist realized that giving women
the right to vote was not enough to solve the
women’s oppression. Therefore, the goal of second
wave feminist was women’s liberation and not
merely political emancipation.

11. Liberal feminism is the oldest of all feminist theories, dating
back to the nineteenth century and advocated for political
and social rights for women.
Socialist feminism was born in the twentieth century, which
served as a critique of Marxist feminism’s gender-blind
approach to women’s subordination by emphasizing that
factors such as race, age, religion, etc needs to be considered
analyzing women’s oppression.
Radical Feminist believe that women’s oppression is the most
basic feature of society and all other forms of oppressions are
only secondary, and that biology is destiny: women, by virtue
of their physical make-up, are meant to be oppressed that is
why patriarchy must be abolished by liberating women from
male domination.

12. In employment in the 19th century,
Lower-class women could be servants,
domestic help, factory workers,
prostitutes, etc. Middle- and upper-
class women could help, in some cases,
with a family business, but generally,
the economy and the society dictated
that women should work in the home,
taking care of home and hearth.

13. They could be educated and could study, as
long as it did not interfere with their
housework. Any serious or passionate study
of any subject was seen as harmful to the
family, unless that serious and passionate
study dealt with a social or religious issue, or
to the woman, herself. Physicians believed
that if a woman became too scholarly, her
uterus would become dysfunctional, possibly
leading to madness.

14. Stereotypes for women in the 19th century:
Weak
Passive
Timid
Domestic
Illogical
Emotional, susceptible to madness, hysteria
Social/Familial
Dependent
Unable to resist temptation
Pure
Content
Not sexual/sensual
Sphere: Private

15. Key Concepts of Feminist Theory

16. In order to fully understand feminist
theory, it is important to comprehend the
concepts of sex, gender, gender ideology,
and gender oppression.

17. Sex refers to the biological
differences between males and
females while gender, on the other
hand, refers to the socio-cultural
attributes associated with being a
man and a woman and the different
roles that society assigns to men and
women.

18. Gender ideology refers to the attitudes
regarding the suitable roles, rights, and
responsibilities of men and women in society.
Gender ideology legitimizes gender
inequality.
Gender inequality leads to gender
oppression, or the manner in which certain
groups are privileged or disadvantaged
because of gender.

19. Strengths and Criticisms