Feminist Methodology

WALTs: How does feminist theory interpret modern society? What research methods are preferred by feminists and why?
WILFs: Can recall (E) and deploy (D) key terms... Can identify and describe different types of feminism (D)...Can compare and contrast feminisms highlighting similarity and difference (C).... Can identify (E) and describe (D) preferred feminist methodologies and explain (C) why they are preferred. Can evaluate practical and ethical concerns in feminist methodology highlighting strengths and weaknesses (A)

Lesson Development

1. Rally Robin different types of feminism, and as many feminist theorists you can remember from Families, Politics, Education and stratification - 10 mins then stand and share. Now use the Synoptic Starter sheet individually and fill in as best you can
2. Study the PowerPoint on Feminist methodology and take notes
3. In a new pair Rally Coach the feminist methodology worksheet
4. With your revision twin create a revision resource which describes and assesses:
a) feminist views on the nuclear family
b) feminist interpretations of education and trends in education
c) feminist views on the distribution of power in society
d) feminist views on stratification and differentiation
e) preferred feminist methods

Plenary - Paraphrase Passport the following question: What has feminism contributed to our understanding of modern society?

Paraphrase Passport requires students engaging in a group discussion to paraphrase what others have said. Before a student can go on to offer their own opinion or input, they must paraphrase what was last said. The person whose statement was paraphrased indicates whether the speaker has correctly captured their meaning. Once the speaker is satisfied that she or he has been accurately paraphrased, the discussion continues with the next speaker's comments. Thus, each person taking a conversational turn must paraphrase the prior speaker's comments before giving their own ideas.

The Ideology of Feminism

First Wave Feminism
This refers to the feminism emerging in the 1800's focused on campaigns for political equality - e.g. the Suffragettes

Second Wave Feminism
This refers to the Feminism of the 1960's and the Women's Liberation Movement. This resulted in many of the laws granting equal rights to women e.g. Sex Discrimination Act 1975, Equal Pay Act 1970

Three Types of Feminism
Most writers identify three broad types of feminism, liberal, socialist and radical

Liberal
Liberal feminism emphasise the importance of campaigning for changes in the law to guarantee gender equality. All major political parties today accept the main ideas of liberal feminism

Socialist (aka Marxist feminism, aka dual systems feminism)
Socialist feminists identify capitalism and the main source of gender inequality. For instance capitalism benefits from the oppression of women - cheap labour, rearing and socialising the next generation of workers, unpaid housework. Socialist feminism believes gender inequality will only end when capitalism ends. Socialist feminism has little influence on the ideas of the mainstream political parties

Radical feminism
Radical feminism sees gender inequality as the central divisive feature of all human societies. Radical feminists call for fundamental changes in all aspects of society - values, beliefs, family, work, religion, education, politics etc.
Separatist Feminists