14.1.2 Sex vs. Gender: Key Distinction in Feminist Analysis

Key Definition

Similarity Between Feminists on Sex and Gender

All feminists agree that the distinction between sex and gender is essential for understanding and addressing gender inequality, though they differ in their approaches to how these concepts should be interpreted and challenged in society.

Overview

Feminists make a critical distinction between sex and gender, viewing it as fundamental to their analysis of society. While sex refers to the biological differences between males and females, gender refers to the social and cultural roles, behaviors, and attributes that society considers appropriate for men and women.

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Socialist Feminism

Sex vs. Gender

• They believe that while biological differences (sex) exist, the roles and expectations (gender) imposed on women are a result of social and economic structures rather than natural differences.

Importance in Analysis

• Socialist feminists focus on how gender roles serve the interests of capitalism by confining women to unpaid domestic labor and low-paid work. By challenging these socially constructed roles, they aim to dismantle the economic systems that oppress women.

Simone de Beauvoir - "women are made not born" (gender is a societal construct) - women and the 'other'.

• Charlotte Perkins Gilman uses the example of how children are brought up to demonstrate how things such as pink toys help contribute to gender norms that make us believe that characteristics associated with gender are natural. She therefore advocates for children receiving the same toys.

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Liberal Feminism

Sex vs. Gender

• The distinction is key to their belief that laws and social policies should treat individuals equally regardless of gender.
• Mary Wollstonecraft acknowledged that there are biological differences between the sexes, but she strongly argued that these differences should not determine a person's role or capabilities in society.
• Betty Friedan argued that the idea that women were naturally suited for domestic roles—focused on homemaking, child-rearing, and being submissive to their husbands—was a socially constructed notion rather than a biological reality. She described this as "the feminine mystique", a myth that confined women to the private sphere and prevented them from achieving their full potential.

Importance in Analysis

• For liberal feminists, recognizing the distinction between sex and gender is essential for advocating reforms that remove legal and social barriers to equality. They argue that by changing laws and education, society can shift away from restrictive gender roles and allow individuals to pursue opportunities based on their abilities rather than their gender.

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Radical Feminism

Sex vs. Gender

• The distinction between sex and gender is crucial because it highlights that gender roles are not natural or inevitable but rather imposed by a patriarchal society.

Importance in Analysis

• Radical feminists believe that dismantling patriarchy requires a complete rethinking and restructuring of gender roles. They advocate for the abolition of traditional gender norms and the creation of a society where individuals are not defined or limited by their gender.
• Radical feminists argue that to deconstruct these norms, you need a sexual revolution.
• Millett in "Sexual Politics" (1970) examines how literature, media, and education perpetuate traditional gender roles, reinforcing the idea that women are naturally suited to submissive, domestic roles.

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Postmodern Feminism

Sex vs. Gender

• This approach questions the rigid categories of male and female, arguing that they are part of a broader system of power that categorizes and controls people.

Importance in Analysis

• Postmodern feminists use the distinction between sex and gender to deconstruct traditional ideas of identity. They emphasize the importance of understanding how different social and cultural contexts shape gender identities and argue for a more flexible and inclusive approach to gender that recognizes a spectrum of identities.
• Bell hooks critiques traditional gender roles as being deeply intertwined with power structures that benefit certain groups (especially white, middle-class men) at the expense of others. She argues that these roles are socially constructed and serve to maintain systems of domination.

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Essentialist Feminism

• Essentialist feminists hold the belief that certain characteristics and roles are naturally tied to one's biological sex. They often argue that sex and gender are inherently linked, with gender roles reflecting natural biological differences. This view is less common in contemporary feminist discourse, which tends to emphasize the socially constructed nature of gender.

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Exam Practice

1. "To what extent do feminists agree on sex and gender?"

For:

• All feminists believe that gender roles are socially constructed and form stereotypes.
• De Beauvoir argued that the sex of an individual had been used by patriarchy as a justification for predetermining the gender roles of women.
• Gilman argued that gender roles are socially constructed from a young age, subordinating women to the will of men. Women are socialized into gender roles such as motherhood.
• Kate Millett believes that gender roles are constructed by the family.
• Rowbotham argues that economics and patriarchy are interlinked. Capitalism creates the role of housewives for women.
• Bell hooks agrees with Gilman that gender roles are socialized from a very young age.

Against:

• Difference feminists argue that biological differences determine gender differences.
• Equality feminists disagree on solutions to gender stereotypes.
• Liberal feminists like Friedan argued for reform within the public sphere of society.
• Radical feminists argue for 'The Personal is Political'.
• Radical feminism argues that patriarchy is too pervasive to reform, such as Millett and Rowbotham.

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2. "To what extent do feminists agree that patriarchy is based on human nature?"

For:

• Difference feminism: some believe that patriarchy is linked to human nature, e.g., men are innately more dominant and aggressive.
• Women are naturally more nurturing, and these differences should be celebrated.
• Essentialism: biological factors are significant in the behavior of men and women.
• A few difference feminists argue for total separation.

Against:

• Millett argues that the patriarchal father dominates the family, and the mother socializes children into gender roles, which gives men the power that it denies women. She seeks to abolish the nuclear family and traditional marriage.
• Most feminists are equality feminists (e.g., Millett, De Beauvoir) and reject the idea that men and women are fundamentally different, which shows that patriarchy is a social construct.
• Socialist feminists like Rowbotham and Gilman also suggest it is caused by capitalism.