Sylvia Walby (Leaving Cert Politics and Society): Revision Notes

Sylvia Walby

Introduction

Sylvia Walby (1953-) is a leading British feminist sociologist who has made groundbreaking contributions to understanding gender inequality in society. While her work spans multiple disciplines including Political Science, Social Theory, Industrial Sociology, and Globalisation, she is most recognised for her gender-conscious analysis of the social world. Her expertise was officially recognised when she became the first person to hold a UNESCO chair of Gender Research in 2008.

At the heart of Walby's work is the concept of patriarchy - a system where men dominate and control women. She argues that this concept is the common thread that connects all different strands of feminism, making it central to understanding gender relations in society.

The waves of feminism

Walby identifies three distinct waves in the development of feminist thought, each with different priorities and approaches:

First wave feminism (19th and early 20th century)

This early form of feminism was primarily concerned with achieving suffrage - the right for women to vote. First wave feminists focused on gaining basic political rights and legal equality.

Second wave feminism (1960s onwards)

Second wave feminism expanded beyond voting rights to demand emancipation in all spheres of life. This movement popularised the famous slogan "The Personal is Political", arguing that issues like domestic violence, reproductive rights, and workplace discrimination were not just private matters but political issues requiring social change. Second wave feminists highlighted how the pervasiveness of patriarchy leads to gender domination and discrimination across all areas of society.

Third wave feminism (1990s onwards)

Third wave feminism emerged as a response to perceived failures of the second wave. These feminists argued that women cannot be seen as having one common experience, instead recognising diversity among women. Third wave feminism links race and global consciousness with feminist analysis, acknowledging that factors like ethnicity, class, and nationality create different experiences of oppression.

Forms of feminism

Walby analyses several different approaches within feminist theory:

Liberal feminism

Liberal feminism is most closely associated with first wave feminism. It focuses on achieving equal opportunity through political and economic participation. Liberal feminists take an optimistic view, arguing that society can achieve equality if it operates on principles of justice and equal competition. However, this approach doesn't recognise how patriarchy has vested interests in maintaining inequalities.

Socialist and marxist feminism

These approaches, aligned with second wave feminism, argue that gender issues cannot be separated from economics. Similar to how socialists identify an oppressive capitalist class, these feminists apply gendered analysis to conclude that patriarchy creates systematic "profit" from oppression. They argue that capitalism strengthens patriarchy by defining women as consumers and perpetuating their oppression as the "domestic slave".

Black feminism and postmodern feminism

Black feminism (generally third wave) argues that previous feminist forms have done little for black and non-white women, being biassed towards white, middle-class women. Postmodern feminists similarly reject the idea of one all-encompassing female experience, arguing for recognition of diversity, non-binary thinking, and critical evaluation of social norms and language that are detrimental to those seen as "other" in a male-dominated world.

Walby's approach to patriarchy

Walby challenges simple "black and white" thinking about the relationship between capitalism and patriarchy. She argues for lateral thinking that recognises the complexities and nuances of this relationship.

As Walby notes: "Liberated from the home, women now have the whole of society in which to be exploited" and "When patriarchy loosens its grip in one area it only tightens it in other arenas".

The six structures of patriarchy

Walby's most significant contribution is her definition of patriarchy as "a system of social structures and practices in which men dominate, oppress, and exploit women". Rather than seeing patriarchy as one overarching system, she argues it operates through six interconnected structures:

1. Production relations in the household

In the home, women are expected to work for free under the expectations of their husband. This unpaid domestic labour is a fundamental way that patriarchy maintains women's subordination.

2. Paid work

In the working world, women face discriminatory pay, unfair treatment, and are often relegated to less demanding roles than their male counterparts. This creates economic dependence and limits women's autonomy.

3. The patriarchal state

States can be inherently oppressive to women through their policies and laws. Political systems and legal frameworks are fundamentally biassed towards men, creating institutional barriers to gender equality.

4. Male violence

This is not random or individual behaviour but operates under patterned and systemic criteria. When states fail to adequately address male-to-female violence, they effectively perpetuate it through non-interference.

5. Patriarchal relations in sexuality

Different rules apply to both genders in social norms and expectations regarding sexual behaviour. These double standards reinforce male dominance and female subordination.

6. Patriarchal cultural institutions

Media, religion, and education produce and perpetuate portrayals of women through a patriarchal viewpoint. These institutions shape how women understand their own femininity and their place in society.

Private and public patriarchies

Walby identifies two distinctive forms of patriarchy operating in society:

Private patriarchy

Found primarily in the household, private patriarchy sees one individual patriarch (the dominant male) dominate and oppress the subjugated female. This acts as an exclusionary tactic, preventing women from participating in public discourse and decision-making.

Public patriarchy

Operating in the public world, this form is most associated with the working world. In public patriarchy, women are collectively separated from power, wealth, and influence, even though they may participate in public life.

Walby argues that in Western societies, there has been a shift from private to public patriarchy. While private patriarchy was once more dominant, male-orientated domination now operates more prevalently in the public realm.

Key perspectives

Walby emphasises that "Women are not passive victims of oppressive structures. They have struggled to change both their immediate circumstances and the wider social structures". This highlights her view that women are active agents of change rather than helpless victims of patriarchal oppression.

Her work brings together different forms of feminism to offer a unifying analysis of how patriarchy operates across multiple dimensions of society - from the home to the workplace, from state policies to cultural institutions.