What are MacKinnon’s critiques of Marxism?
1) It ignores women’s experiences and oppression 2) Women are oppressed under socialism as well as capitalism
What is the difference between feminism and
Marxism?
For MacKinnon, feminism unmasks unequal power relations, just as Marxism does. But feminism unmasks the exploitation of women, not workers. Here, desire is transformed into sexuality, rather than nature transformed into value.
What is the source of gender inequality and male domination?
Sexuality, as constructed by men. It determines how gender is defined, and does so in the favor of male desire.
What is objectivity and objectification?
Objectivity is standing outside of a thing or situation being observed. Objectification is presenting one’s ideas or perspective as the truth, impartial, neutral.
What is consciousness raising?
Women’s realization of their position as objects. Achieving this requires taking an insider perspective, meaning women must examine their own personal experiences. These experiences are then shared with other women, and collectively reconstructed. Realizing this allows women to perceive and understand their relationship with men, which in turn unmasks the illusion of male superiority for what it is.
“Waves” of feminism
1st: women’s suffrage (turn of 20th Century) 2nd: mainstream acceptance and inclusion (1960s) 3rd: intersectionality and critical theory (push for inclusion of race and class)
How is gender constructed?
- through sexualized stereotypes about femininity (summed up by the idea that women are “made for childcare, homecare and husbandcare”) 2. gender socialization - internalization of norms generated by and for male desire 3. Force + consent - that this is our criterion distinguishing rape from acceptable sexual relations indicates the power imbalance between sexes.
What is wrong with objectivity/objectification?
It is (at least) a problem when applied to the human sphere. In our social context, if not universally, men have adopted and defended their role as subjects (being objective). This forces women into the role of objects, through the process of objectification.
How is objectification experienced?
Women have dual elements comprising their gender identity: the surveyor and the surveyed. The surveyor is masculine - it is the woman watching herself. The surveyed is femine, the product of men’s desire.
