Theoretical Perspectives on Feminism and Gender Equality

This paper sheds light on the theoretical perspectives on feminism from two course books to explain gender equality. The paper follows a systematic approach explaining various theories and concepts while highlighting the contents of the annotated bibliography from assignment one. Symbolic interactionism and Conflict theory from Katie Coleman’s book while multiracial feminism and Socialist feminism from the Feminist theory handout will be analyzed.

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The aim of this paper is to shed light on the theoretical perspectives on feminism from
two course books to explain gender equality. The paper will follow a systematic approach
explaining various theories and concepts while highlighting the contents of the annotated
bibliography from assignment one. In addition, the paper will use several other concepts from the
two books that demonstrate feminism and gender equality. Symbolic interactionism and Conflict
theory from Katie Coleman’s book while multiracial feminism and Socialist feminism from the
Feminist theory handout will be analyzed.
Developed by Karl Marx, the Conflict theory explains that the struggle of the poor
masses against the dominant elite group defines society. In terms of gender, the struggle is
between the powerful male genders against the ‘subordinate’ female gender. According to this
theory, “gender is best understood as men attempting to maintain power and privilege to the
detriment of women” (Coleman, 2017 p. 6). The theory holds that men have always misused the
privileges given to them to dominate women. It defines gender inequality in terms of division in
labor and status in the society, which created social conflict. Further, the theory explains the
‘glass-ceiling’ metaphor – the unseen but unbreakable ceiling preventing women from
developing – and the breadwinner being traditionally associated to being men.
The fight for equality by AAUW could be explained by this theory as the association
fights for giving the power enjoyed by men to the women through education, research and
advocacy.
As opposed to conflict theory, symbolic interactionism focuses on the ways people
influence and are influenced by others and the ways they interpret these influences. Further, the
theory also highlights the ways people “make sense of the world”. In the context of gender

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equality, the theories of symbolic interactionism explain that gender inequality is perpetuated by
the communication of conventional cultural “definitions of masculinity and femininity from
generation to generation” (Coleman, 2017 p. 7). The theory is useful in explaining the thoughts
of many women who consider themselves inferior to men due to their traditional cultural beliefs
and definitions about gender roles.
It would be clearer to understand the gender inequality on the global platform as defined
by Katie Coleman from the perspective of symbolic interactionism. The inequality faced by
women in both professional and personal field is due to the notion that men are more capable
than women in every area of work are. The notion is the result of the traditional cultural
definitions that have been taught to both genders from time immemorial, as explained by the
symbolic interactionists.
It focuses mainly on the ways individuals are positioned based on their gender, race,
class, age and sexual orientation within the intricate structure of the society. Multiracial
feminism explains that individual experiences are shaped by the factors mentioned above and not
just by the single factor of gender ("Feminist Theories Handout", 2018). The approach is
intersectional in the sense that it includes race and class as important factors in the research
relating to women whether they are white, heterosexual or middle-class. The lives of these
women are influenced not just by gender inequalities but inequalities based on sexuality, race
and class.
The approach is crucial in understanding the point put forward by Tillett Wright,
according to whom, gender inequality encompasses those who are not hundred percent straight.
Wright talks about equal rights being given to all including the LGBTQ people and not just to

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women. Multiracial feminism advocates for the kind of right mentioned by Wright in her TED
Talk.
Socialist feminism centers around the ways capitalism and patriarchy are combined to
form the “life choices of women and men” ("Feminist Theories Handout", 2018). The approach
examines the current state of affairs that is assisted by the economic stratification. The ways
which women are exploited by men could be understood clearly by further examining the
differences that exist among men. The approach thus uses economic stratification among both
men and women as an important part of the current patriarchy to understand the gender
inequality.
In the TED Talk featuring Michael Kimmel, he mentions benefits of gender equality for
business. He uses statistics and data that show how companies with more gender equality
succeed than those that have no gender equality. Thus, it could be seen that Kimmel too
indirectly makes use of economic stratification to explain gender equality and the reasons to have
it. The approach is useful in understanding the reason behind some countries moving ahead in
terms of gender equality and some lagging behind despite making efforts like Japan, as
mentioned in the article published in The Japan Times.

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References:
Coleman, K. (2017). Sociology 200: Introduction Women's Studies (1st ed., pp. 6-7). California:
College of the Canyons.
Feminist Theories Handout. (2018). Retrieved from
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FsGGJxsVa9jmjBovzlUX-
KFxtjXMWR73sHbAdDWOJuk/edit