FEMINISM – Power, Patriarchy & Political Justice
Rewriting Politics Through Gender Lens
1️⃣ WHAT IS FEMINISM?
Feminism is a political ideology and social movement that seeks to end gender-based oppression and establish equality between men and women.
Core assumption: Politics is gendered.
2️⃣ KEY CONCEPT – PATRIARCHY
- System of male dominance
- Control over resources
- Control over labour
- Control over sexuality
- Institutional bias (state, law, family)
Patriarchy is both cultural and structural.
3️⃣ WAVES OF FEMINISM
First Wave (19th–Early 20th Century)
- Voting rights
- Legal equality
Second Wave (1960s–1980s)
- Reproductive rights
- Workplace equality
- "Personal is political"
Third Wave
- Intersectionality
- Identity politics
- Diversity within feminism
Fourth Wave
- Digital activism
- #MeToo movement
4️⃣ TYPES OF FEMINISM
🔹 Liberal Feminism
- Equal rights through reform
- Legal equality
- Education & employment access
🔹 Marxist Feminism
- Women's oppression linked to capitalism
- Domestic labour exploitation
🔹 Radical Feminism
- Patriarchy is primary oppression
- Gender system must be dismantled
🔹 Socialist Feminism
- Combination of capitalism + patriarchy
🔹 Postmodern Feminism
- Challenges fixed identity categories
- Critique of universal "woman" experience
5️⃣ FEMINISM & THE STATE
- State as patriarchal institution
- Need gender-sensitive policy
- Reservation debates
- Gender budgeting
6️⃣ FEMINISM & JUSTICE
- Substantive equality
- Recognition + Redistribution
- Care ethics
- Reproductive justice
7️⃣ INDIAN FEMINISM
- Raja Ram Mohan Roy (social reform)
- Women’s Reservation debate
- Triple Talaq issue
- Intersection of caste + gender
8️⃣ CRITICISMS
- Western bias
- Urban elitism
- Fragmentation of identity politics
📝 UPSC MAINS QUESTIONS
- Discuss feminism as a critique of liberal political theory.
- Is patriarchy a structural phenomenon?
- Examine Marxist and Radical feminism comparatively.
- Evaluate relevance of feminism in contemporary India.
📌 QUICK REVISION MAP
- Patriarchy → Structural domination
- Waves → Evolution
- Liberal → Reform
- Marxist → Economic roots
- Radical → Gender system
- Indian → Intersectional politics
Feminism expands democracy by including the excluded.
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