Chapter 7 discusses issues of class in the feminist movement. hooks discusses the role of higher class white women in the feminist movement. Because they were the group of women who received public attention, when they gained equal access to class power with their male counterparts, the issue of class struggle was no longer as important in the feminist movement. hooks highlights the differences between the feminist issues of the higher class women and the lower class women.
Question 1:
hooks states, “…as feminist movement progressed and privileged groups of well-educated white women began to achieve equal access to class power with their male counterparts, feminist class struggle was no longer deemed important” (hooks, 2000, p. 37) and “From the onset of the movement women from privileged classes were able to make their concerns “the” issues that should be focused on in part because they were the group of women who received public attention” (hooks, 2000, p.37).
If working class women had received more attention from the media and made their struggle known, how do you think this would have impacted the feminist movement? Do you think this would have allowed women to gain equality in areas such as household duties and wage?
Chapter 8: Global Feminism (p. 44)
Chapter 8 discusses global feminism through exposing the flaws in the spread of Western feminism. hooks presents the idea that Western women believe they “...have the right to lead feminist movements and set feminist agendas for all the other women in the world, particularly women in third world countries” (hooks, 2000, p. 45). However, by imposing their ways on other nations, these feminist women are really only projecting their social status and race onto others. The movement is led by predominately white, upper-class women, and their actions and beliefs support parasitic class relations instead of those of race, nation and gender (hooks, 2000, p. 44).
This clip of the Ali G Show starting at 1:30 depicts a humorous spin on the serious issue of sexual exploitation of many women across the globe as a means of economic survival. Although this is a joke to us in America, it is important to remember this is real life for some women in other nations.
Question 2:
Even though the global feminist movement has traditionally been headed by white, privileged women, it is important to note that women of the United States have helped lower rates of sexism and sexual exploitations in some nations. Through enforcing “white supremacist capitalist patriarchy” many women in the feminist movement were silenced. What types of women do you believe were silenced? If these silenced members’ opinions were voiced what effect do you think they would have on nations struggling with sexism, sexual exploitation, and oppression? Would this change the global interactions we see today, or would the world function similarly?
Chapter 9: Women at Work
In this chapter it explains how women don’t get paid the same and still out there in the workforce. Women have been in the workforce for a long time now whether we are paid well or receive low wages many women have not found world to be as meaningful as feminist utopian visions suggested. When women work to make money to consume more rather than to enhance the quality of out lives on all levels work does not lead to economic self-sufficiency.
Question 3:
In bell hooks book she says “in many college classrooms today students both female and
male will argue that feminist movement is no longer relevant since women now have
equality.”
Do you think when women stay home and do the household work, do you think they get
depressed because they aren’t making any money to help out in the family?
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