CRITICAL SOCIAL SCIENCE

— aims to uncover surface reality for improvement/alter social relations

— analytical method of investigation

— in other words “change the world”

Feminist Theory – Aims to eliminate gender inequality by analyzing the status of men and
women in society. The belief in the equality of men and women.
 One of the theoretical approaches that fall under critical social science, emphasizes
gender as the key basis of structured inequality.
 Feminism isn't just one single idea—it consists of various feminist theories that explain
why women have been treated unfairly and what can be done to change that. These
theories provide different perspectives on the causes of women's subordination and offer
strategies to achieve gender equality.

Feminist Theory as an approach is still considered by some as being in the developmental

stage compared to other theoretical approaches in social sciences.
 Most feminist research is done by women who aim to highlight women's experiences and
challenge the male-dominated perspective that has long influenced research.
 In the past, most social science research was biased toward men because there were more
male researchers, and cultural beliefs tended to favor men.

Feminist research usually follows two approaches:

 Interpretive Social Science – Focuses on understanding and interpreting women's
personal experiences.
 Critical Social Science – Analyzes deeper social structures that contribute to inequality.
The Critical Social Science approach in feminist research goes beyond individual
experiences and focuses on analyzing deeper social structures that contribute to gender
inequality. Instead of just understanding personal stories, it seeks to uncover the root
causes of oppression in society.
 A common criticism of the interpretive approach is that it mainly relies on women’s
personal stories, which may not fully reveal the deeper causes of oppression—something
that critical social science aims to address.
Historical Context
Women have been fighting for their rights to achieve equal status with men as early as the 19th
century.
Waves of Feminism
1st Wave Feminism - The Oldest Feminist Theory
The First Wave of feminism focused on women’s suffrage (the right to vote), education, labor
rights, and legal equality. Women during this period fought for basic rights that were denied to
them, particularly in Western countries.
Key Achievements:
1. Women’s Right to Vote – Many countries granted women suffrage (e.g., the U.S. in
1920, the U.K. in 1918 for certain women and 1928 for all).
2. Access to Education – Women fought for and gained greater access to higher education.
4. Labor Rights – Women demanded better working conditions and fair wages.
2nd Wave Feminism (1960s–1980s) – Women’s Liberation Movement
2nd Wave of Feminism - The Second Wave of feminism emerged in the 1960s, focusing on
women’s liberation rather than just legal rights. Feminists realized that voting rights alone were
not enough to achieve true equality. They sought to challenge deeper social, cultural, and
economic inequalities that continued to oppress women.
Key Issues & Goals:
• Workplace equality – Equal pay, career opportunities, and maternity rights.
• Reproductive rights – Access to contraception and the right to abortion.
• Challenging gender roles – Breaking stereotypes that women should only be
housewives or caregivers.
• Fighting against domestic violence and sexual harassment – Raising awareness and
pushing for legal protections.
Key Achievements:
• The Equal Pay Act (1963, USA) – Aimed at reducing gender wage gaps.
• Legalization of birth control & abortion rights – Gave women more control over their
bodies.
• Rise of feminist literature & activism – Books like The Feminine Mystique by Betty
Friedan inspired women to demand change.

Here are three major feminist theories that emerged from feminist discourse:
1. Liberal Feminism: The Oldest Feminist Theory
- Liberal feminism is the oldest feminist theory, originating in the 19th century during the fight
for women’s political and social rights. It is based on the idea that women are rational beings,
just like men, and should therefore have equal opportunities in all aspects of life.
2. Socialist Feminism: A Response to Marxist Feminism
Socialist feminism emerged in the 20th century as a critique of Marxist feminism, which focused
too much on class struggle and often ignored gender-specific oppression. While Marxist
feminism argued that capitalism was the main source of women's oppression, socialist feminism
expanded the analysis by including other factors such as race, age, religion, ethnicity, and
disability.
While liberal feminism is rooted in liberalism and social feminism is rooted in socialism, another
feminist theory which emerged in the twentieth century, radical feminism, is not rooted in any
political ideology.
3. Radical Feminism: Challenging Patriarchy at Its Core
Radical feminism argues that women’s oppression is the most fundamental form of oppression in
society, and all other forms of inequality (such as class or race-based oppression) stem from male
dominance (patriarchy). Unlike liberal feminists, who focus on legal reforms, and socialist
feminists, who emphasize economic structures, radical feminists believe that patriarchy is deeply
embedded in culture, institutions, and even biology.
Key Concepts in Feminist Theory
In order to fully understand feminist theory, it is important to comprehend the concepts of
sex, gender, gender ideology, and gender oppression.
• Sex – This is about the body you are born with (male, female, or intersex) based on
biology.
• Gender – This is how society expects people to behave based on their sex. For
example, boys are often told to be tough, and girls are expected to be gentle.
• Gender Ideology – These are the beliefs people have about how men and women
should act. Some cultures think women should stay home, while men should work. These
ideas are not natural but created by society.
• Gender Oppression – This happens when people are treated unfairly because of their
gender. For example, women being paid less than men for the same job or being expected
to do all the housework just because they are women.
Thinkers and their Contributions
Mary Wollstonecraft
- A social is a social theorist and feminist from United Kingdom. Her feminist view was
based on reason and equality.
- She was married and died giving birth to her daughter Mary.
- In 1792, she published “A Vindication of the Rights of Women” which became a ground-
breaking work in feminism. In this work, she stressed that women should have equal rights with
men and scorned the widespread impressions on the helplessness and uselessness of women. She
believed that women should be educated in order to achieve a sense of self-worth.
Betty Friedan
- Considered the mother of women’s liberation. Her work “The Feminine Mystique”
stimulated the emergence of second wave feminism.
- She founded the National Organization of Women (NOW) in 1966, and became the first
president.
- In her book “The Feminine Mystique (1963), Friedan explained how female domesticity
causes a sense of frustration and despair among women. She labeled this phenomenon as “the
problem with no name”, the unhappiness many women experience as a result of being confined
to the roles of homemaker and mother.
Simone De Beauvior
- A French novelist, playwright, and social critic who taught philosophy at the Sorbonne
and later became an independent writer social theorist.
- Her book “The Second Sex (1949)” intensified the issue of gender politics, foretelling the
themes later developed by radical feminists. She stressed that women’s subordination was caused
by social, not natural factors, thus her classic line “women are made, not born,” She also
highlighted the idea of men being “the one” and women being “the other,” meaning masculine
was represented as the positive norm, while the feminine is portrayed as the exact opposite of the
masculine.
Feminism Theory: Strengths and Criticisms
One of the strengths of feminist theory is its recognition that social research in the past was
predominantly conducted by men and focused on men; hence analyses made were not inclusive
of women. This is what feminist theory as social science approach tries to address ¬– to give
equal emphasis on men and women in dealing with and solving social issues, particularly gender
inequality.

Feminist Theory: Strengths and Criticisms

Strengths:
• Challenges Male Bias in Research – In the past, most research was done by men and
focused only on men. Feminist theory ensures that women’s experiences are included in studies
and social issues.
• Questions Social Norms – It argues that both work (public) and family life (private) are
shaped by society, not nature. This means gender roles can change to give women more
opportunities.
• Broad Perspective – It looks at gender inequality in two ways:
o Macro (Big Picture): Studies how laws, institutions, and traditions create gender
inequality.
o Micro (Everyday Life): Examines how people’s actions and beliefs shape gender roles.
Criticisms:
• Rejecting Traditional Roles – Some believe feminist theory is too critical of traditional
roles like motherhood, with radical feminists even seeing it as forced labor.
• Focus on Middle-Class Women – Some forms of feminism, like liberal feminism, are
seen as ignoring race and class struggles, focusing mainly on middle-class women’s issues.
• Overlooking Men’s Struggles – Critics argue that feminism focuses too much on
women’s oppression and ignores discrimination that men may also face.
Marxism is a complex socio-economic and political philosophy that analyzes class relations and
social conflict, particularly within capitalist societies. It was developed by Karl Marx and
Friedrich Engels in the 19th century.

Key Principles of Marxism

- This theory asserts that the economic base of a society, its mode of production, determines its
social, political, and cultural structures.
- Marxism posits that history is driven by conflict between different social classes with opposing
interests. In capitalist societies, this conflict is primarily between the bourgeoisie (owners of the
means of production) and the proletariat (workers).
- Marx argued that capitalism exploits workers by paying them less than the value of their labor,
creating surplus value that accrues to the capitalists.
- Marxism predicts that the inherent contradictions and inequalities of capitalism will eventually
lead to a proletarian revolution, which will overthrow the capitalist system and establish a
communist society.
Marxism's Impact

Marxism has had a profound impact on global politics, economics, and social thought. It has
inspired various socialist and communist movements, including the Russian Revolution of 1917
and the Chinese Revolution of 1949.
- Marxism is a theoretical framework for understanding social and economic systems, while
communism is a political ideology that aims to establish a classless, stateless society.
- Socialism is a broader term that encompasses various ideologies advocating for social
ownership or control of the means of production.