Patriarchy, Hegemony, Feminism & Post-Feminism

1. Patriarchy, Hegemony, Feminism & Post-Feminism

2. Common Assumptions • Write down as many words as you can think of to answer the following questions: • What is a man supposed to look like? • What is a man supposed to act like? • What is a woman supposed to look like? • What is a woman supposed to act like? • Who gets to decide & how???

3. Patriarchy • In the EU, men earn 17.4% more than women on average; in the UK, it is 21%. Why? • 40% of working women work part time • Women retire earlier • Men are deemed as being ‘worth more’ than women • Patriarchy is more than just a gender divide

4. Patriarchy in Practice • TV Funding into the Premier League = £1.7bn • All funding into Women’s Premier League = £4.5m (less than 0.3% of the TV money for men) • Why are men paid so much more? • More men like sport... • ...is a common answer. But why is this the case? • Are men born ‘liking sport’ any more than ‘liking chess’? • If we put £1.7bn into jazzing up chess, would more people play and watch?

5. Patriarchy in Practice One theory is that society is led by what the media tells them Men are told that real men like sport, so they are more drawn to it... ...this then becomes a self-perpetuating reason for pumping money into TV sports. Andy Fordham

6. Hegemony – the measure of a man • The ‘Hegemonic man’ is often considered to mean the ‘ideal man’ • Consider these men: Which attributes of masculinity do they have?

7. Hegemony – the measure of a man • What sorts of roles might we label men into? • Breadwinner • Athlete • Bad boy • Camp/Queer • Macho

8. Hegemony – the measure of a man • What about women? What sorts of labels exist there? • Babe/Fox • Slut/Whore • Virgin/Frigid • Butch/Dyke • Mother • What differences emerge about these two lists? • Breadwinner • Athlete • Bad boy • Camp/Queer • Macho

9. Feminism • Feminism is a political movement associated with the 1960s/1970s, though its roots stretch back to the Suffragettes • Put simply, Feminists sought to prove that they deserved to be treated the way men were treated by going out and doing all of the things men did but just as well or better • What symbols of masculinity can be found in this poster of Rosie the Riveter?

10. Post-Feminism • Post-Feminists (1980s onwards) argued that trying to prove a woman’s worth by doing male things was the wrong approach • It would only ever prove how well a woman could impersonate a man • What criticisms might a feminist levy at Madonna here?

11. Post-Feminism • Instead of copying men, women should take a long look at what it means to be a woman and embrace that • And besides... If you did something ‘as well as a man’, that meant you were only as good as a man...