Do we still need Feminist Sociology?

TW: R*pe and FGM

It has been over a century since Emily Wilding Davison jumped in front of King George V’s horse at Epsom Derby in 1913. A woman so passionate about gender equality that she gave up her life for the cause. Since then, women’s rights have dramatically improved. From being able to vote to control over family planning, equality during a divorce settlement to the right to an education, women across the globe are slowly but surely becoming more empowered by the day. In this essay I will discuss why feminist sociology is still needed in today’s society, most specifically centred around the taboo subject of rape.

The United Kingdom is well renowned for being an excellent role model for human rights, following a large majority of the International Bill of Rights. As a matter of fact, women have more power in certain situations, such as child custody, which is not seen in many other parts of the world. It is these parts of the world that feminist sociology is so important.

In many countries, such as South Africa, rape is a common occurrence. According to South Africa’s Criminal law (sexual offences and related matters) amendment act 32 of 2007, rape is defined as: “Any person ('A') who unlawfully and intentionally commits an act of sexual penetration with a complainant ('B'), without the consent of B, is guilty of the offence of rape” [1]. This definition is very ambiguous and so many men who commit sexual related crimes are not brought to justice. In fact, so many people do not suffer legal or social consequences that 42,596 cases of rape were reported in 2015 alone, that is, on average 116 per day [2]. This has resulted in the country frequently being nicknamed ‘the rape capital of the world’ in the media [3]. “There is a widely acknowledged problem of under-reporting, with many victims reluctant to go to the police… Various factors account for this: social stigma, difficulties in securing a conviction and even the prospect… that an unsuccessful prosecution is likely to result in the women being charged for adultery” [4].

Although, first world countries, such as the United Kingdom, don’t have as much of an epidemic of sexual assault as increasingly economically developing countries and third world countries, such as South Africa, it is still a prevalent issue. Rape is treated as a very serious offence in the UK and is far from seen as a regular practise, but the way in which men and women are portrayed and the standards that are often set to be a masculine man or feminine woman creates an environment known as ‘rape culture’. Men are pressured into feeling that they have to dominant and sexually aggressive, and women submissive and sexually passive. This encourages men to treat women like a lesser species or a sex object, such as in South Africa.

Emile Durkheim came up with the social theory of functionalism, in which he explained that society is built on inter-connecting establishments that must function together to be successful. The function of a family was to provide “primary socialization and personality stimulization” [5]. He believed that in order for the family to function properly, the father must be the breadwinner and the mother must be the housekeeper. In the modern-day world, this is an inherently sexist point of view. It suggests that women are only good at baring children and household chores.

Marxist and feminist theologists counteracted the functionalist argument by suggesting that housework and child rearing should be considered ‘labour’ equally as much as employment. Without it, there would be nobody to bring up the children, who in turn with become the workforce. The philosophy even suggests that the functionalist theory encourages men, the ‘labourers’, to have the destructive mindset that women, the ‘domestic workers’, do not ‘work’ and that their tasks are of less importance. This could potentially lead to the father bullying his family and seeing his wife as simply a baby maker, resulting in rape culture [6].

The Marxist and feminist theory differs in that Marxism blames the mistreatment of women on capitalism, whereas feminism blames it on the patriarchy. Whichever you agree on, it is a fact that men, in societies across the globe have more privilege than women. It is incredibly important to remember that men can be and are raped too, but the statistics are barely comparable to the sexual abuse that occurs towards women. Feminist sociology combats rape and assault with great force. Without it, the numbers of rape cases in the UK would potentially equal those in South Africa.

Feminism is a western construct. Less developed countries or countries that are heavily religious, do not hold the view that women are equal to men. Even the women themselves are indoctrinated into believing that they are the weaker gender. Men in those countries believe that they have the right to control what happens to a woman’s body.

Female genital mutilation involves the removal of the clitoris. It is believed that women should not be allowed to get pleasure from sex because it is a sin, so the part is removed anywhere between birth to the early stages of puberty. The procedure is very common in Middle-Eastern and African countries, and is an extremely painful process and is completely irreversible. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) works to prevent the practise in the UK, with separate legislations, policies and guidance schemes for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. If feminist sociology were not widespread in the UK, this protection would not be in place. The fight against the mutilation is far from over elsewhere.

It is not only less developed or religious countries that are run by men who assert their dominance over the control of women’s bodies. The United States of America is guilty of being a capitalist, patriarchal society, a Marxist feminist’s worst nightmare. In 2017, Donald Trump, the President, and eleven other men, signed the anti-abortion bill, which makes abortions illegal under most circumstances, or at best, very difficult to get. This leaves women with no autonomy over their bodies if they are to become pregnant.

In conclusion, women’s health and welfare affects both women and men. Women are our mothers, our sisters, our wives, our daughters, our friends, and make up 51% of the human population. Yet even in a developed country, such as the UK, 1 in 5 will experience rape and 1 in 3 will experience sexual assault. Feminist sociology is still current and vital all over the world. The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is a promising step towards a better, egalitarian world. Working in hundreds of countries, they provide protection and education for women living in dangerous, male-orientated societies. “The Convention provides the basis for realizing equality between women and men through ensuring women's equal access to, and equal opportunities in, political and public life” [7].

References:

[1] Criminal law (sexual offences and related matters) amendment act 32 of 2007 [ONLINE] Available at http://www.justice.gov.za/legislation/acts/2007-032.pdf [Accessed 10/01/2018]

[2] Guide: rape statistics in south africa [ONLINE] Available at https://africacheck.org/factsheets/guide-rape-statistics-in-south-africa/ [Accessed 10/01/2018]

[3] Why it is wrong to call s. africa or any country the ‘rape capital of the world’ [ONLINE] https://africacheck.org/reports/why-it-is-wrong-to-call-s-africa-or-any-country-the-rape-capital-of-the-world/ [Accessed 10/01/2018]

[4] Fagan Andrew. (2010). The atlas of human rights: United Kingdom: Earthscan

[5] Fulcher James et al. (2011). Sociology: Oxford: Oxford University Press

[6] Fulcher James et al. (2011). Sociology: Oxford: Oxford University Press

[7] UNWomen. 2009. Text of the Convention. [ONLINE] Available at http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/cedaw.htm [Accessed 28/11/2017]

Websites Visited:

BBC. 2014. Emily Davison (1872-1913). [ONLINE] Available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/davison_emily.shtml [Accessed 25/11/17]

Oxford Dictionary. 2017. Feminism. [ONLINE] Available at https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/feminism [Accessed 25/11/2017]

ReviseSociology. 2017. Feminist Theory: A Summary for A-Level Sociology. [ONLINE] Available at https://revisesociology.com/2017/02/03/feminist-theory-summary-sociology/ [Accessed 28/11/2017]

Independent. 2017. Donald Trump will abolish women's right to abortion, warns expert US doctor [ONLINE] Available at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-abortion-illegal-dr-willie-parker-planned-parenthood-roe-v-wade-pro-life-choice-neil-a7670496.html [Accessed 10/01/2018]