The Impact of Feminism on Sociology - Report Example

A balanced View: Feminism and Sociology Knowledge production It would be necessary to start with a reference to philosophy. Next is a considerationof the field social science. It would then be possible to better see sociology as a segment of knowledge. The intent is to discover truth for the good of society (Baker, C., Johnson, G., Williams, L., Perkins, D., & Rainey, S. 2008,).. Truth then would be separate from us humans. This is in some way like recognizing the force of gravity. Gravity is there whether we believe or know of its existence. A quick example is the operation of an aircraft. We can safely operate with the laws of lift. The moment the law of lift Is violated we see the immediate effects Feminism This is a philosophical position. It seeks equality as it relates to political, legal and economic matters (Blumberg, R. 2001,). There are many more aspects but the main thrust is to achieve equality with the male counterpart. Feminist impact Unemployment has been a factor of society over many years. In the past governments somewhat accepted this. In this way welfare recipients were simply entitled to benefits. Since the 1970s there has been a shift in this approach. People were no longer entitled to the benefits. The shift meant that one had to qualify for the benefits. Qualifying had to do with a market economy component. This meant the introduction of the welfare to work principle (Breitkreuz, R. 2005, June)... Those people on welfare were now structured units to enter the job market. This gave focus to the real societal issues. In most societies, those on welfare women out number the men. A further reality is that most these women are mothers. Feminist studies show that employability has at least two direct challenges. First there is the need to deal with the woman’s emotional need. This need is directly related to the family commitment. In many cases the woman is referred to as the lone mother. This lone mother may be making an income. The reality is that the income is informal. In addition the income is small. The lone mother is now trapped in to maintaining this income stream. This can be seen as a coping mechanism. The second issue is the need for education. In most cases there is a skill deficiency. In other words the lone mother has a work skill. The problem is that the work skill is not in demand by the regular business economy. The two issues must be addressed together. This realization helps the society in general. The fact can be seen if we look log term as opposed to the immediate issue at hand. Helping the lone mother in the welfare to work model will have a positive impact on men. This is achieved by the lone mother being lifted out of poverty. The lone mother’s child maybe male or female. This is the subtly of the issue. Many times we fail to recognize this fact. The male child is now avoiding poverty. This is not by his own effort. He maybe did not know anything about the concept of poverty. The reality is that his circumstance has been improved. The improvement came independent of his effort. It was the result of the mother – a woman. She benefitted from a welfare to work program. In an indirect way the man has benefited. The result is somewhat obscure. The welfare male is seen as benefiting for males. This is because of the immediacy concept. It is necessary to take this long term approach for the betterment of society. The welfare to work program helps with the challenge. Sociology This is the study of the problems of human interaction. There is the micro aspect as it relates to face to face dynamics. Then here is the macro aspect which deals with the larger groupings of people. This means that it touches on all areas of human activity. Human activity has education as its basic component. Education can be defined as the passing of know-how from person to person and from generation to generation. Any meaningful change must start here (Benavot, A.1989,) Theory and Challenges The theory simply states there is no difference between male and female. This position is difficult to apply in every area of life (Dillabough, J. 2003,). There must be of necessity be the realization that there is at least two differences. The first is biological. The second is psychological. The bodies of male and female are obviously different. This is easily seen when we consider the human interaction. There is the act of reproduction. This is quite often overlooked. The reality is that the boundaries are already set (Hall, M.1988,). The thought processes are quite different. Modern research techniques in the sciences show the differences in brain activity and the processing of stimuli. The challenge is to address these issues as far as it is possible for the betterment of society (Wallace, R. 1996). The important thing is to have women be involved in the decision process. The major challenge here is that the decisions are made by men. This has been the norm. In some cases women might not all want to be involved in the process. Such a process involves responsibility. It is possible that some women might not want that responsibility. These two factors make it necessary to find the correct balance. It would be especially problematic to go from one form of error to another form. The idea is to achieve what is good for the society. At present we have people who speak for the women who want to be part of the decision process. In many ways we hear little of those women who would not want to be part of the decision process (Mukhopadhyay, M. 1995,). In such a situation we could have one group of women (feminist) unduly imposing their will on the other women Past and Present The idea is based on considering three periods of time. The first is pre-twentieth century times. It is thought that there was an established pattern of thought. This pattern was referred to as classical or traditional. Next is the beginning if the twentieth century. This second portion is called modern. The third period is called post modern and refers to the time 1970 and later. Impact The post modern era has forced change (Taylor, V. 1998,). Some of the change is good and some is bad. There is no consensus on the good or bad. It will take many decades of application then decades of observation and analysis. Before there will be some agreement as to what is good or bad for the society. Gender Inequalities This should be seen as those that have been applied by society. Some are not necessary. Then there others that are absolute necessary for the good functioning of society. Those that are not necessary apply in economics (Volman, M., & Dam, G. 1998). An example is the question of maternity leave. The title alone creates the possibility of discrimination or inequality. This can be fixed easily if we think of the family unit. There is the family unit. By definition it is a husband and a wife. Such recognizes the male female role. Such a change would make it possible to create a new term. It would be parental leave. The male and female would be seen as one unit. Then, both parties qualify for the leave together. References Baker, C., Johnson, G., Williams, L., Perkins, D. , & Rainey, S. (2008, August). THE HIGHLANDER RESEARCH AND EDUCATION CENTER: UTILIZING SOCIAL CHANGE-BASED MODELS FOR PUBLIC POLICY. Race, Gender & Class, 15(3/4), 308-335. Retrieved June 19, 2009, from SocINDEX with Full Text database. Benavot, A. (1989, January). EDUCATION, GENDER, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: A CROSS-NATIONAL STUDY. Sociology of Education, 62(1), 14-32. Retrieved June 19, 2009, from MasterFILE Premier database. Blumberg, R. (2001, Fall2001). Risky Business: What Happens to Gender Equality and Womens Rights in Post-Conflict Societies? Insights from NFOs in El Salvador. International Journal of Politics, Culture & Society, 15(1), 161. Retrieved June 19, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database. Breitkreuz, R. (2005, June). Engendering Citizenship? A Critical Feminist Analysis of Canadian Welfare-to-Work Policies and the Employment Experiences of Lone Mothers. Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, 32(2), 147-165. Retrieved June 23, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database. Dillabough, J. (2003, October). Gender, Education, and Society: The Limits and Possibilities of Feminist Reproduction Theory. Sociology of Education, 76(4), 376-379. Retrieved June 19, 2009, doi:10.2307/1519874 Hall, M. (1988, December). The Discourse of Gender and Sport: From Femininity to Feminism. Sociology of Sport Journal, 5(4), 330-340. Retrieved June 19, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database. Mukhopadhyay, M. (1995, February). Gender relations, development practice and culture. Gender & Development, 3(1), 13-18. Retrieved June 19, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database. Taylor, V. (1998, December). Feminist Methodology in Social Movements Research. Qualitative Sociology, 21(4), 357-379. Retrieved June 19, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database References Volman, M., & Dam, G. (1998, December). Equal but Different: contradictions in the development of gender identity in the 1990s. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 19(4), 529-545. Retrieved June 19, 2009, from SocINDEX with Full Text database. Wallace, R. (1996, Winter96). Joseph H. Fichters Contributions to Feminism. Sociology of Religion, 57(4), 359-366. Retrieved June 19, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database Read More