Strengths and Weaknesses of Feminism Theory - Coursework Example

Strengths And Weaknesses Of Feminism Theory Introduction Feminist criminology has come a long way and has managed to endure immense pain throughout its course of development in the 1970s to become a wholly theoretical orientation. All these efforts are credited to the pioneering generation of feminist criminologists who pushed tirelessly for the recognition of women deviance in academics (Burgess, 2006). The other group is that of the contemporary generation of feminist criminologists who have played a critical role in people’s understanding of women as offenders, practitioners, and victims in the criminal justice system. Today, feminist criminology has a routine recognition as a legitimate theoretical standpoint within the broader discipline of criminal justice. In addition, feminist studies have become a common practice in many learning institutions offering legal studies (Shimakawa, 2007). The development of feminist theory and its components Thissection looks into the feminist theory and its application in white-collar crime by looking into the feminist theory and its key components. It is necessary to note that feminism does not exclusively refer to a unitary theory, but there are numerous viewpoints that fall under the outline of feminism. In this outline, each viewpoint focuses on different assumptions regarding the origin of gender inequality and women oppression. Traditionally, the feminist theory has five key standpoints (Parboteeah et al, 2003). The first perspective is the liberal feminism, which considers gender role socialization as the source of women oppression. This implies that men’s social responsibilities are given more social status and power than women responsibilities. In addition, liberal feminist pays much focus on political, economic, social, and legal equality between men and women. In the context of criminology, liberal feminists consider women offending as a factor of gender role socialization. In other words, women are more likely to offend at a decreased rate than men because their socialization offers them with reduced opportunities to involve in deviance (Burgess, 2006). Therefore, many theorists argue that as women become liberated and gained equality with their male counterparts, the nature and amount of crime would equalize as well. (Lilly, Cullen, Ball, 2011) The second perspective is the radical feminism, which considers male dominance or patriarchy as the main cause of women oppression. The argument that supports this perspective is that women suffer discrimination because male power and privilege plays a critical role in shaping social interactions and social relations. In the context of criminology, radical feminists are concerned with manifestation of male dominance crimes against women, which includes sexual harassment, rape, violence, and pornography. It further recognizes that women offending are usually preceded by victimization, mainly on men’s hands (Burgess, 2006). The third perspective is the Marxist feminism, which associates women oppression to their lesser class in a capitalist society. In support of this perspective, a capitalist way of production influences class and gender relations that finally disadvantage women sincethey occupy the working class rather than the ruling class. In criminology context, Marxist feminists are of the opinion that women’s secondary class status may push them to commit a crime as a way of supporting themselves economically (Burgess, 2006). The fourth approach is the socialist feminism, which is a combination of radical and Marxist perspectives to justify that women oppression arises from class based inequalities and concomitant sex. Therefore, gender and class operate in tandem to shape the society, socialist feminists advocate for an audit on the approaches in which gender relations are developed by class and vice versa. In the concept of criminology, socialist feminists look into causes of crime in relation to gender interaction, as well as class based systems of power (Burgess, 2006). The final perspective is the postmodern feminism, which deviates from the four feminist perspectives by raising a concern on the existence of any truth such as existence of women oppression. Postmodern feminists disagree on fixed categories and universal concepts in support of multiple truths. By doing so, the postmodern feminists examine audit the effects of discourse and symbolic demonstration on claims about knowledge. In the concept of criminology, postmodern feminists examine the social development of concepts such as deviance, crime, and justice and pose a challenge on the accepted criminological truths. The five feminist perspectives are the most common, but there are other perspectives that are of equal importance such as the critical race feminism and the black feminism. These two perspectives are based on the experiences of black women and colored women, and hence regard women oppression as a subject of gender and race based disadvantages (Burgess, 2006). Sexual harassment The second section discusses the issue of sexual harassment and how the feminist theory comes in handy in addressing women issues in workplaces. Sexual harassment in the workplace details sexual advances that can be regarded as unwelcome, requests for favors that relate to sex, as well as physical and verbal conduct that can be regarded as sexual. The submission to sexual conduct either takes place in the implicit or the explicit form. In most cases, sexual harassment in the workplace affects women and the perpetrators of this crime include men. Some women may submit to the sexual demands of men while there are some who reject these demands. The possibility of either rejecting or submitting to these favors determines the decisions that will be made concerning the employment of the victim. Sexual harassment affects the work performance of the victims and their productivity in the jobs they do. The work environment created by sexual harassment tends to intimidate the victims, as well as lead to offensive work environment that becomes hostile to the employees (Laabs, 1995). The theory of feminism is at the core of explaining sexual harassment. At the center of feminist approaches explaining the issue of sexual harassment is the issue of power. Power has an impact on sexual harassment since workplace authority tends to be based on gender. In most cases, males occupy the top positions in the organizational hierarchy. Supervisors and managers mostly comprise of men while women are at the low levels of the organization. This has led to women subordination, and harassment from the male managers and supervisors. Women who are in authority are also targets of sexual harassment in the workplace. The sex ratio in the workplace is such that the number of men in the workplace tends to be than the number of women. Unlike women in authority, women in the lowest ranks are less likely to report the issues of sexual harassment in the workplace. Women who hold positions in an organization have a high likelihood of reporting instances of sexual harassment in the workplace (Lee, 2001). The theory of feminism has an intricate relationship with the sexual harassment. According to feminists, the society accords privileges to men while women are given few privileges. Feminists argue that the society tends to be biased with regard to the distribution of power between the male and the female gender. On this regard, women are more vulnerable to harassment than men. The division of gender roles and the position that women occupy in society victimizes women. The subordinate position of women in society makes it challenging for them to oppose what men say. This extends to the workplace where women do not have an opportunity to challenge men (McMahon, 2000). Feminists argue that sexual harassment can be related to privilege, discrimination, as well as stereotypes that lead to inequality based on gender. Workplace interactions denote the significant differences between the male and the female gender. The treatment of women in society determines how women are treated in society. The discrimination and sexual harassment of women in the workplace are also compounded by the under-representation of women in the workplace. In most cases, women tend to be relegated to the lowest ranks in the organizational structure. As a result, their views in the workplace do not count. In addition, they cannot challenge the authority of men (Miner-Rubino and Cortina, 2004). With regard to the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace, feminists also argue that stereotypes and gender beliefs about women tend to shape men’s perception of women achievements. This is the case when women overcome the barriers to career to development and break the glass ceiling that prevent them from attaining high positions. Sexual harassment crops in during such as scenario since men continue to stereotype the job performance of women. The achievements that women make are rarely recognized. There are high instances of sexual harassment in industries where the population of male workers is higher than the population of female workers. For example, the instances of sexual harassment in industries are more than in any other occupation. This is because a high population of male workers means that men will gang up to harass women sexually (Smolensky and Kleiner, 2003). Feminists contend that there tends to be various behaviors that define sexual harassment in the workplace. These behaviors involve physical sexual advances, which may include sexual assault, proposing sex, as well as touching. Feminists are against all these forms of sexual harassment that may extend to personal insults, as well as offensive gestures and comments. The emotional and psychological damage caused by sexual harassment may have far reaching consequences on the victims. Women can also be sexually harassed in the workplace through the display of some materials that seem offensive by men. Feminists argue that sexual harassment can also lead to anxiety, humiliation, as well as powerlessness in women who become victims of such abuse. Feminist have been in the forefront in addressing some of the issues that relate to sexual harassment in the workplace (Rosenthal and Crisp, 2006). Absenteeism is common among women who experience sexual harassment in the workplace. Depression and post-traumatic stress disorder also affect victims of sexual harassment with low job satisfaction. Most women who experience sexual harassment tend to have low job satisfaction and they may withdraw from the workplace. This brings low productivity in the organization, and it may affect the overall performance of the organization. The under-representation of women in the workplace emanates from the sexual harassment that they experience. Feminists are against the low number of women in the workplace, which to a considerable extent emanates from the sexual harassment that women are subjected to by men (Wilson and Thompson, 2001). Sexual harassment in the workplace can be manifested by the destructive behaviors, which emanate from the stereotyping of women in the workplace. Some of the behaviors that may accompany sexual harassment include bullying, sexual harassment, racial harassment, as well as mobbing. Abusive remarks and behaviors that marginalize women can also be regarded as forms of sexual harassment, which have a profound negative impact on women in the workplace. Some of the advances made towards women can be regarded as intentional. Feminists have argued that sexual discrimination in the workplace can be considered as unethical since it violates the rights of women. Ethical standards in the workplace require that all persons be treated equally, irrespective of their gender. Therefore, the unequal treatment of women in the workplace qualifies as unethical since it violates the standards and ethics, which require that all workers be respected (Wyatt and Rierderle, 1995). There are gendered power relations in the workplace, which means that organizations tend to portray forms of power that can be considered as gendered. The gendered power forms that manifest themselves in organizations have the ultimate aim of ensuring that there is exploitation and coercion of women. Feminists have been on the forefront in the fight against the various sexual harassments, which take place in an organization. Feminists argue that the behaviors accompanying sexual harassment can be termed as unwelcome, and they should be discouraged at all costs. Masculinity in the workplace serves to perpetuate gender discrimination in the workplace, and this leads to the victimization of women (York, Barclay and Zajack, 1997). While focusing on the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace, feminist theorists argue that the perpetrators of this crime and those who the crime targets are heterosexual. Women are targets of behaviors such as obscene phone calls from men, comments regarding their looks, as well as exposure that can be regarded as indecent. The diverse forms of gendered mistreatment that tend to accompany sexual harassment at the workplace perpetuate the inequality between men and women. Feminists argue that there should be development of intervention strategies, which can be employed to address the sexual harassment at the workplace. One of the strategies proposed by feminists includes the adherence to the ethical code of conduct in the workplace. Adherence to the code of conduct ensures that women do not discriminate against women. This borrows from the fact that following the ethics and the appropriate code discourages sexual harassment and discrimination (Woodzicka and LaFrance, 2001). Feminists have strived to ensure that injustices against women in the workplace are addressed; this ensures that there is equality for all, regardless of their gender. Sexual harassment in the workplace can lead to violence against women, which should be addressed. Numerous works by feminist theorists have indicated that women can advance in their careers, and they have the capacity to make changes in the workplace. As such, women should be given an opportunity to achieve success just like men and there should be no efforts to prevent them from making career progress (York, Barclay and Zajack, 1997). Feminists are against sexual harassment since they consider it unacceptable; therefore, the society should resist attempts to have women discriminated against or sexually abused in the workplace. Sexual harassment is a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, specifically Sections 703(a) (1). Feminism is of the opinion that before men sexually harass women they should consider how they would feel if they were the ones subjected to such harassment. Legal standards have been set in order to address this issue (Woodzicka and LaFrance, 2001). Sexual harassment in the workplace can also happen through assaults, which take place through emails and telephones. Moreover, sexual harassment can be perceived differently by both men and women. This is because women may classify some behaviors as sexual harassment, which may not be the case in men. The existence of huge power differences between the perpetrator and the target qualifies as sexual harassment. This emanates from the fact that sexual harassment in the workplace has to be accompanied by a wide gap between genders (Zapf et. al., 2003). Women do not consider some of the experiences they have had as sexual harassment since they may not take the experiences they have as sexual abuse. Moreover, some women may be ashamed of reporting instances of sexual harassment because sexual harassment is humiliating, and no one has the confidence to report such instances. As a result, the problem can prevail for a long time, yet nothing is being done to mitigate it. Managerial and hierarchical powers are central to the understanding of how sexual harassment happens. Sexual harassment is seen to be rife in organizations where there is a lot of disrespect. Disrespect creates an environment where issues that crop up in the organization can be taken for granted. As a result, sexual harassment becomes a routine behavior and a norm in the organization (Friedrichs, 2002). According to Walters & Geyer (2004), men belong to a group that can be termed as socially advantaged, unlike women whose group can be termed as socially disadvantaged. This makes men prefer their own group while they exercise bias against members of the female gender. Women are considered to be the out-group while men form part of the in-group. The distinct difference between the in-group and the out-group is what contributes to the gender differences between men and women in the workplace. As a result, sexual harassment is likely to occur. Feminists are concerned with challenging the norms of society that discriminate against women. In conclusion, sexual harassment in the workplace can have negative impacts on the performance of women since it may reduce their ability to achieve the organizational goals. Sexual harassment has received criticism from feminists who argue that violence against women hinders them from achieving their goals in life. Women may not consider some of the experiences they have had as sexual harassment since they may not take the experiences they have as sexual abuse. Some women may submit to the sexual demands of men while there are some who reject these demands. The possibility of either rejecting or submitting to these favors determines the decisions that will be made concerning the employment of the victim. Feminists have strived to ensure that injustices against women in the workplace are addressed; this ensures that there is equality for all, regardless of their gender. While focusing on the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace, feminist theorists argue that the perpetrators of this crime and those who the crime targets are heterosexual. Strengths and weaknesses of feminism theory This final section highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the feminist theory and offers evidence that suggests that justice applies equally in both genders. The feminist theory pays attention to gender inequalities, more so in places where male rights and privileges are more superior to those of women (Burgess, 2006). The feminist theory further stresses that male-female variations in power are essential just like power variations by age, class, and race. A notable strength of the theory is that it can be applied while dealing with a wide range of issues. The other strength of the theory is that t helps to critique some perspectives and theories in sociology. The theory can be regarded as weak in a number of ways. One of the weaknesses of the theory is that it tends to be emotionally biased. Moreover, the theory places a lot of emphasis on the issues of power and gender. One shortcoming of the feminist theory is that much of its arguments are based on predictions. This is supported by available evidence, which suggests that there is equal treatment by gender, and in other circumstances, males receive harsher treatments (Shalleck, 1999). Further evidence suggests that when issues such as family roles and offense circumstances are taken into consideration, gender offers an insignificant impact on the court decision. Finally, the other concern over the feminist theory is the fact that the variables that relate to male offending are similar to those of female offences (Cernkovich et al, 2000). References Burgess, A. (2006). Intersections of race, class, gender, & crime: Future directions for feminist criminology. London: Sage Publications. Cernkovich, S. A., Giordano, P. C. & Rudolph, J. L. (2000). "Race, Crime, and the American Dream.”Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 37 (2), 131-170. Friedrichs, D. O. (2002)."Occupational crime, occupational deviance, and workplace crime: Sorting out the difference. "Criminology and Criminal Justice, 2 (3), 243-256. Kramer, R.C, Michalowski,R. J. &Kauzlarich,D. (2002). 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