Feminist sociology emerged in the 1960s and 1970s to expose gender inequities in male-dominated sociology and explore the root causes of perceived gender differences. It corrects oversights of women’s issues in other sociological studies and uses qualitative research methods to uncover sociological causes for the purpose of undermining injustice.
Feminist sociology arose as part of second wave feminism in the 1960s and 1970s. Its goals include exposing inequities in male-dominated sociological work and exploring the root causes of perceived gender differences. Methodologically, feminist sociological research tends to be more qualitative than quantitative.
A major premise underpinning traditional sociology – or “masculine” sociology as it is sometimes called by feminists – is that people’s values and actions are largely determined by their role in social structures. Feminist sociologists have extended this to argue that the field of sociology itself is largely the product of male-dominated social structures. They claim that sociologists have tended to research only men, and then have unfairly tried to generalize their findings to all of humanity.
Feminist sociology attempts to correct oversight of women’s issues in other sociological studies. One of her main areas of research is how society shapes gender differences. Scholars may differ in whether they believe these differences are the product of an inherently unjust system, but the fact that they exist is undeniable.
For example, it is well established that men are more likely to be convicted of violent crimes than women. Women are statistically more likely to enter humanities than science fields of study. Feminist sociology seeks to discover what sociological structures cause these differences between men and women.
Mainstream or male sociology tends to use a quantitative research method that tries to be objective. Many feminist sociologists, however, argue that the attempt to objectify human experience actually denies and invalidates that experience, resulting in patriarchal and ethnocentric bodies of knowledge. For this reason, feminist sociology tends to use more qualitative and descriptive rather than quantitative research methods. Feminist researchers may seek to develop an egalitarian and mutually beneficial relationship with the subjects of their study. Their articles often include lengthy personal reflections on the nature of their work as well as statements of fact.
In some ways, feminist sociology attempts to redefine the goals of sociology. Many sociologists treat their discipline as a science, whose role is to investigate and describe sociological realities. Feminist sociologists, on the other hand, often see their work as not just a description, but an improvement. They may seek to uncover sociological causes for the express purpose of undermining injustice.
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