Answer to Question #231054 in Sociology for Nosie

Question

Critically discuss the feminist critique advanced against Mainstream Sociology 

Answer 1

Feminist sociology studies power in its relation to gender. The theory focuses on the idea that women have been systematically oppressed and that men have been historically dominant. The feminist perspective also criticizes exclusive understandings of sexuality, such as heterosexism, which is a system of attitudes, bias, and discrimination that favor male-female sexuality and relationships. At one point, heterosexual marriage was the only lawful union between two people that was recognized and given full benefits in the United States. This situated homosexual couples at a disadvantage and made them ineligible for many of the government or employer-provided benefits afforded heterosexual married couples. However, heterosexism can extend far beyond government validation, as it describes a set of paradigms and institutionalized beliefs that systematically disadvantage anyone who does not fit into a normative mould. Like racism, heterosexism can operate on an institutional level, for example through government, and at an individual level such as in face-to-face interactions. Feminist critiques of heterosexism thus align with queer theory and the ideas of Michel Foucault, who studied the relationship between power and sexuality.