Answer to Question #252653 in Sociology for Kea

Question

does post structuralism theory explain the gender inequality in the South African Context?

Answer 1

Post-structuralism means to go beyond the structuralism of theories that imply a rigid inner logic to relationships that describe any aspect of social reality. Poststructuralism encourages a way of looking at the world that challenges what comes to be accepted as 'truth' and 'knowledge'. Poststructuralists always call into question how certain accepted 'facts' and 'beliefs' actually work to reinforce the dominance and power of particular actors within international relations.

Poststructuralism theory in the south African context has a wider perspective as the country seems to encourage such inequality. Poststructuralists have asked questions regarding the uneven access to education for women, job segregation, poor medical care for the women, lack of legal protection, lack of bodily autonomy, lack of political representation among others. On the contrary, the government has stayed silent despite such questioning from activists. The theory is valid even after the apartheid regime and post-colonial period of 1994 to date.