Unit 4.1, Feminist

START

MODULE 4: Unit 1

What are the concepts of Feminist Economy and why are important for us

What is feminist economics? FEMINISM Feminism is the pursuit of equality between men and women. Feminists seek economic, political, social, legal and personal rights for women that are equal to those of men. Feminist campaigns have campaigned for major societal changes such as voting rights, reproductive rights, greater political representation and fairer pay. But there is still a long way to go until men and women lead truly equal lives. ECONOMICSThe word ‘economics’ comes from the Greek word ‘oikonomia’ meaning ‘household management’. But nowadays the meaning of ‘economics’ has expanded to mean the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services. When we analyze the economy we investigate the psychology of human behavior and decision-making. FEMINIST ECONOMICS Feminist economics promotes economic equality between women and men. The activities, behavior and decisions of men and women have a major impact on our economy. But mainstream economics has a tendency to be based on men’s lives and recognises only work that is done for money. A feminist economics perspective recognises the paid and unpaid work of both men and women.

Next

Unit 4.1: What are the concepts of Feminist Economy and why are important for us

Next

Some characteristics of feminist economics:

• values the role of unpaid work carried out by men & women, in the home & through care work
• Recognises that the interests of members of the same household may differ and that resources are not necessarily shared equally
• Acknowledges that the economy depends not just on the production & distribution of goods and services, but on co-operation & care
• Acknowledges that the complexity of human lives cannot always be quantified
• Recognises that relationships influence how our economy functions

• Has a tendency to prize money, machines & men
• Measures paid work in GrossDomestic Product (GDP), but fails to count the contribution of unpaid work
• Fails to recognise non-market activities as important to the economy
• Builds its picture of the economy as consisting of people motivated by self-interest & material goods
• Assumes that the influences on people’s decisions can be objectively quantified & tends to build economic theories that depend on mathematical models

Learn more about the concepts from the below scheme:

Next

MODULE 4: How to use Purple Economy in women’s lives

¡You have successfully completed Unit 4.1!