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Passage 54

           Two modes of argumentation have been used on

   behalf of women's emancipation in Western societies.

   Arguments in what could be called the "relational"

   feminist tradition maintain the doctrine of "equality in

(5) difference," or equity as distinct for equality. They

   posit that biological distinctions between the sexes

   result in a necessary sexual division of labor in the

   family and throughout society and that women's pro-

   creative labor is currently undervalued by society, to

(10) the disadvantage of women. By contrast, the individual-

   ist feminist tradition emphasizes individual human rights

   and celebrates women's quest for personal autonomy,

   while downplaying the importance of gender roles and

   minimizing discussion of childbearing and its attendant

(15) responsibilities.

       Before the late nineteenth century, these views

   coexisted within the feminist movement, often within

   the writings of the same individual. Between 1890 nd

   1920, however, relational feminism, which had been the

(20) dominant strain in feminist thought, and which still pre-

   dominates among European and non-Western feminists,

   lost ground in England and the United States. Because

   the concept of individual rights was already well estab-

   lished in the Anglo-Saxon legal and political tradition,

(25) individualist feminism came to predominate in English-

   speaking countries. At the same time, the goals of the

   two approaches began to seem increasingly irreconcil-

   able. Individualist feminists began to advocate a totally

   gender-blind system with equal rights for all. Relational

(30) feminists, while agreeing that equal educational and

   economic opportunities outside the home should be avail-

   able for all women, continued to emphasize women's

   special contributions to society as homemakers and

   mothers; they demanded special treatment

(35) including protective legislation for women workers,

   state-sponsored maternity benefits, and paid compensa-

   tion for housework.

      Relational arguments have a major pitfall: because

   they underline women's physiological and psychological

(40) distinctiveness, they are often appropriated by political

   adversaries and used to endorse male privilege. But the

   individualist approach, by attacking gender roles, deny-

   ing the significance of physiological difference, and

   condemning existing familial institutions as hopelessly

(45) patriarchal, has often simply treated as irrelevant the

   family roles important to many women. If the individu-

   alist framework, with its claim for women's autonomy,

   could be harmonized with the family-oriented concerns

   of relational feminists, a more fruitful model for con-

(50) temporary feminist politics could emerge.

 

 1. The author of the passage alludes to the well-

   established nature of the concept of individual rights in

   the Anglo-Saxon legal and political tradition in order to

  (A) illustrate the influence of individualist feminist

     thought on more general intellectual trends in

     English history

  (B) argue that feminism was already a part of the larger

     Anglo-Saxon intellectual tradition, even though this

     has often gone unnoticed by critics of women's

 emancipation.

  (C) explain the decline in individualist thinking among

     feminists in non-English-speaking countries

  (D) help account for an increasing shift toward

     individualist feminism among feminists in English-

     speaking countries.

  (E) account for the philosophical differences between

     individualist and relational feminists in English-

     speaking countries

 

2. The passage suggests that the author of the passage

  believes which of the following?

  (A) The predominance of individualist feminism in

      English-speaking countries is a historical

      phenomenon, the causes of which have not yet

      been investigated.

  (B) The individualist and relational feminist views are

     irreconcilable, given their theoretical differences

     concerning the foundations of society.

  (C) A consensus concerning the direction of future

     feminist politics will probably soon emerge, given

     the awareness among feminists of the need for

     cooperation among women.

  (D) Political adversaries of feminism often misuse

      arguments predicated on differences between the

      sexes to argue that the existing social system

      should be maintained.

  (E) Relational feminism provides the best theoretical

     framework for contemporary feminist politics, but

     individualist feminism could contribute much

     toward refining and strengthening modern feminist

     thought.

 

3. It can be inferred from the passage that the individualist

  feminist tradition denies the validity of which of the

  following causal statements?

  (A) A division of labor in a social group can result in

     increased efficiency with regard to the performance

     of group tasks.

  (B) A division of labor in a social group causes

     inequities in the distribution of opportunities and

     benefits among group members.

  (C) A division of labor on the basis of gender in a social

     group is necessitated by the existence of sex-linked

     biological differences between male and female

     members of the group.

  (D) Culturally determined distinctions based on gender

     in a social group foster the existence of differing

     attitudes  and opinions among group members.

  (E) Educational programs aimed at reducing inequalities

     based on gender among members of a social group

     can result in a sense of greater well-being for all

     members of the group.

 

4. According to the passage, relational feminists and

  individualist feminists agree that

  (A) individual human rights take precedence over most

     other social claims

  (B) the gender-based division of labor in society should

     be eliminated

  (C) laws guaranteeing equal treatment for all citizens

     regardless of gender should be passed

  (D) a greater degree of social awareness concerning the

     importance of motherhood would be beneficial to

     society

  (E) the same educational and economic opportunities

     should be available to both sexes

 

5. According to the author, which of the following was true

  of feminist thought in Western societies before 1890?

  (A) Individualist feminist arguments were not found in

     the thought or writing of non-English-speaking

     feminists.

  (B) Individualist feminism was a strain in feminist

     thought, but another strain, relational feminism,

     predominated.

  (C) Relational and individualist approaches were equally

     prevalent in feminist thought and writing.

  (D) The predominant view among feminists held that the

     welfare of women was ultimately less important than

     the welfare of children.

  (E) The predominant view among feminists held that the

     sexes should receive equal treatment under the law.

6. The author implies that which of the following was true

  of most feminist thinkers in England and the United

  States after 1920?

  (A) They were less concerned with politics than with

     intellectual issues.

  (B) They began to reach a broader audience and their

     programs began to be adopted by mainstream

     political parties.

  (C) They called repeatedly for international cooperation

     among women's groups to achieve their goals.

  (D) They moderated their initial criticism of the

      economic systems that characterized their societies.

  (E) They did not attempt to unite the two different

      feminist approaches in their thought.

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