Feminist Theory Cheat Sheet

The core ideas of Feminist Theory distilled into a single, scannable reference — perfect for review or quick lookup.

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Quick Reference

Patriarchy

A social system in which men hold primary power and authority in political leadership, moral authority, social privilege, and property ownership. Feminist theorists analyze patriarchy as a structural phenomenon embedded in institutions, not merely individual attitudes.

Intersectionality

A theoretical framework, coined by Kimberle Crenshaw in 1989, that examines how overlapping social identities such as race, gender, class, sexuality, and disability create compounding systems of discrimination and privilege.

The Personal Is Political

A central slogan and concept of second-wave feminism asserting that personal experiences, especially those of women in domestic life, are deeply shaped by political structures and power relations rather than being purely private matters.

Gender as Social Construction

The theory that gender roles, behaviors, and identities are not biologically determined but are constructed and reinforced through social institutions, cultural norms, and everyday interactions. Simone de Beauvoir's claim that 'one is not born, but rather becomes, a woman' is a foundational expression of this idea.

The Male Gaze

A concept developed by film theorist Laura Mulvey in 1975, describing the tendency in visual media to depict the world and women from a masculine, heterosexual perspective, positioning women as passive objects of male visual pleasure.

Reproductive Rights

The legal, social, and ethical issues surrounding an individual's freedom to decide whether and when to have children, including access to contraception, abortion, prenatal care, and fertility treatments. Feminist theory frames reproductive autonomy as central to gender equality.

Sex/Gender Distinction

The analytical separation between biological sex (anatomical and chromosomal characteristics) and gender (the socially constructed roles, behaviors, and identities associated with being masculine or feminine). This distinction, while influential, has been contested by theorists like Judith Butler.

Feminist Standpoint Theory

An epistemological perspective arguing that knowledge is socially situated and that marginalized groups, including women, can possess distinctive insights into social structures because their subordinate position allows them to see aspects of reality that dominant groups overlook.

Gender Performativity

Judith Butler's theory that gender is not an innate identity but is constituted through the repeated performance of gendered acts, gestures, and speech. Gender is something people do rather than something people are.

Compulsory Heterosexuality

A concept articulated by Adrienne Rich in 1980, arguing that heterosexuality is not simply a natural orientation but a political institution enforced through social, economic, and legal pressures that suppress alternative sexualities and maintain male dominance.

Key Terms at a Glance

Patriarchy:A social system in which men hold primary power and authority across political, economic, and cultural institutions.

Intersectionality:A framework for analyzing how overlapping social identities create compounding experiences of discrimination or privilege.

Gender Performativity:The theory that gender is constituted through repeated performance of gendered acts rather than being an innate identity.

The Male Gaze:The depiction of women in visual media from a masculine, heterosexual perspective that positions women as objects of visual pleasure.

Compulsory Heterosexuality:The concept that heterosexuality is a political institution enforced through social and economic pressures.

Feminist Standpoint Theory:The epistemological claim that marginalized groups possess distinctive insights into social structures due to their subordinate position.

Sex/Gender Distinction:The analytical separation between biological sex and socially constructed gender roles and identities.

Reproductive Rights:Rights related to the freedom to make decisions about reproduction, including access to contraception and abortion.

Liberal Feminism:A feminist approach focused on legal reform, equal opportunity, and individual rights within existing institutions.

Radical Feminism:A feminist approach arguing that patriarchy is the fundamental system of power and must be dismantled at its roots.

Socialist Feminism:A feminist approach linking gender oppression to capitalism and arguing for the dismantling of both patriarchy and class exploitation.

Postcolonial Feminism:A feminist approach critiquing Western feminism's universalism and analyzing how colonialism shapes gender oppression across cultures.

Ecofeminism:A feminist approach linking the domination of women to the domination of nature through shared logics of control.

Black Feminism:A feminist tradition centering the experiences of Black women and analyzing the interlocking oppressions of race, gender, and class.

The Personal Is Political:The feminist principle that personal experiences are shaped by political structures and should be subjects of public concern.

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