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Conclusion

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 May 2010

Chilla Bulbeck
Affiliation:
Griffith University, Queensland
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Summary

If generally the term ‘postfeminism’ implies that gender equality has been achieved, or was a misguided aim in the first place, … it can be used positively to denote a more sophisticated and multifaceted women's movement, or more negatively, to describe a recent tendency in the media to put ‘liberated’ women firmly in their place.

(Lyn Thomas 1995:4–5)

I'll be a post-feminist in post-patriarchy.

(T-shirt message quoted in Trioli 1996:164)

In the quotation above, Lyn Thomas suggests four meanings for postfeminism, the first a true postfeminism beyond the structural inequalities which divide men and women; the second an antifeminism in which feminism's project was never necessary; the third a more complicated understanding of sexual difference contrasted with the simplicities of a universal oppression of women; and the fourth, the backlash against feminism, articulated by Susan Faludi (1991). From the stories and statistics in this book it should be apparent that gender equality has not been achieved at home, at school or at work. Even in the educational sector where such an achievement may be most plausibly argued, women are still under-represented in those disciplines which will lead to higher paying careers. While many young professional women in the workforce today may only substantially confront the challenges of their gender when they decide to have children, women in so-called non-traditional areas – which cover a range of skilled and unskilled pursuits – experience harassment and discrimination.

Type
Chapter
Information
Living Feminism
The Impact of the Women's Movement on Three Generations of Australian Women
, pp. 210 - 225
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1997

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  • Conclusion
  • Chilla Bulbeck, Griffith University, Queensland
  • Book: Living Feminism
  • Online publication: 20 May 2010
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511552144.012
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  • Conclusion
  • Chilla Bulbeck, Griffith University, Queensland
  • Book: Living Feminism
  • Online publication: 20 May 2010
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511552144.012
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Conclusion
  • Chilla Bulbeck, Griffith University, Queensland
  • Book: Living Feminism
  • Online publication: 20 May 2010
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511552144.012
Available formats
×