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General interestRadical Feminism in the Social Sciences
I would like to know how other radfems navigate the current academic world of social science with all the gender ideology that is prevalent in it (at least it is in my field). I study criminology, and gender ideology kinda seems like an untouchable topic. When I wrote a paper on reproductive justice within the criminal justice system, I was advised by my professor to not use the words "woman" or "female". Any time I bring up women's issues in class, it is met by "well, how does this apply to people who identify as something other than cis?" Male violence is an extremely relevant thing to discuss, and discuss accurately, but so far, I haven't heard of anybody studying gender ideology in criminology and the harms that it poses for women. Perhaps because they know they'll be blacklisted if they do. Instead, everyone is focusing on "queer criminology" and how trans people are so oppressed by the criminal justice system by not having their gender feeling affirmed. There's kind of this implicit rule that nobody is allowed to question or criticize it.
In addition, "sex work" is also a hot topic, where everyone (at least at my institution) is jumping on the bandwagon of it being empowering and a social good, but I seem to be the only person against it and knowledgeable about the subject. Despite my multiple attempts at educating people about it, everyone still refers to prostitution as "sex work", and while the women in my cohort have not challenged my expertise in the topic (I've interned at several organizations that dealt with trafficking and prostitution), I had one man try to prove me wrong by sending me a John Oliver segment. Cue the eye roll.
Is this happening in other social sciences or is this limited to criminology/sociology? Have any of you women been successful at challenging it without being outright kicked out of programs or fired?
I was advised by my professor to not use the words "woman" or "female"
You know someone should do a psychological study on the outright frisson certain demographics are getting from putting a red line through every mention of "women" "girls" and "females" in every press release, study, paragraph, news article, or scientific paper.
The unquestioning adoption and joy of pointing out the wrong words is quite a phenomenon
For real.
I'm honestly concerned about publishing papers because of the way the language I use may be policed by editors.
"well, how does this apply to people who identify as something other than cis?"
HOW can she assume everyone identifies as 'cis' ffs? That is nonsensical.
Once again, this brings to mind this near-quote from Princess Anne, "One doesn't have to actually like children to think that they shouldn't be beaten." It's from a clip of her in, I think, the early seventies, and I only saw it once, so it might not be exact, but it's pretty darned close, because it really stayed with me. I didn't stop laughing for days. You could just paraphrase by replacing 'children' with ' women'.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgwh.2022.818856/full
Is this any use op? It might need to be used with specific subject, but if it is so important to use this language correctly in reproductive care then why not in reproductive justice?
Equally Nordic model will have plenty to challenge sex work.(I’m an obnoxious pita but I’d be asking the professors if they are good with their daughters becoming sex workers) (I’d be thrown out these days obviously).
And ask how stats on crime can be collected accurately at the correct time.
(Previously I worked in residential social work, so not the same, but we had single sex units because the boys were violent and sex offenders, and because the girls were all victims of men. If theory changes then practice based on it changes. And safeguarding is based on material reality and on naming material reality).
You might want to watch Jo Phoenix’s case when it goes to court, and the outcome of James Esses when it comes out (which should be soon I think). Rachel Rosario Sanchez wasn’t successful I don’t think (unlike most of our other cases here which all have some successes iirc). But her writing is very good, so her articles might give you some ideas.
How the fuck is a criminology program jumping on to the sex work band wagon when time and time again study and study again it has been linked with human trafficking and female abuse
Jesus Christ
Because criminology is dominated by men.
And those men who like to purchase women want to distance themselves from the actual big bad meany rapey men they study. So they redefine rape via prostitution to empowering sex work.
Can’t have everyone realising the problem is all men can we? Then women might push back.