The Personal is Political: Assessing Feminist Fundamentals in the Digital Age

Abstract

Abstract:The 'personal is political' has long been recognised as the definitive slogan of second-wave feminism but can it still inform our understanding of the contemporary practice of feminism? Questioning the importance of this claim now invites us to critically reflect upon the trajectory Western feminism has followed in light of the efforts made by the Women's Liberation movement to politicise formerly unquestioned aspects of social relations. In this paper, the significance of this feminist slogan will be assessed by locating it within two broadly defined historical periods. Firstly we identify the critical work performed by the ideas expressed in the slogan in the early years of the 1970s and then assess their continued relevance within the context of the early 21st century. Drawing upon the empirical analysis of young women's experience of and relationship to feminism via their engagement with social media in Britain, this research critically assesses digital spaces as places where young women explore their personal experiences. We aim to understand how this may constitute a contemporary form of feminist practice consistent with the claim that 'the personal is political'.

Parenting, Gender and Work: A Sociological Perspective

“…At the beginning of the twenty-first century parenthood is a political concern. This is not only because of the feminist movement and feminist scholars who recognised that 'the personal is political', questioned the division on public and private spheres, and showed how the everyday life of women is embedded in the broader structure of gender inequalities (Hanisch 2006;Rogan and Budgeon 2018), but also because family life was recognised as a sphere affected by the public sphere, in particular the organisation of the labour market and family policy system.…”

"The Personal is Political"

“…Consciousness raising groups took place across the US in the early and mid-1970s. Women who had been participating in other social movement work at the time had found that they were belittled for bringing gender oppression into the public sphere-they were told that these were 'personal problems' not worthy of political action [79]. In response, feminists doubled down to assert that "our politics begin with our feelings" [78].…”

“…Women who had been participating in other social movement work at the time had found that they were belittled for bringing gender oppression into the public sphere-they were told that these were 'personal problems' not worthy of political action [79]. In response, feminists doubled down to assert that "our politics begin with our feelings" [78]. Emotions are central in a consciousness raising group -a short guide to running a consciousness raising group mentions "feelings" more than 100 times [59].…”

“…Feminist scholars have shared their own personal stories and situated them against patterns of abuse and discrimination [66,68]. There has been scholarship interrogating the relationship of feminist consciousnessraising practices to today's social media practices, particularly as individual expression has been co-opted to provide financial rewards to large digital platforms [78]. And scholar Sara Ahmed sees a revival of consciousness raising groups in the cataloging practices of websites like Everyday Sexism (or, for an example from the HCI community, Hollaback [37]).…”

Female Performers on a Male Stage

“…One recent British survey found ‘a sharp decline in the happiness of young women and girls’ (Weale 2018 ). Explaining how girls’ lives ‘have contracted as their world moves online’, the researchers reported that only 21% of girls ‘met friends at each others’ houses’ in 2018, compared to 69% in 2009 (Weale 2018 ; see also Rogan and Budgeon 2018 , 9).…”