DUNDEE UNIVERSITY FEMINIST SOCIETY

Glossary:

 

Bigendered: 

 

Identifying with more than one gender at the same time i.e a man and a woman.

 

 

Black Feminism:

 

A variant of feminism that deals with the social, legal, political and economic problems faced by black women which result from  the combined effects of racism  and sexism. Black feminism argues that racism and sexism are inherantly linked and need to be addressed simultaneously.

 

 

Body Policing:

 

Telling someone they must look a certain way to conform to rigid beauty standards. These comments are often given without permission. It might include spontaneously telling someone they are too fat, too hairy or are not wearing sufficient make up. It is associated with a judgemental attitude i.e anyone who is hairy is undesirable, ugly or lazy. Body policing denies people the right not have their body judged.

 

 

Cisgendered:

 

Someone who's sexual and gender identity align. I.e someone who is born female and self-identifies as a woman/girl.

 

 

Consent:

 

Getting someone's agreement, free from duress, to perform an action. The person giving consent should be given accurate information so they can reach their decision. If a person agrees to something on the basis of a lie or misinformation then their consent (i.e the agreed permission to perform the act) is void. If consent is given with conditions, such as sex but a condom must be used, breaking those conditions means consent was not given. Someone is not able to give consent if they are unconsious or do not have mental capacity. This includes people who are mentally unwell or intoxicated (with alchol or other drugs). Consent may also be retracted at any time. If this occurs during sex then sex must stop immediately or is considered rape. 

 

 

Additionally, people may not legally be allowed to give consent due to their age and the law. To give consent to sex a person has to be above the age of 16 (in the UK). However, this age varies internationally and may contain different standards for boys versus girls or for heterosexual versus homosexual sex.

 

 

Derailing:

 

The act of privileged individuals dismissing a conversation being held by a marginalised or oppressed group. This may include telling them  they are being "over sensitive", being unable to see their perspective and therefore assuming their perspective is wrong, changing the topic of conversation or focus against the groups permission and/or insinuating or stating that someone is fabricating their experience of discimination for attention. It may also include telling people that their emotions are misguided, inappropriate or counterproductive in a patriarchal fashion.

 

 

Feminist:

 

Someone who believes that women, girls and trans feminine people should have equal rights, opportunities and stake in society to men/boys.

 

 

Feminist ally: 

 

A term used by some who feel that it is innappropriate for "non women" to identify as feminists. It can be considered an exclusive and derogatory term if used to decribe someone who preferes to self identify as "feminist". It is an example of transphobia to exclude trans women from self identifying as "feminists" if they so wish by asserting that they are "not real women". Similarly, the term may be used to exclude other groups from the feminist label including men (cis and trans) and genderqueer individuals.

 

Ideally the term "feminist ally" should only be used if the subject in question identifies as such. Some people do not identify as "feminist" for a variety of reasons but do support the cause. Such people may prefer the term "feminist ally". Ask them, and please refrain from using the term is they prefer to identify as "feminist".

 

 

Female-bodied: 

 

A person who typically carries a XX pair of sex chromosomes and is born with the appearance of female genitalia. However, this is not always the case and XO (turners syndrome) and XXX (triple X syndrome) chromosome combinations are also possible (as is XY and other Y containing chromosomes where the person is insensitive to testosterone and developes female anatomical characteristics - see intersex).

 

 

Female-socialised:

 

Raised to express characteristics and views that are culturally considered to align with a female gender performance. Such people may therefore hold a world view they consider to be more female despite their sec or gender identity. They may hold beliefs, ideals and traits socially considered to be “feminine”.

 

 

Feminine:

 

Exhibiting traits culturally considered to be typical of the female gender. Arguably a form of stereotyping or social construction i.e traits are not exclusive to a particular gender but people are socially conditioned to exhibit or inhibit traits that are considered "innappropriate" for their culturally enforced gender role. In western culture, "feminine" is associated with traits such as "caring", "gentle", "delicate", "emotionally expressive", "sweet", "submissive", "empathetic" and "supportive". As well as behaviours it may refer to physical traits such as long hair, a small and slender build, having a stereotypical female gait or conforming to female beauty expectations.  

 

 

Feminine mystique:

 

 

The concept that a woman's identity and meaning of life becomes based on her husband's and children's needs and her own wishes and needs become sidelined. The term comes from a book of the same name.

 

 

Friend Zone:

 

 

The concept that a person becomes viewed as only suitable for friendship and not for sexual relations. Nice Guys (tm) often complain of being trapped in the Friend Zone and view it as an area that has to be escaped or avoided through various bargining and manipulative behaviours (for example being disingenuously kind and generous in the hope that will "earn" them sex). It is a often considered a derogatory term which dismisses platonic friendships as inferior to romantic/sexual relationships. 

 

 

FTM:

 

Female to male transexual or transgender person. Also known as a trans man. Male pronouns used. 

 

 

Gender:

 

Is a matter of personal self-identification. Gender involves self-identifying as male, female, transgender or other regardless of biological sex. You cannot tell someone what their gender is as it is a matter defined by them. Gender is a social construct. People who identify with a particular gender (or genders) may or may not exhibit behavioural characteristics that are considered "masculine" or "feminine" in a particular culture in a particular time. These can range from hair to clothing to the way people speak or express emotions.

 

 

Gender identity:

 

Our internal sense of ourselves as man, woman, or transgender person (or indeed a combination of these things).

 

 

Gender identity oppression:

 

The act of someone being forced to conform to a gender role which does not match their own gender identity.  This may include people deliberately using the wrong pronoun (I.e calling a trans man "she" or trans woman "he"). It may also include, particularly in children, having to have a dress code, haircut and social circle culturally deemed as appropriate to the gender forced upon them. Usually gender identity oppression takes the form of forcing someone to conform to the gender identity that aligns with their birth sex (cisgender). This can be highly traumatic and oppressing a transgender person from expressing their gender is an example of transphobia.

 

 

Gender Fluid:

 

The concept that a person may feel a different gender at different stages in their life and/or in particular situations. For example a person may feel male when sad or female when happy (or any combination of associations). A person may feel one gender when performing particular tasks or socialising with particular people and subsequently feel another gender afterwards. What gender fluidity means to someone and how it is expressed is down to the individual.

 

 

Gender neutral pronoun:

 

A pronoun which does not associate a gender with the person being discussed. English pronouns are gender specific which may present a few problems: gender bias can be interjected into language, the gender of the person being discussed may wish to be masked (e.g. to avoid indicating whether a romantic partner is male or female),  gender may not be known, or implying one may be misleading or otherwise inappropriate (genderqueer individuals may feel poorly described by the binary genders implied with “he” or “she”). 

 

 

Gender neutral pronouns most commonly used in English are they and their (although others exist if borrowed from other languages). The term "it" is not to be used as it tends to refer to inanimate objects and thus when used to refer to a person can be incredibly insulting.

 

 

Genderqueer:

 

Someone who blurs, rejects, or otherwise transcends the two-gender (binary) system. I.e a person without gender (agender, genderless), with two genders or more (bigender, polygender, pangender), having a gender identity unique to themselves not defined as either male or female (third gender, other-gendered) or having a gender that changes with time and situation (gender fluid). 

 

 

Gender roles:

 

 

A gender role is the culturally reinforced idea that certain tasks, jobs and functions are best served by one particular gender. For example the idea that women make better housewives, cooks, cleaners and child carers whist men are better at manual labour jobs, army jobs, science and technology. Gender role reinforcement can begin in childhood though the use of toys. i.e baby dolls being marketed exclusively at young girls or engineering based toys being aimed principally at boys. Such gender roles are restrictive and can create a barrier to anyone wishing to break from tradition i.e. be a house husband.

 

 

Girl hate:

 

The phenomonon where women are culturally conditioned to be suspicious, dislike or aggressively competitive/jealous of one another. This may take the form of commenting on someone's dress, judging them by their level of promiscuity, calling them fat (with the assertion that this is negative), spitefully reminding someone of their flaws, presuming other women are out to get you (steal your partner, spread negative rumours etc), or hating another girl as she is more talented, intelligent, attractive or popular than you. It may also involve putting down other women through phases like "I'm not like other women, other women are catty..." or similar.

 

 

Heteronormative:

 

The assumption or assertion that heterosexuality and heterosexual culture is "normal" or "default". Heterosexuality isn't "normal" it's just common. By asserting that heterosexuality or heterosexual culture is "normal" it implies that other sexualities are abnormal or wrong (even mental disorders or diseases to be cured). Heterosexuality may also be associated with the idea that men and women compliment each other and are good at different things (i.e gender roles). Therefore heteronormative values may assert that institutions such as marriage (or even relationships) would only ever be stable between one woman and one man. It can also involve only being able to understand same sex relationships by relating them to heterosexual culture or potentially patriarchal gender values i.e "Which one of you is the man of the house? Are you the "man" or the "woman"? ".

 

Heterosexism:

 

Heterosexism represents the biases, social attitudes, customs and legalities that favour opposite sex relationships. It can include the presumption that people are heterosexual, that only heterosexual people are "normal" or that non-heterosexuality is inferior/dirty/wrong/a disease. 

 

 

Herstory:

 

A retelling of history with a greater focus on women and the perspective of women.

 

 

Homonormative:

 

Homonormativity is the assumption that LGBTQ people just want to be like heterosexual people and share heteronormative values i.e marriage. 

 

 

Internalised misogyny:

 

The unconscious, unintentional (and often unwanted) internalisation of misogynistic values. This may be in terms of beauty standards, for example, judging or being disgusted at other women (or yourself) for having body hair. It can also manifest as a tendancy to presume gender roles i.e female carer, male bread winner. Additionally, it may also include automatically thinking about or questioning what victim of a sexual assault was wearing, questioning her past sexual history or otherwise blaming her. 

 

 

Intersectionality :

 

 

Is the study of where multiple discriminatory factors concatonate to create additional and specific problems for people who have those factors. For example, the problems and priorities of a working class gay trans black woman working as an engineer are likely to differ from that of a middle class heterosexual cis white woman working as an accountant. It means that people can have very unique experiances of sexism that other groups of people may be ignorant of as they come from a privaleged group in other respects i.e they may be rich, the local ethnic majority, heterosexual in a heteronormive enviroment or ascribe to the religious values supported by the state etc.

 

 

Intersex:

 

Being outwith the steriotypical parameters for being classified as solely male or female. This may for example include people with XY chromosomes (usually genetically male) who are insensitive to testosterone. This means the genes on the Y chromosome which usually induce the fetus to become male bodied do not work. As a consequence the fetus becomes female bodied but is likely to have testicles in place of ovaries. Similarly a biochemical blockage in glucocorticoid production may induce the excessive production of sex hormones during development. This can lead to XX chomosome carrying individuals (usually genetically female) having fully male genitalia (with no sperm) or ambiguous genitalia (neither steriotypically male or female in appearance). It is also possible for people to have, or have features of both male and female sex organs. There is a vast number of intersex causes and possiblities. Some consider intersex development to be a "disorder" as it doesnt conform to restrictive binary sex norms. These people may refer to "disorders of sex development".

 

Islamic Feminism:

 

The doctrine which focuses on improving the welfare and rights of women from within (and with) the Muslim faith. This could be in the form of interpreting the Koran differently to more patriarchal teachings. It may also seek to combat sexism that is purported to be for "religious" reasons but actually have no basis in scripture. Islamic feminism also looks at how Muslim women experience sexism as a group. This can differ from the experiences of non-Muslim women. For example, women are forbidden to wear a Burka in France. In other countries, women are forced to wear a Burka instead of other modest items of clothing they may feel is more appropriate (for example a hijab). Both of these Governmental systems have removed choice from Muslim women about how they as individuals wish to dress in accordance to their beliefs. Islamic feminism may also focus on countering derogatory stereotypes of Muslim women which often occur within the western world i.e. assuming they are passive, not in control of their own lives or are somehow weak. As a doctrine, Islamic Feminism seeks to make sure Muslim women have a strong voice and within society and their religion.  

 

 

Kyriarchy:

 

The system that has evolved to inherently favour certain groups of people over other groups of people. Kyriarchy represents a fusion of multiple systems that promote inequality i.e racism, sexism, class, disability, transphobia etc. For example, the problems faced by a working class, disabled, black trans woman are substantially likely to be more numerous and extreme than the problems faced by a privileged, able bodied, white, cis man. Kyriarchy represents everything that drives this inequality: social attitudes, laws, governmental policies, traditions etc. Patriarchy is a component of Kyriarchy.

 

LGBTQ:

 

This stands for Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans* and Queer.... 

 

 

Liberal Feminism -

Male-bodied -

Male gaze -

Male-privilege -

Male-socialised -

Mansplaining -

Masculine -

Misogyny -

MTF -

Nice Guy (tm) -

Not my Nigel -

Objectification -

"Other" -

Patriarchy -

Queer:

Radical Feminism -

Rape -

Rape culture -

Sex -

Sex positive feminism -

Sexism -

Sexual orientation -

Sex typing -

Slut shaming -

Social construct -

Socialist Feminism - 

Straw feminist -

Steriotype -

Superwoman syndrome -

Transgendered -

Transexual -

Transphobia -

Victim blaming -

Womanism -