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Women's Agency in a Context of Oppression: Assessing Strategies for Personal Action and Public Policy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 March 2020

Carol Chetkovich
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Abstract

Popular debates about “victim feminism” have receded but underlying concerns about the extent of gender inequality and usefulness of strategies highlighting difference are still relevant. This paper applies Susan Wendell's framework—relating to women's agency under conditions of oppression—to the experience of women firefighters. The framework fits well, but one case reveals the need to modify it by attending to community. An elaboration of the framework is then used to examine four policy issues.

Type
Research Article
Information
Hypatia , Volume 19 , Issue 4 , Fall 2004 , pp. 122 - 143
Copyright
Copyright © 2004 by Hypatia, Inc.

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