Feminism

Feminism is both a scholarly perspective and a site of political activism regarding children. Feminism’s political activism stems in part from work in areas such as the education, safety, and well-being of girls; children’s rights; and the political context of societal representations of childhood. This entry examines feminist approaches to childhood and development. This entry also examines feminist critiques of theories that assert fixed and stable notions of gender identity acquisition and feminist critiques of the family. Finally, this entry examines feminist models of childhood and development and how development theory is rooted in gender-based assumptions.