ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

French structuralist feminism

Structuralist feminism is a type of feminist theory that tries to explain how the way society is organized affects women's lives. French structuralist feminism is a particular kind of this theory that was popular in France in the 1960s and 70s.

Think about how your toys are organized in your room. Maybe you have a special place for your dolls, another spot for your trucks, and a shelf for your books. This organization makes it easy for you to find what you want to play with and keep things tidy.

In the same way, French structuralist feminists believe that society is organized into different structures or systems that keep people in certain roles or positions. These structures include things like education, politics, and economics.

However, French structuralist feminism believes that these systems were created by men and that they benefit men more than women. For example, the education system may teach girls to be passive and not to speak up, while it teaches boys to be assertive and take charge. This means that even when girls are just as smart as boys, they may not be able to succeed in school or in their careers because of the way the system is set up.

French structuralist feminists believe that the only way to truly achieve equality between men and women is to dismantle these structures and create new ones that are fair to everyone. This includes changing the way we think about gender roles and encouraging more women to be leaders in society.

So, in summary, French structuralist feminism is a type of feminist theory that looks at how the way society is organized affects women's lives. It believes that society is made up of different structures that benefit men more than women and that the only way to achieve true equality is to change these structures.