GMAT Reading Comprehension
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Source: OG10th
Level: 3
Two modes of argumentation have been used onbehalf of women's emancipation in Western societies.Arguments in what could be called the "relational"feminist tradition maintain the doctrine of "equality indifference," or equity as distinct for equality. Theyposit that biological distinctions between the sexesresult in a necessary sexual division of labor in thefamily and throughout society and that women's procreative labor is currently undervalued by society, tothe disadvantage of women. By contrast, the individualist feminist tradition emphasizes individual human rightsand celebrates women's quest for personal autonomy,while downplaying the importance of gender roles andminimizing discussion of childbearing and its attendantresponsibilities.
Before the late nineteenth century, these viewscoexisted within the feminist movement, often withinthe writings of the same individual. Between 1890 nd1920, however, relational feminism, which had been thedominant strain in feminist thought, and which still predominates among European and non-Western feminists,lost ground in England and the United States. Becausethe concept of individual rights was already well established in the Anglo-Saxon legal and political tradition,individualist feminism came to predominate in Englishspeaking countries. At the same time, the goals of thetwo approaches began to seem increasingly irreconcilable. Individualist feminists began to advocate a totallygender-blind system with equal rights for all. Relationalfeminists, while agreeing that equal educational andeconomic opportunities outside the home should be available for all women, continued to emphasize women'sspecial contributions to society as homemakers andmothers; they demanded special treatmentincluding protective legislation for women workers,state-sponsored maternity benefits, and paid compensation for housework.Relational arguments have a major pitfall: becausethey underline women's physiological and psychologicaldistinctiveness, they are often appropriated by politicaladversaries and used to endorse male privilege. But theindividualist approach, by attacking gender roles, denying the significance of physiological difference, andcondemning existing familial institutions as hopelesslypatriarchal, has often simply treated as irrelevant thefamily roles important to many women. If the individualist framework, with its claim for women's autonomy,could be harmonized with the family-oriented concernsof relational feminists, a more fruitful model for contemporary feminist politics could emerge.
It can be inferred from the passage that the individualist feminist tradition denies the validity of which of the following causal statements?
- A A division of labor in a social group can result in increased efficiency with regard to the performance of group tasks.
- B A division of labor in a social group causes inequities in the distribution of opportunities and benefits among group members.
- C A division of labor on the basis of gender in a social group is necessitated by the existence of sex-linked biological differences between male and female members of the group.
- D Culturally determined distinctions based on gender in a social group foster the existence of differing attitudes and opinions among group members.
- E Educational programs aimed at reducing inequalities based on gender among members of a social group can result in a sense of greater well-being for all members of the group.