Feminism In Groupthink

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Groupthink is an instance where an individual may conform to thoughts of others in a group, even though they may not necessarily agree with the topic (Brym and Lie 2018). Many may participate in groupthink subconsciously. No individual wants to stand out within a group of people. It can be common within groups of people considering individuals want to conform to norms in society. Groupthink is seen as negative, often displayed in dystopian societies which allows us to deny that we participate in it. An instance where I have participated in groupthink was during a conversation at work. Quebec recently put out a new law which does not allow Niqabi women to work government jobs. After seeing a Niqabi woman, my coworkers brought up the new law …show more content…

In this scenario, I chose to keep quiet about an important matter concerning women’s rights in society. Feminist theory came about more recently when women had more opportunities within Universities which allowed them to ask what about women? (Baker 2017). It arose as individuals were thinking about Marxism which allowed feminist theorists to observe that there were theoretical views that could not be applied to women (Baker 2017). The ideology of the power of males over women in a society through the structures of authority and social convention may be applied to this (Brym and Lie: 2015). Women are inferior to men due to men’s rights within law, politics, economics and culture (Brym and Lie: 2015). This lens can be applied to the scenario of where I conform to the views of men. The primary socializations within my life have taught me gender differences. Although I have grown and possess my own beliefs, subconsciously I chose to be silent due to the power that men have over women. Considering the fact that men are prominent in many social institutions, my family considered men to be politically correct. Having this thought process inflicted on me contributed to me participating in groupthink in this scenario. Additionally, gender inequality is also seen in this instance. Gender inequality is produced by the way that boys and girls are taught differently, within politics, opportunities within education and the workplace and the imbalanced separation of roles within the home (Brym and Lie: 2015). The gender roles that I have learned have allowed me to think that in a social situation, I should agree with the popular view of men and can also be seen in the situation with Niqabi women. Being taught this gender role from an early age allowed me to participate in groupthink without realizing the cause. Furthermore, feminist theory can not only be applied to me as an individual, but also the

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