Compare And Contrast Feminism And Feminist Empiricism

Feminist empiricism and feminist standpoint theory are two epistemological positions that are fundamental to understanding feminism and social review and research. The theories attempt to remove gender bias from research (Campbell & Wasco, 2000). Both theories enhance understanding of women’s suppression in the scientific process, but do so with different ideological frameworks and results. There are similarities and differences between the ways these two topics attempt to remove gender biases and strengths and weaknesses to these theories as well.

Feminist empiricism is a perspective within feminist research that focuses on combining the objectives and observations of feminism with the research methods and philosophical underpinnings of empiricism. Feminist empiricism is typically connected to mainstream notions of positivism; feminist empiricism proposes that feminist theories can be objectively proven

Feminist empiricists are interested in furthering the justification of scientific claims with little input into scientific methodological amendment, whereas standpoint feminist theory is related to amendment of methodology. Similarities and differences between the epistemologies exist at an essential level. Feminist empiricists and feminist standpoint theorists make different assertions about what is required for increased scientific objectivity, but both aim to increase the objectivity in science. Standpoint epistemology challenges the idea that neutrality is an epistemic advantage or that the privilege of “objectivity” rests with those who are least proximate to the situation or subjects under study (Campbell, 21). Feminist empiricists, on the other hand, support traditional neutrality within science as the appropriate mean to attain