The NWP claimed that sex-based protective labor legislation penalized strong able women. Cott argues that, while protective legislation may have been good for women in the short term, in the long run it reinforced stereotypical notions about women, which the NWP strategy did not. She contends that women must seek change through legislation rather than the courts, because their separate experience has not been adequately accounted for. Feminism must aim at changing society and start with challenging the cultural basis of group oppression. Contemporary Feminist Theory and Methodology Below are sample abstracts for the articles in each week's reading taken from work prepared by students in WMST 112, Fall 2000.
Abstracts are due in class on the day the article is discussed.