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SACE Stage 2 Women's Studies study materials
SACE Stage 2 Women's Studies study resources

SACE Stage 2 Women's Studies practice questions

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Question 1School assessment

Which wave of feminism is most closely associated with campaigns for women's suffrage in countries such as Australia and the United Kingdom?

  1. Third-wave feminism
  2. First-wave feminism Correct answer.
  3. Second-wave feminism
  4. Fourth-wave feminism

Explanation

First-wave feminism refers to the late nineteenth and early twentieth century movement centred on formal legal equality, especially the right to vote. Suffrage campaigns in Australia and the United Kingdom belong to this period. Later waves addressed broader social and cultural inequalities.

Question 2School assessment

Simone de Beauvoir's claim that 'one is not born, but rather becomes, a woman' is best understood as an argument about which idea?

  1. Femininity is a universal experience shared identically by all women
  2. Gender is largely constructed through social processes rather than fixed by biology Correct answer.
  3. Women are naturally more nurturing than men from birth
  4. Biological sex differences completely determine social roles

Explanation

De Beauvoir distinguishes biological sex from the social process of becoming a woman, arguing that femininity is produced through upbringing, expectation and culture. This distinction between sex and socially constructed gender became foundational to later feminist theory.

Question 3School assessment

In feminist analysis, the term 'patriarchy' refers to which of the following?

  1. A social system in which men hold dominant power and women are largely subordinate Correct answer.
  2. A theory that men and women are treated identically in all institutions
  3. A legal rule requiring equal numbers of men and women in parliament
  4. A family structure in which grandparents, parents and children live together

Explanation

Patriarchy describes broad social arrangements in which men hold disproportionate power across political, economic and cultural institutions. It is a structural concept rather than a description of individual attitudes. Feminist scholars use it to explain patterns of disadvantage that persist beyond formal legal equality.

Question 4School assessment

Which concept describes the situation where a person faces discrimination based on several aspects of their identity at once, such as being both a woman and a member of a racial minority?

  1. Heteronormativity
  2. Intersectionality Correct answer.
  3. Socialisation
  4. Assimilation

Explanation

Intersectionality, a term associated with Kimberlé Crenshaw, describes how overlapping identities such as gender, race and class combine to produce distinct experiences of advantage and disadvantage. It warns against analysing gender in isolation from other social categories.

Question 5School assessment

A school introduces a policy requiring all students to study the same physical education units, but the equipment and changing facilities were designed around boys' needs. Which feminist concept best describes the effect on girls' participation?

  1. Individual choice exercised freely by each student
  2. Institutional or structural disadvantage embedded in apparently neutral rules Correct answer.
  3. Formal equality achieved because the rule applies to everyone
  4. Biological determinism explaining differences in sporting interest

Explanation

A rule can appear neutral while reproducing inequality because the surrounding structures were built around one group's needs. Feminist analysis distinguishes formal equality from substantive equality, asking whether people can actually participate on fair terms. The facility design therefore creates structural disadvantage despite the uniform rule.

Question 6School assessment

The 'second shift' concept, developed by Arlie Hochschild, describes which phenomenon?

  1. A government policy of rotating employees between day and night shifts
  2. The practice of working two paid jobs to escape poverty
  3. The unpaid domestic and care work women commonly perform after finishing paid employment Correct answer.
  4. The extra training women need to enter male-dominated professions

Explanation

Hochschild's research found that women often complete a 'second shift' of housework and childcare after their paid working day. This unequal division of unpaid labour is a central concern of feminist economics. It helps explain persistent gender gaps in income and career progression.

Question 7School assessment

Which statement best describes the 'gender pay gap'?

  1. The difference between men's and women's earnings for identical work in the same role
  2. A measure of how many women are unemployed compared with men
  3. The legal requirement that employers publish salary bands
  4. The difference between the average earnings of women and men across the workforce Correct answer.

Explanation

The gender pay gap measures the difference in average earnings between women and men across all jobs, reflecting factors such as occupational segregation and time out of the workforce. It is distinct from equal pay for equal work, which concerns identical roles. Recognising this distinction is important for accurate analysis.

Question 8School assessment

In media analysis, the 'male gaze' refers to which practice?

  1. Interviewing equal numbers of men and women as sources
  2. Employing men to operate television cameras
  3. Framing women visually as objects for a presumed male viewer Correct answer.
  4. Reporting on men's sport more accurately than women's sport

Explanation

The male gaze, a concept developed by Laura Mulvey, describes visual framing that positions women as objects to be looked at for a heterosexual male spectator. It concerns how images are composed and who is assumed to be watching. The concept has been extended to advertising, film and social media.

Question 9School assessment

Which of the following best illustrates 'gender stereotyping' in a classroom setting?

  1. A teacher uses the same assessment rubric for every student
  2. A teacher assumes boys will excel at mathematics and girls at English without evidence Correct answer.
  3. A teacher invites students to choose their own research topics
  4. A teacher provides feedback on each student's individual strengths

Explanation

Gender stereotyping involves applying generalised beliefs about sex groups to individuals regardless of their actual abilities. Assuming subject aptitude from gender is a clear example because it substitutes a group assumption for evidence about the student. Neutral practices such as shared rubrics or free topic choice do not involve such assumptions.

Question 10School assessment

What is meant by the 'glass ceiling' in feminist analysis of employment?

  1. Invisible barriers that prevent women from advancing to senior leadership roles Correct answer.
  2. The tendency of women to prefer lower-paid occupations by nature
  3. A legal cap on the number of women permitted in management
  4. Transparent office design that improves workplace visibility

Explanation

The glass ceiling metaphor describes subtle, often unspoken barriers that block women's promotion into senior positions despite formal eligibility. It points to structural and cultural factors rather than individual preference. The concept highlights the gap between entry-level equality and leadership representation.

Question 11School assessment

A feminist researcher studying a workplace notices that women are routinely interrupted in meetings and that their ideas are later credited to male colleagues. Which concept most directly names this pattern?

  1. Manterrupting and credit appropriation as everyday sexism Correct answer.
  2. Occupational health and safety
  3. Comparable worth
  4. Affirmative action

Explanation

Everyday sexism refers to routine, often unnoticed behaviours that reinforce gender inequality, including interruption and the appropriation of women's contributions. Analysing these micro-interactions reveals how power operates in ordinary settings. Affirmative action and comparable worth are policy responses rather than descriptions of meeting dynamics.

Question 12School assessment

Which of the following is the strongest example of a feminist approach to research methodology?

  1. Centring participants' own accounts and reflecting on how the researcher's position shapes findings Correct answer.
  2. Excluding participants' opinions to keep the data purely numerical
  3. Treating the researcher's values as irrelevant to the study design
  4. Selecting only male participants to simplify comparison

Explanation

Feminist methodology often emphasises participants' voices and reflexivity about the researcher's own position and power. This challenges the idea that research can be entirely value-free and detached. It aims to reduce hierarchy between researcher and participant.

Question 13School assessment

What does the term 'reproductive rights' primarily refer to in feminist advocacy?

  1. The right to control one's own fertility, including access to contraception and abortion Correct answer.
  2. The right of employees to take parental leave
  3. The right to have children recognised in inheritance law
  4. The right to reproduce copyrighted material for education

Explanation

Reproductive rights concern bodily autonomy and the ability to decide whether and when to have children, including access to contraception, abortion and reproductive healthcare. Feminist advocacy links these rights to wider questions of equality and self-determination. The other options concern different legal areas.

Question 14School assessment

Which statement best captures the difference between 'sex' and 'gender' as used in Women's Studies?

  1. Gender is fixed at birth, while sex can change over time
  2. Sex refers to biological characteristics, while gender refers to socially constructed roles and identities Correct answer.
  3. Sex and gender are interchangeable terms with identical meanings
  4. Sex refers to social roles, while gender refers to chromosomes

Explanation

In Women's Studies, sex generally denotes biological and physiological characteristics, while gender denotes socially constructed roles, behaviours and identities. This distinction allows analysis of how expectations vary across cultures and time. It does not imply that biology is irrelevant, only that it does not fully explain social roles.

Question 15School assessment

A company advertises a leadership program but selects participants through informal after-work networking events that many women with caring responsibilities cannot attend. Which analysis best applies?

  1. The program is fair because no rule explicitly excludes women
  2. Apparently neutral selection criteria can reproduce inequality through indirect exclusion Correct answer.
  3. Informal networking has no bearing on workplace equality
  4. Women simply lack interest in leadership roles

Explanation

Indirect discrimination occurs when a neutral criterion disadvantages a group in practice. Networking-based selection excludes those with caring duties disproportionately, so the process reproduces inequality without naming gender. Feminist analysis therefore examines outcomes and structures, not only explicit rules.

Question 16School assessment

Which of the following best describes 'liberal feminism'?

  1. Focusing exclusively on language and discourse without institutional change
  2. Arguing that biological differences justify separate social roles
  3. Seeking equality through legal reform and equal opportunity within existing institutions Correct answer.
  4. Seeking the abolition of capitalism and patriarchy together

Explanation

Liberal feminism works within existing political and legal structures to secure equal rights and opportunities. It emphasises reform such as anti-discrimination law and equal access to education. Other strands critique it for not addressing deeper structural or economic sources of inequality.

Question 17School assessment

A student argues that because women in her country can vote and own property, feminism is no longer needed. Which response best uses feminist analysis?

  1. Feminism is only needed in countries without suffrage
  2. Feminism became unnecessary once laws changed
  3. Property rights are the only measure of equality that matters
  4. Formal rights do not guarantee substantive equality, since unequal outcomes persist in pay, safety and leadership Correct answer.

Explanation

Feminist analysis distinguishes formal legal equality from substantive equality in lived outcomes. Equal rights on paper can coexist with unequal pay, representation and safety. Pointing to persistent outcome gaps is therefore a stronger response than relying on legal change alone.

Question 18School assessment

The term 'feminisation of poverty' describes which pattern?

  1. Poverty programs are designed mainly by women
  2. Poverty has declined faster for women than for men
  3. Women experience poverty at higher rates than men because of unequal work, care burdens and pay Correct answer.
  4. Men are increasingly choosing low-paid work

Explanation

The feminisation of poverty refers to the disproportionate concentration of poverty among women. It is driven by factors such as the gender pay gap, unpaid care responsibilities and unequal access to assets. The concept links economic analysis with feminist concerns about structural disadvantage.

Question 19School assessment

Which of the following best illustrates 'objectification' in a feminist sense?

  1. Treating a person as a rational agent with their own goals
  2. Representing people in a range of diverse roles
  3. Presenting a person primarily as a body for others' use or viewing Correct answer.
  4. Consulting people about how they wish to be portrayed

Explanation

Objectification involves reducing a person to a body or an instrument for others' purposes, denying their subjectivity. Feminist theory links this to media representation and to norms that normalise harassment. Respectful portrayal, by contrast, recognises agency and complexity.

Question 20School assessment

Which of the following is an example of a quota designed to improve women's political representation?

  1. A requirement that parties field a minimum proportion of women candidates Correct answer.
  2. A rule limiting how many candidates a party may field in total
  3. A law setting a maximum age for candidates
  4. A system where only incumbents may stand for election

Explanation

Gender quotas set minimum levels of women's participation, often in candidate lists or parliaments. They are intended to address structural barriers that keep representation low. Other options regulate candidacy in ways unrelated to gender balance.

Question 21School assessment

A feminist critic argues that a popular film treats a woman's suffering as background motivation for a male hero's journey. Which concept best names this pattern?

  1. Colour-blind casting, where actors are cast without regard to race
  2. Fridging, where a woman's harm serves a male character's development Correct answer.
  3. The Bechdel test, which measures whether two women discuss something other than a man
  4. Tokenism, where one woman is included to appear inclusive

Explanation

'Fridging' describes the trope in which a woman is harmed or killed mainly to motivate a male protagonist, reducing her to a plot device. It illustrates how narrative structure can centre male experience. The other concepts concern different aspects of representation.

Question 22School assessment

What does 'heteronormativity' describe?

  1. The assumption that heterosexuality is the normal and expected standard for relationships Correct answer.
  2. A policy of equal hiring regardless of sexuality
  3. The legal recognition of same-sex marriage
  4. The belief that gender should be abolished entirely

Explanation

Heteronormativity is the cultural assumption that heterosexuality is default and normal, shaping institutions and expectations. Feminist and queer theory examine how this assumption marginalises other sexualities and genders. It is a descriptive concept about social norms, not a policy.

Question 23School assessment

Which of the following best explains why feminist scholars study language, such as the historical use of 'chairman' for all officeholders?

  1. Language can make male experience appear universal and render women less visible Correct answer.
  2. Words change only for aesthetic reasons
  3. Grammar rules determine women's legal rights directly
  4. Language has no relationship to social power

Explanation

Feminist linguistics argues that language shapes and reflects whose experience is treated as standard. Using a male term for all officeholders can make women appear as exceptions. Studying language therefore reveals how power is embedded in everyday usage.

Question 24School assessment

A workplace offers flexible hours, but only employees in senior roles may use them, and senior roles are held mainly by men. Which conclusion follows from an intersectional and structural analysis?

  1. Seniority is unrelated to gender patterns in organisations
  2. A benefit that appears family-friendly can reinforce inequality when access is unevenly distributed Correct answer.
  3. Family-friendly policies cannot be evaluated using feminist concepts
  4. Flexible work always reduces gender inequality

Explanation

A policy's effect depends on who can actually access it. If flexible work is concentrated among already advantaged groups, it can widen rather than narrow inequality. Structural and intersectional analysis therefore examines distribution of benefits, not just their formal existence.

Question 25School assessment

Which of the following best describes the aim of 'consciousness-raising' groups in second-wave feminism?

  1. Teaching women to accept traditional domestic roles
  2. Helping women recognise shared social problems in their personal experiences Correct answer.
  3. Training women to compete more effectively against men in business
  4. Lobbying only for changes to marriage law

Explanation

Consciousness-raising involved small group discussion through which women connected personal experiences to broader social structures. The insight that 'the personal is political' emerged from this practice. It aimed to build collective awareness and motivate action.

Question 26School assessment

Which of the following best defines 'intersectionality' as introduced by Kimberlé Crenshaw?

  1. The idea that legal reform alone can eliminate structural discrimination
  2. The idea that social identities such as race, class and gender overlap and shape distinct experiences of disadvantage Correct answer.
  3. The idea that gender inequality is the single most important axis of oppression
  4. The idea that all women experience patriarchy in identical ways

Explanation

Intersectionality holds that overlapping identities interact to produce forms of disadvantage that cannot be understood by examining any single axis alone. Crenshaw developed the concept to show that Black women's experiences were invisible in both anti-racist and feminist frameworks. It is an analytic lens rather than a ranking of oppressions.

Question 27School assessment

A feminist analyst notes that a household survey asks only mothers about childcare while asking both parents about paid work. Which concept does this critique most directly illustrate?

  1. The gender pay gap
  2. The glass escalator
  3. Heteronormativity
  4. Androcentric bias in research design Correct answer.

Explanation

Androcentric bias occurs when research assumes male experience as the default and treats women's lives as a special case. Designing childcare questions for mothers only builds that assumption into the data. The result is knowledge that naturalises gendered divisions of labour.

Question 28School assessment

In feminist political economy, what does 'social reproduction' refer to?

  1. The unpaid and underpaid work of maintaining households and caring for people Correct answer.
  2. The biological capacity to bear children
  3. The reproduction of gender stereotypes through advertising
  4. The way political parties recruit women candidates

Explanation

Social reproduction names the labour of sustaining daily life and future workers, largely performed unpaid by women. Feminist economists argue this work subsidises the formal economy yet is excluded from national accounts. The concept links household labour to broader structures of inequality.

Question 29School assessment

Which of the following best describes 'postfeminism' as a contested term in media studies?

  1. A branch of feminist theory focused exclusively on legal reform
  2. A return to the domestic roles associated with the 1950s
  3. A movement demanding the abolition of gender categories
  4. A sensibility suggesting gender equality has been achieved and that empowerment is expressed through individual choice and consumption Correct answer.

Explanation

Postfeminism is often described as a cultural sensibility in which equality is assumed to be settled and feminism is treated as redundant. It reframes empowerment as personal choice, often expressed through consumption and self-presentation. Critics argue this individualises problems that remain structural.

Question 30School assessment

A council introduces a policy requiring that at least half of all publicly funded sports coaching positions be offered to women. Which term best describes this measure?

  1. A gender pay audit
  2. A gender quota Correct answer.
  3. A diversity statement
  4. A glass cliff appointment

Explanation

A gender quota sets a numerical target for representation in a defined role or body. It is a structural intervention intended to counter patterned exclusion. The other options describe different practices such as pay analysis or symbolic statements.

Question 31School assessment

What does the 'glass cliff' describe in research on women's leadership?

  1. The informal network that excludes women from entry-level jobs
  2. The tendency for women to be promoted faster than men in stable organisations
  3. The pattern whereby women are more likely to be appointed to leadership roles during periods of crisis or high risk of failure Correct answer.
  4. The wage penalty attached to part-time work

Explanation

The glass cliff describes appointments that carry elevated risk of failure, often because organisations turn to women leaders when performance is already declining. The concept was developed by Ryan and Haslam from analysis of company performance before appointments. It shows that access to leadership is not the same as access to secure leadership.

Question 32School assessment

Which of the following best illustrates 'gender mainstreaming' in public policy?

  1. Assessing how a proposed transport budget affects women and men differently before adoption Correct answer.
  2. Running an annual event to celebrate women in the public service
  3. Requiring all staff to complete a one-hour awareness session
  4. Creating a separate women's ministry with no budget

Explanation

Gender mainstreaming means integrating a gender analysis into all policy processes rather than adding isolated women-specific programs. Assessing distributional effects of a budget is a textbook example. The approach treats gender as relevant to mainstream decisions, not a niche concern.

Question 33School assessment

Which statement best captures the feminist critique of the 'public/private divide'?

  1. It argues that harms occurring in the home are shielded from scrutiny by being labelled private Correct answer.
  2. It claims that women should withdraw from public employment
  3. It demonstrates that men are excluded from family life
  4. It shows that private life is irrelevant to politics

Explanation

Feminists argue the public/private split has been used to place violence, unpaid work and inequality in the home beyond political and legal reach. The slogan 'the personal is political' challenges that boundary. The critique seeks scrutiny of domestic life, not its dismissal.

Question 34School assessment

What is meant by 'tokenism' in the context of women's representation in organisations?

  1. The process by which women mentor other women informally
  2. The requirement that all meetings include a gender-balanced agenda
  3. The equal distribution of parental leave between partners
  4. The practice of including a small number of women to create an appearance of inclusion without changing structures Correct answer.

Explanation

Tokenism describes symbolic inclusion of a few members of an underrepresented group while decision-making power and culture remain unchanged. The presence of tokens can deflect criticism without redistributing influence. Critics distinguish this from substantive representation.

Question 35School assessment

A researcher studying domestic violence asks participants to help shape the interview questions and reviews the findings before publication. Which principle of feminist methodology does this most clearly reflect?

  1. Reflexivity and attention to power in the research relationship Correct answer.
  2. Hypothesis testing through controlled experiments
  3. Value neutrality and detachment
  4. Statistical generalisability

Explanation

Feminist methodology emphasises awareness of power differences between researcher and participant and often involves collaboration. Involving participants in design and interpretation reduces hierarchy and treats them as knowers. This contrasts with the ideal of detached neutrality.

Question 36School assessment

Which of the following best describes 'queer theory' in relation to Women's Studies?

  1. A theory that treats sexual categories as fixed and biologically determined
  2. An approach that studies only gay men's literature
  3. A political strategy for electing women to parliament
  4. A body of theory that interrogates the stability of categories such as sex, gender and sexuality Correct answer.

Explanation

Queer theory, influenced by Foucault and Butler, questions the assumption that sexual and gender categories are natural or stable. It examines how norms produce identities and hierarchies. Its critique of fixed categories has reshaped feminist debates about 'woman' as a subject.

Question 37School assessment

In feminist analysis, what does 'agency' mean?

  1. The legal authority of the state over family matters
  2. The automatic freedom produced by equal rights legislation
  3. The capacity of individuals to act and make choices within constraining structures Correct answer.
  4. The ability of markets to allocate resources efficiently

Explanation

Agency refers to people's capacity to act, resist and choose, even under conditions of constraint. Feminist theory stresses that agency operates within structures that shape its possibilities. Recognising agency avoids portraying women only as passive victims.

Question 38School assessment

Which of the following is the clearest example of 'victim blaming' in discussions of harassment?

  1. Investigating whether the accused had a pattern of complaints
  2. Asking what the person was wearing and why they were alone at night Correct answer.
  3. Reviewing workplace policies on reporting procedures
  4. Providing support services to those who report harassment

Explanation

Victim blaming shifts responsibility from the perpetrator to the person harmed by questioning their conduct or appearance. It is a common barrier to reporting. The other options are responses that focus on accountability or support.

Question 39School assessment

What does the term 'misogyny' refer to?

  1. Contempt for or prejudice against women as a group Correct answer.
  2. Any disagreement about gender policy
  3. A preference for gender-neutral language
  4. The study of masculinities

Explanation

Misogyny denotes hostility, contempt or prejudice directed at women because they are women. It can be institutional as well as interpersonal. Analysts distinguish it from misogyny's structural enforcement of gendered norms.

Question 40School assessment

A feminist historian argues that women's unpaid work in wartime is omitted from national narratives. Which concept best names this omission?

  1. Historical materialism
  2. Postcolonial theory
  3. Women's history and the recovery of marginalised experience Correct answer.
  4. Rational choice theory

Explanation

Recovering women's history involves documenting and analysing experiences excluded from dominant narratives. Feminist historians argue that omission shapes collective memory and legitimises present arrangements. The approach does not merely add names but questions what counts as history.

Question 41School assessment

Which of the following best describes 'eco-feminism'?

  1. A campaign to exclude women from environmental science
  2. A theory linking the exploitation of nature with the subordination of women Correct answer.
  3. A view that environmental problems affect all people identically
  4. A policy requiring equal numbers of women in mining

Explanation

Eco-feminism draws connections between domination of the natural world and gendered domination. Different strands emphasise care, spirituality or material relations of production. The field also contains internal debate about essentialising women's connection to nature.

Question 42School assessment

Which of the following is the best example of 'substantive representation' as distinct from descriptive representation?

  1. A representative who advances legislation improving childcare and pay equity Correct answer.
  2. A party rule requiring women on every ballot
  3. A parliament in which 40 per cent of members are women
  4. A photograph of a diverse cabinet in a news release

Explanation

Substantive representation concerns whether representatives act on group interests, whereas descriptive representation concerns shared characteristics such as gender. Numbers alone do not guarantee substantive change. Analysts therefore examine legislative behaviour and outcomes.

Question 43School assessment

What does 'compulsory heterosexuality' describe in feminist theory?

  1. The social pressure that presents heterosexuality as the only normal and expected orientation Correct answer.
  2. A policy encouraging same-sex relationships
  3. A biological explanation for sexual orientation
  4. A legal requirement that all citizens marry

Explanation

The term, associated with Adrienne Rich, describes heterosexuality as socially enforced rather than freely chosen. It directs attention to institutions and norms that make other orientations marginal. The concept is about social pressure, not legal compulsion.

Question 44School assessment

A government funds an advertising campaign encouraging women to report domestic violence but does not fund shelters or legal aid. Which critique is most apt?

  1. The campaign is an example of the glass escalator
  2. The campaign proves that the pay gap has closed
  3. The campaign emphasises individual disclosure without providing the structural resources that make reporting meaningful Correct answer.
  4. The campaign is an example of gender mainstreaming

Explanation

Awareness campaigns can place responsibility on individuals while leaving the services that would support them unfunded. Feminist policy analysis asks whether interventions change structural conditions or only encourage individual action. The absence of shelters and legal aid is the key gap here.

Question 45School assessment

Which statement best distinguishes 'sex' from 'gender' as these terms are usually used in contemporary Women's Studies?

  1. Sex refers to biological characteristics and gender to socially constructed roles and identities Correct answer.
  2. Sex and gender are identical terms used interchangeably
  3. Gender refers to anatomy and sex to identity
  4. Sex refers to social roles and gender to chromosomes

Explanation

The sex/gender distinction separates biological characteristics from socially produced roles, behaviours and identities. It allows scholars to argue that much of what is called 'natural' is learned and changeable. Contemporary theory also questions how sharply the two can be separated.

Question 46School assessment

In feminist standpoint theory, what is meant by the 'situated knowledge' of marginalised groups?

  1. That only the most powerful can produce reliable knowledge
  2. That knowledge is purely personal opinion with no validity
  3. That scientific method should be abandoned
  4. That positions in social structures shape what people can see and know, giving marginalised perspectives analytic value Correct answer.

Explanation

Standpoint theory argues that social location shapes perception, and that marginalised positions can reveal features of a system that are invisible from the centre. It does not claim such knowledge is automatically correct. The claim is about perspective and its analytic potential.

Question 47School assessment

Which of the following best illustrates the 'double burden' faced by many women in paid employment?

  1. A woman being excluded from an informal professional network
  2. A woman earning less than a male colleague for the same role
  3. A woman completing a full shift at work and then performing most household chores and care at home Correct answer.
  4. A woman being promoted during a company crisis

Explanation

The double burden refers to the combination of paid employment and a disproportionate share of unpaid domestic labour. It is a time-and-energy cost rather than a wage difference. The scenario shows both workloads falling on one person.

Question 48School assessment

A feminist scholar argues that a development program measuring success only by women's income ignores changes in their decision-making power at home. Which concept is she invoking?

  1. Descriptive representation
  2. Economic empowerment versus empowerment as multidimensional Correct answer.
  3. The glass ceiling
  4. Compulsory heterosexuality

Explanation

Empowerment is multidimensional, encompassing voice, control over resources and decision-making as well as earnings. Measuring only income may miss shifts in power relations. The critique distinguishes economic participation from genuine empowerment.

Question 49School assessment

Which of the following best describes the role of 'affirmative action' in feminist advocacy?

  1. A policy that removes all mention of gender from hiring
  2. A policy that restricts women to particular occupations
  3. A policy that gives preference to members of underrepresented groups to counter past and ongoing exclusion Correct answer.
  4. A policy that guarantees equal outcomes in every workplace

Explanation

Affirmative action uses targeted measures to counter patterned disadvantage in access to education and employment. It is justified by evidence that neutral rules can reproduce exclusion. It aims to improve access rather than guarantee identical outcomes.

Question 50School assessment

Which of the following best captures the 'myth of the ideal worker' in feminist organisational analysis?

  1. The belief that organisations should be gender-neutral in language
  2. The belief that all workers should receive identical pay
  3. The belief that the best employees are those with no caregiving responsibilities who are available at all hours Correct answer.
  4. The belief that part-time work is always more productive

Explanation

The ideal worker norm assumes an employee unencumbered by care responsibilities and continuously available. Because caregiving is still disproportionately assigned to women, this norm disadvantages them in promotion and pay. The concept connects workplace culture to the gendered division of labour.