In this reflectary, you will find key terms on feminisms, violence against women, and everyday manifestations of sexism.
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Abortion (Aborto) Abortion is the termination of pregnancy after the fertilized egg is implanted in the endometrium and before the foetus can survive outside of the uterus. It can be spontaneous or induced. There are various methods for induced abortion, and it can be safe or unsafe, legal or illegal, complete or incomplete. Spontaneous abortion or miscarriage is the termination
Advocacy (Incidencia política) This is the set of actions to influence the decisions and behaviors of decision makers. The goal is to position the causes and interests of a specific group of people or citizens. References: Collado, H. (2015). Incidencia política: concepto, importancia y herramientas. Photo credit: bearsky23 Have any questions? MODII can help! Send your query
Afrofeminisms ((Afrofeminismos) This is a wave within feminism that asserts or highlights the specific experiences of black women, who have been historically overshadowed by white women within the hegemonic feminism. It underscores that black women’s experiences are affected and determined by the strong connection between sexism, class oppression, and racism. It became popular in the 1960s as a response to
Androcentrismo (Androcentrism) This refers to a world view that places men at the centre of everything. This understanding of reality is based on the idea that the masculine view is the universal view. In other words, it is generalized for all humanity and it is considered the only valid and possible one. Androcentrism makes women, their perspective, and their contributions
Bechdel test (Test de Bechdel) This test, also known as the Bechdel-Wallace Test, evaluates the gender gap in movies, comics, theatre, etc. También se conoce como Test de Bechdel/Wallace. It was inspired by the comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For , created by the cartoonist Alison Bechdel. In the 1985 comic strip, one of the female characters states that
Biological sex (Sexo biológico) Biologically defined sex is determined by a person’s reproductive system and their physiognomy. In other words, based on their genetic, hormonal, anatomic, and physiological characteristics. As such, when a person is born they can be: – Woman: with XX chromosomes and a female reproductive system. – Man: with XY chromosomes and a male reproductive system. – Intersex: with a combination of masculine and
Body-land-territory (Territorio-cuerpo-tierra) The term body-land-territory emerged from women’s fight for freedom from patriarchal and capitalist oppressions. It emphasizes the connection between gender-based violence and the dispossession of territory. Rape, abuse, femicide, and being stripped of land are related in that patriarchy and the destruction of natural elements are all part of the same system of thinking and domination. In fact, the
Bropiating (Bropiating) La palabra bropiating proviene del inglés y se puede traducir al español como apropiación machista de ideas. This refers to men appropriating an idea that was originally proposed by a woman, and then taking the credit. Another term to refer to this practice is bropropriation. Photo credit: LightField Studios Have any questions? MODII can help! Send your query
Cisgender (Cisgénero) The word cisgender or cis refers to people who identify with the sex or gender they were assigned at birth. The word is used within trans activism in an inclusive way to refer to non-transgender people. Cisgender people do not usually identify themselves as cisgender; this consistency in gender identity is implicit in cis-heteronormativity or cis-homonormativity. The prefix cis etymologically
Cisheteronormativity (Cisheteronormatividad) This is the set of ideas, social norms, beliefs, and culture that govern people whose gender identity corresponds to the one assigned at birth, and people who also identify as heterosexual. This type of social construction is considered the only model for sexual-romantic and parental relationships, and it establishes advantages for people who abide by this system. This
Cisheteropatriarchy (Cisheteropatriarcado) This is the set of ideas, beliefs, and culture that support the criterion that men are predominant over other genders and other sexual orientations. It also normalizes the nuclear family as the only acceptable family unit. The concept of man in this social construction is identified as heterosexual and cisgender. Any person that is within this concept has a level
Collective naming-and-shaming (Escrache) This refers to the action of publicly calling out people who committed a crime or injustice. Often, in cases of sexual violence, it becomes clear that the legal system recognizes that the accused is guilty when the victim is the “perfect victim”. In other words, when she fits the stereotypes established by society regarding women: submissive, caste,
Contraception (Anticoncepción) Contraception refers to the practice, methods, or devices used to prevent pregnancy when having sex. According to Planned Parenthood, ’family planning has always been widely practiced, even in societies dominated by social, political, or religious codes that require people to “be fruitful and multiply”’’ (Planned Parenthood, 2012). The World Health Organization (WHO) and other authorities on the subject use
Contraception methods (Métodos anticonceptivos ) Contraceptive methods are devices or procedures used to prevent sperm from fertilizing an egg to avoid pregnancy. There are various reasons for choosing one method over another. This includes physiological and personality traits, each person’s life conditions, the way the person lives their sexuality, and the possibilities of accessing these methods, etc. For the World
Decolonial feminism (Feminismo descolonial) Decolonial feminism is also known as peripheral feminism, third wave, or from the margins. This is a wave of feminism that emerged in Latin America and that centres on the intersection of the conflicts of sex and gender, class and race, and relates it to the structures imposed by colonialism and neocolonialism. It rejects and questions the
Disabled feminism (Discafeminismo) The word in Spanish (discafeminismo) was coined by Cristina González, and its use has spread especially among organizations and groups of women with disabilities. The idea is to highlight the double discrimination that women with disabilities face. According to González, ‘when someone faces various discriminations, these are not added up, instead they multiply and strengthen.’ Women with
Domestic violence (Violencia doméstica ) This refers to the type of violence that take places in the domestic sphere, regardless of who exercises it or who suffers it (mothers and fathers against children, young people against elders, men against their wives, etc.). However, it is often used to refer to gender-based violence against women in the domestic sphere, since—historically—violence against women
Ecofeminisms (Ecofeminismos) This is a wave of feminism that emerged in the mid 1970s. It centres on analyzing how the current development model led to the excessive exploitation of the common natural assets and how this affects women especially. Ecofeminisms focus on the connection between the exploitation of nature and women’s oppression, paying special attention to the relationship between nature,
Femicide (Feminicidio, femicidio) Femicide refers to the murder of a woman simply for being a woman. Es más común el uso de feminicidio en algunos países de América Latina, como México o Colombia; y de femicidio en España, Argentina, Venezuela, Chile y Honduras. The word has been used since the 19th century to refer to the murder of women. Diana
Feminism (Feminismo) Feminism is a social and political movement that asserts women’s and men’s equality. To achieve this equality, it advocates for expanding women’s rights and freedoms, especially in the political, social, economic, cultural, and civil spheres. It also demands improved legal and social conditions for women, their emancipation, and changing socio-cultural behaviour patterns that lead to their discrimination. Some
