PYQ Vault · Paper 1 · Theories of the State
Comment on the feminist critique of the state in 150 words.
How the answer moves
The flow snapshot — the routes in, the body, the counter-view and the routes out.
Flow snapshot — how the answer moves
Intro routes
R1 reject state-as-neutral → law / policy carry male power state looks impartial → feminism exposes its gendered foundations
Body flow
public-sphere myth → “personal is political” (Hanisch) → patriarchal in structure (radical) → Pateman’s sexual contract → MacKinnon: state is male → public-private divide hides dominance
Counter-view
may essentialise all states / reduce oppression to gender alone
Conclusion routes
-onclusion routes G@ neither enemy nor saviour → gendered terrain of struggle critique holds → equality needs power addressed in public and private
Model answer
Handwritten, in the form it would be written in the examination hall.
