Gender, Power, and Social Reality: A Feminist Philosophical Approach

Abstract

This paper examines how gender and power intersect in the construction of social reality from a feminist philosophical perspective. Feminist theory challenges traditional accounts of objectivity, identity, and authority by showing that social structures, cultural norms, and institutional practices are deeply gendered and often reproduce power imbalances. By integrating insights from feminist epistemology, social ontology, and critical social theory, the paper explores how gender relations shape individuals’ experiences, identity formation, and access to resources and recognition. It argues that gender cannot be understood merely as an individual attribute but as a relational and systemic dimension of social life that interacts with power, race, class, and other axes of inequality. The paper also considers the implications of these insights for political theory, social justice, and transformative praxis. Through analysis of foundational and contemporary feminist thinkers—such as Simone de Beauvoir, Judith Butler, bell hooks, and Nancy Fraser—it articulates a feminist framework for understanding the intertwined nature of gender, power, and social reality.