Rediscovering Charlotte Perkins Gilman: Forerunner contributions to a feminist Sociology

Abstract

Introduction/Objectives: Sociology teaching, even today, drags a marked androcentric component that tends to invisibilise and undervalue the contributions of women as producers of knowledge and social theory. This bias is especially evident in the classical and foundational period of the discipline. Among the forgotten sociologists of the sociological canon, Charlotte Perkins Gilman (United States, 1860-1935) stands out. The aim of this paper is to recover her figure and show her pioneering contributions to the configuration of a feminist sociology. Methodology: A review of the literature on her work has been carried out together with a review of her main writings, especially Women and Economics. Results: Gilman's work, with respect to that of her sociological contemporaries, represents a unique and alternative approach to the analysis of social relations, placing gender as the key axis of social stratification. It anticipates key ideas for sociological and feminist analysis, and develops a multidimensional framework for analysing gender relations of domination based on the interaction of economic and cultural factors. She also presents a project of social reform for women's emancipation, pointing to the importance of knowledge for social transformation. However, her thinking has also been criticised for some arguments that are hardly applicable today. Discussion and contribution: The rediscovery of pioneering women sociologists, besides being a matter of academic justice, contributes to thinking our discipline from a different perspective, more inclusive, more critical, reflexive and innovative, and more open towards other possible ways of learning and practising Sociology.