Standpoint Theory

Standpoint Theory originally existed as a feminist theory that emphasizes the perspectives of women who are deemed to be the marginalized groups of society. Researches were focused on how important these viewpoints are due to the theory’s assumptions that the people with less power and status quo to protect have the most objective and less distorted perspectives. The theory further applies to other groups diverged in race, gender, and socioeconomic status. There are few critics about this theory. One of the two major critics is the idea of essentialism as a focal point of the conclusion that groups with the same experiences or gender such as women have the same outlook of the world. Another contention is about dualisms. Critics argue that there is no objective knowledge as all knowledge is subjective and relative to the social group or status one stands in.

The contention on essentialism assumes that women and other marginalized groups have a common viewpoint of the world. This becomes a hasty generalization that forgoes the concept of individuality and cultural diversity. It argues that all women suffer similar discrimination all over the world as it is seen that women are less privileged and less powerful than men are. In the sociology of gender, women are always the subordinates of men in society. Men are often placed as powerful and strong. Women, on the other hand, are homemakers that do not need to attain education and are ought to stay at home doing trivial chores that require less energy. Thus, women have often the less heard voices in society and are considered less important in the organizational development of a nation. In the 21^st century the battle of gender equality has no longer been a big issue. Since the 20^th century, social welfare groups have been involved in the constant fight for the equality of gender which was successfully won. Proofs are shown in the laws passed and in the proclamation of gender equality as a universal right of all sexes. Women are no longer considered inferior to men. In fact, there are already women leaders and they are considered essential to nation building because they are the foundation makers of home and family. However, there might be some isolated cases that do not accept this postmodern thought about women especially traditional societies that still see men as superior than women. In this case, even with the similar gender that is shared by women all over the world, their viewpoints may actually vary because of other factors. Thus, this theory extends to other groups regardless of gender. This theory might need to explore more on the differences of standpoints in terms of culture and socioeconomic status. This

might yield more argumentations in terms of defining commonality of viewpoints of marginal societies and the power holders. For instance, people in first world countries often demand for more rights while on the other side of the world, some people do not even know their rights or suppose they are aware, they do not have the voice loud enough to be heard by the government. While some focus more not on their rights but on the matters of survival. People belonging to developing countries may actually be more concerned on how to earn and furnish themselves with the basic needs rather than fighting for more rights which they think are beyond their needs. These arguments somehow defeat the focal point of essentialism as presented in the standpoint theory.

Another issue is centered on dualism. Standpoint theory assumes that the most objective is the viewpoint which can be seen in the lens of the lowest level of society. This concludes that the perspectives of those who are considered the power holders are often distorted because of the status quo that they are protecting. The theory also concludes that the powerless have less or no status quo to protect; thus, their outlooks are mere reflections of reality and objectivity. The ruling groups have the most powerful opinions so their voices are often heard and considered in decision making even if they are not the majority. The issue of objectivity can be questioned with the nature of the perspective. Since the idea of standpoint in a society is based on situated knowledge which is always partial, it contradicts to the argument of objectivity. This type of knowledge is only seen in a particular standpoint which is the group of subordinates. Ergo, all perspectives in the light of standpoint theory are subjective so one cannot measure its objectivity based on a certain viewpoint that does not see both macro and micro levels.

Standpoint Theory, although with a lot of contentions and critics, still stands as a significant theory in understanding the perspective of the less fortunate groups in the society and the once marginal standing of women in traditional societies. The theory can imply realizations that even with the low standing in a society; people need to let their voices be heard. It teaches society to be bolder to face challenges in communication influenced by societal standards and socioeconomic status.