Stevi Jackson (born 23 June 1951), is an academic and writer working in the field of gender and sexuality. She has been Professor of

Women's studies Women's studies is an academic field that draws on feminist and interdisciplinary methods to place women's lives and experiences at the center of study, while examining social and cultural constructs of gender; systems of privilege and oppress ...

at the University of York, England since 1998,University of York, 2014 and is Director of the University's Centre for Women's Studies.

Education

Stevi Jackson earned her degree in Sociology from the

University of Kent , motto_lang = , mottoeng = Literal translation: 'Whom to serve is to reign'(Book of Common Prayer translation: 'whose service is perfect freedom')Graham Martin, ''From Vision to Reality: the Making of the University of Kent at Canterbury'' ...

in 1972. In 1973 she gained her Masters from the

University of York , mottoeng = On the threshold of wisdom , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £8.0 million , budget = £403.6 million , chancellor = Heather Melville , vice_chancellor = Charlie Jeffery , students ...

Writings

She has been writing on feminist topics since 1973, and describes her research as an attempt to explain and theorise her own experience of being a heterosexual woman. She explicitly states throughout her work that she is a heterosexual feminist working within a materialist framework. Jackson has been politically active throughout her life, particularly in the 1970s when she engaged in

consciousness raising Consciousness raising (also called awareness raising) is a form of activism popularized by United States feminists in the late 1960s. It often takes the form of a group of people attempting to focus the attention of a wider group on some cause or ...

groups, went to national conferences and helped to set up Rape Crisis in Cardiff. During the

Thatcher years Margaret Thatcher's term as the prime minister of the United Kingdom began on 4 May 1979 when she accepted an invitation of Queen Elizabeth II to form a government, and ended on 28 November 1990 upon her resignation. She was elected to the pos ...

, she joined the Labour party to counter the damage she saw being done by the government. She says Labour was “a good base for feminist campaigning”.Jackson, 2009a In the 1980s, she shied away from action during the "sex wars" which attacked heterosexual feminists for fraternising with the "enemy".Jackson and Scott, 1996: 11 She found this period destructive for

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

and as a heterosexual feminist, preferred to stay out of the debates on the issue. Recently, her political action has involved trying to keep women's studies alive as a space for women to explore feminism but regrets that rising higher in academia leaves less time for feminist action. She believes it is important to build a bridge between

feminist theory Feminist theory is the extension of feminism into theoretical, fictional, or philosophical discourse. It aims to understand the nature of gender inequality. It examines women's and men's social roles, experiences, interests, chores, and femi ...

and practice which is why she particularly enjoyed writing for radical feminist magazine ''Trouble and Strife''.Jackson, 2009a Jackson's

utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book '' Utopia'', describing a fictional island socie ...

is an egalitarian world without gender where “your genitals matter as little as your hair colour”. A world where marriage is abolished, selective foetus abortion is legal and those who wish to commit to one another engage in civil partnerships. She advocates a collective model of child rearing and believes that heterosexual, monogamous couples are not necessarily the best parents.Jackson, 2009a

Selected works

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Stevi 1951 births Alumni of the University of Kent Alumni of the University of York British feminist writers Living people Materialist feminists Radical feminists Women's studies academics Place of birth missing (living people)