1.1 feminist views on the family

Question 1

What do marxist feminists believe about the family?

Answer 1

the oppression of women is linked to capitalism
- all labour, paid and domestic is exploitation by the ruling class

Question 2

What are Bentson’s view on the family?

Answer 2

• domestic work is unpaid but has great value
• women’s unpaid labour and sexual services ensure that the male workforce is fit and healthy for work + the male’s wage doesn’t cover this (2 for 1)

Question 3

What was Beechey’s views on the family?

Answer 3

women are a cheap reserve army of labour = they are used to bolster the workforce in times of economic boom and they’re expected to return home when the economy contracts

Question 4

What did Ansley say about the family?

Answer 4

• capitalism strips men of their dignity, they feel alienated
• male frustration is taken out on the female
• women act as safety valves for capitalism

Question 5

What is meant by dual burden?

Answer 5

women are doubly exploited:
first by their capitalist jobs
then by their domestic labour

Question 6

What is the solution to women’s oppression for marxist feminists?

Answer 6

the abolition of capitalism

Question 7

What do radical feminists believe about the family?

Answer 7

the family functions for the benefit of men - who are to blame for women’s oppression, not capitalism

Question 8

What do Redfern and Aune argue?

Answer 8

the family is a place of violence against women and children
male violence takes many forms: FGM, marital rape, honour killings (AO2 = 12/13 a year in the UK)

Question 9

What do Duncombe and Marsden argue about the family?

Answer 9

introduce the concept of triple shift = a woman picks up 3 shifts everyday
1) paid labour
2) domestic work
3) emotional work - are responsible for everyone’s needs

Question 10

What is the solution for radical feminists?

Answer 10

separatism and political lesbianism
- women and men should live separately and women should use IVF to reproduce; lesbianism is offered as a positive alternative to men

Question 11

Evaluation of the radical feminist view of the family

Answer 11

• fails to recognise that many women have independence
• some women find marriage/family to be very rewarding not oppressive
• too radical + exaggerates the exploitation of women

Question 12

What is the liberal feminist view on the family?

Answer 12

argues for equal rights for both men and women

Question 13

What did Ann Oakley think about the family?

Answer 13

gender socialisation = major cause of ignorance
- girls are taught to behave within a set of female behaviours e.g. bedroom culture, whereas boys are taught different behaviours

Question 14

AO2 for liberal feminism

Answer 14

they campaign for change in social policies and laws:
- equal rights
- equal pay
- Sex discrimination laws
- changes in divorce laws

Question 15

Evaluation of the liberal feminist view of the family:

Answer 15

• only reflects the situation for white, middle class women
• fails to recognise the situation for poorer groups, disabilities, etc
• Cosaro = critical of gender role socialisation; argues that there is little evidence to suggest that what goes on in the home leads to inequality BUT is this true?

Question 16

What is the intersectional feminists view on the family?

Answer 16

not all women share common interests or are equally exploited, women have a wide variety of experiences of patriarchy
- black intersectional feminists = stress the differences of ethnicity, some ethnic groups have less power and status in families
- other intersectional feminists = emphasised differences in age, class or nationality

Question 17

Evaluation of the intersectional view of the family:

Answer 17

• more family diversity today and women may not be exploited in the same way by men
• too many voices; does it lower the impact of feminism as one united movement
  + useful for showing how all women have different experiences and therefore experience the patriarchy in a different way

Question 18

AO2
What was the gender pay gap like before and after COVID?

Answer 18

preCOVID = 9%
after COVID = 14.3%

Question 19

AO2
In heterosexual relationships how much of the physical housework do women do?

Answer 19

65%

Question 20

AO2
How many girls become child brides everyday?

Answer 20

33,000

Question 21

AO2
How long will it take to close the gender pay gap?

Answer 21

108 years

Question 22

AO2
How many women will experience domestic abuse?

Answer 22

1 in 4

Question 23

AO2
How many employed women regularly undertake unpaid housework?

Answer 23

93%

Question 24

AO2
How many reported honour killings are there per year?

Answer 24

12-15 in the UK and 5000 internationally