families and households - feminist theory

Question 1

shulamith firestone - radical feminist theory

Answer 1

•according to firestone, the origins of patriarchy lie in the women’s biological ability to bear and care for infants, since preforming this role means they become more dependent on men
- solution: “baby strike” - women should stop having babies

Question 2

radical feminist view on family

Answer 2

•they see family as the root of women’s oppression and it must be abolished
•radical feminists believe that men must be separate from women, this can be done through:
-political lesbianism
-girl schools / boy schools

Question 3

marxist feminist view of the family

Answer 3

•women’s role in the capitalist society in the family is the unpaid homemaker
•they argue that women “service the men” - women provide unpaid domestic labour to make men work harder at work, which helps maintain the capitalist system

Question 4

liberal feminist view on the family

Answer 4

•although liberal feminists believe that full gender equality has not been achieved, they believe there has been gradual process. for example, some studies show that men are doing more domestic labour, and the way parents socialise their sons and daughters are more equal than the past