Feminism Flashcards
How do feminists view the family?
Like marxists, they take a critical view of the family
- oppresses women through the unequal division of domestic labour
- domestic violence
- do not regard gender inequality as natural or inevitable but something created by society for the benefit of men
THE FAMILY IS A PATRIARCHAL INSTITUTION
What are the 4 different types of feminism?
1- liberal
2- marxist
3- radical
4- difference
What do LIBERAL feminists believe?
- campaigning against sex discrimination, equal rights , opportunities for women
= legislation changes and reforms - equal pay, X workplace discrimination
- women’s position in society improving
How do LIBERAL feminists believe they can gradually overcome women’s oppression?
1) Social changes
2) Political/legal changes
3) Economic (social) changes
LIBERAL FEMINISM
1) Social changes
changes in attitudes, raising aspirations of women
Sue Sharpe
LIBERAL FEMINSIM
2) Political/legal changes
1975- discrimination in employment outlawed (Equal Pay Act 1970 reinforced this)
- improved maternity and pensions
- reproductive rights, contraception and abortion
- 1990, rape in marriage
mass media- persuasion consciousness raising will convince men that social change aimed at dismantling the patriarchy will benefit all
LIBERAL FEMINISM
3) Economic (social changes)
WILKINSON- service economy, feminisation of British workforce, more economic power for women
- led to cultural changes in attitudes ‘genderquake’
- education/careers are more important than marriage/children
SHARPE- supports view, fathers more involved with children
- more egalitarian role within families
What does LIBERAL feminist Sommerville say?
women have more choice
- marriage
- sharing childcare paid/unpaid work
- greater equality in marriage
Liberal feminists view on the family
- boys and girls learn through gender role socialisation
- the traditional distributions of power within families which underpins gender role socialisation generally favours males
- girls expected to subordinate lives to childcare, primary responsibility housework
What does Anne Oakley mean by hegemonic masculinity?
providers, protectors seen as superior
What does Anne Oakley mean by hegemonic femininity?
- nurturers, emotional caretakers
- focus on looks
- secondary to males
What does Anne Oakley mean by manipulation?
appropriateness of child’s sex, parents encourage behaviour
learning/internalisation of gender roles= social conformity
What does Anne Oakley mean by canalisation?
parent’s channel child’s interests
- colour codes
- dress codes
- appearance codes
- toy and play codes
- etiquette codes
- family media codes
- speech codes
- domestic codes
- control codes
What are the strengths of liberal feminism?
- Willmott and Young, men doing more domestic labour
- parents socialise, similar aspirations for sons and daughters
What are the criticisms of Liberal feminism?
X reflects experiences of white MC women, not poorer sections
X women still have the burden of childcare and house with full full time careers
X domestic violence/rape in marriage are still significant problems
X general pay shows men still have higher incomes
X Marxists and Radical Fems believe only revolutionary change can bring equality
What are the main ideas of Marxist feminists?
Exploitation of women by the capitalist system and men
- reject optimisms of liberal, women’s inequalities are a result of being forced to serve the needs of capitalism
What are the 3 functions Marxist feminists say women perform?
1) Women reproduce the labour force
- unpaid domestic labour
- socialising next generation of workers
- maintaining and servicing current workers
2) Women absorb husbands anger
- alienation he feels from work
- ‘punch nag theory’, Fran Ainsley, women as ‘takers of shit’
3) Women are the ‘reserve army’ of cheap labour
- Benston, women taken on as extra workers when they are needed
- employers can let them go to return to their primary role of domestic labour
What dies Marxist feminist Ansley say?
Men have the power to get away with various forms of domestic abuse
- women who believe their main role is to nurture are less likely to demand higher pay and secure working conditions
- when they are ‘laid off’ from work they can return to their biological role of mother-housewife ‘proper job’
What do Marxist feminists Benston and Ansley say?
- women who stay at home are exploited by the capitalist class
- bring up the future labour force
- unpaid domestic labour
What does Marxist feminist Benston say?
Patriarchal ideology is a product of capitalism
- convince women that their main place is at home
- reserve army of female labour
The patriarchal set up benefits the working man
- wage gives him social and economic power
What are the strengths of Marxist feminism?
- women suffer from domestic violence more than men
(supports the punch bag theory) - women tend to get paid less
( exploited by capitalism, BBC pay scandal) - shown how gender roles are created and perpetuated by the capitalist society rather than being ‘natural’ as Functionalists would have us believe
What are the weaknesses of Marxist feminism?
X the belief that the family should be abolished (socialist revolution) ignores the real benefits the family unit can provide for women
X growth of ‘house-husbands’ where women can be breadwinner
X ignore recent changed to the economy
X NR/Func- attacks and undermines nuclear family
What are the key ideas of RADICAL feminism?
- men exploit women not capitalism
- the patriarchy existed before, always controlled women
- will not change by establishing socialism
- patriarchy benefits all men
What do Radical feminists say about the nuclear family?
Mainly functions to benefit men
- power/superiority
- patriarchal ideology transmitted via gender role socialisation
What do Radical feminists say the other functions of the family are?
- encourage the sexual division of labour as ‘natural’ and unchangeable
Women- sexual objects when single
- mothers/housewives when married
What doe Radical feminists Millet and Firestone say?
Men are the enemy
- they are the source of women’s oppression and exploitation
- ‘sex classes’ different interests and levels of power
Why do Radical feminists say that the family and marriage are key oppressive institutions?
- men benefit form unpaid domestic labour and sexual services
- men dominate women, domestic violence threat
What does Radical feminist Greer about how men are the dominant class who use their power to exploit women?
- in marriage women remain subservient to husbands, single women are generally happier
- wives are more likely to suffer from physical/sexual abuse, daughters victims of sexual abuse by male relatives within the family
What does Radical feminist Greer suggest to overturn the patriarchal systems?
SEPERATISM- women must organise themselves to live independently form men
POLITICAL LESBIANISM- homosexual relationships replaced ‘matrifocal’ all female households
- believed the family needs to be matrifocal
What do Radical feminists Delphy and Leonard say?
- men may claim love for their wives but it doesn’t prevent them from exploiting them
- women pay attention to men to give them a sense of well-being
(flatter, excuse, boost, sympathise) - men rarely perform this function for women
What does Radical feminist Purdy say?
- W are disadvantaged (childcare responsibilities)
- women encouraged to want to form couples and have children
- eccentric/selfish if they choose not to
- ‘baby strike’ stop having children
What does Radical feminists Firestone say?
New reproductive technologies to exclude men from families
- women’s dependence on men derives from childbearing and child rearing functions
- nuclear, abolished, radically altered
What are the strengths of Radical feminism?
Sommerville
- supports in aspects such as paternity rights
- employment sectors, not full equality
- vertical segregation in the workplace
What are the weaknesses of Radical feminsim?
X ignores the progress already made, recent social changes
- divorce, job opportunities, fertility
- compensatory policies such as GIST and WISE
X Separatism and Political lesbianism are unlikely to work
- heterosexual attraction and nuclear family will not disappear
X men can also be victims of abuse
X fail to offer practical, realistic alternatives
What are the key ideas for Difference feminism?
They are critical of all three previous perspectives because they assume all women are members of a single group who share interests and are equally exploited
- second wave feminist approaches assume women tend to love in conventional nuclear families and that they share similar experiences
What does Difference feminism recognise?
Argue we cannot generalise women’s experiences this way
- lesbian, black, religious women all have very different experiences of the family from one another
What is Black Difference feminism?
- importance of racial/ethnic differences
- some ethnic women have less power/status in families compared with other minorities
- emphasises difference in age, class, nationality
- MC women are exploited less by men than poorer women
NOT ALL WOMEN ARE EXPLOITED EQUALLY
Difference feminism- recognising increasing family diversity
e.g. women who are lone parents
- cannot be exploited by cohabiting man
- differences in gender relationships in families from different ethnic/religious background
What does Difference feminist Nicholson say?
Women are better off outside traditional nuclear families
- all types should be accepted socially because they suit women in different circumstances
What does Difference feminist Calhoun say?
Women can’t be exploited by men in lesbian families
- increasing choice in family life lesbian/gay= ‘chosen families’
- links to ‘preference theory’
What are the strengths of Difference feminism?
- white feminists neglect black feminists experience of racial oppression by regarding family solely as the source of oppression
- black feminists regard view of black families positively as a source of support and resistance against racism
- research in areas if family life which have either been neglected or not studied before
- hard to criticise as it approaches a more modern perspective
What are the weaknesses of Difference feminism?
X neglects the fact that women do share many experiences
(more at risk of low pay and domestic violence)
X losing sight of continuing inequalities between men and women
General criticisms of feminism
X overall contribution of feminism is general to an understanding of the family
X ignores the real progress that women in society have made
X all assume the traditional nuclear family is most dominant
X increased family diversity is ignored
X structural theory- assumes all women are passive puppets manipulated by society to perform certain functions
