feminism and the family Flashcards
feminism view on society
Patriarchal – the role of the family is to reinforce male dominance and it is beneficial to men
Unequal – men tend to have more status, control, power and wealth/income than women and this is reflected in family life
Gendered - divided and differentiated by gender (socially constructed differences between boys and girls, men and women
anslev, safety valve
Ansley, the Marxist Feminist, translates Parson’s view that the family functions to stabilise adult personalities into a Marxist-feminist framework. She argues that the emotional support provided by the wife acts as a ‘safety valve’ for frustration produced in the husband by working in a capitalist system. Rather than being turned against the system which produced it, this frustration is absorbed by the comforting wife. In this way the system is not threatened. In Ansley’s words:
“When wives play their traditional role as takers of shit, they often absorb their husbands’ legitimate anger and frustration at their own powerlessness and oppression. With every worker provided with a sponge to soak up his possibly revolutionary ire, the bosses rest more secure.”
oakley, duel burden
Oakley argues that industrialisation led to the separation of paid work from the home. During the industrial revolution (1750 – 1880), women were gradually excluded from the workplace and confined to the home with sole responsibility for housework and childcare. Men became the sole breadwinners. This caused women’s subordination and economic dependence on men. The housewife role was socially constructed and not women’s biological role as Parson’s claims.
Although the 20th century saw an increase in the number of women working the housewife role is still seen as women’s primary role. In fact, women experience a dual burden, according to Oakley, where women feel a strain having to do paid work and housework. In addition, women who work are concentrated in low-paid jobs that are an extension of the housewife role such as such as nursing, secretarial work or childcare
argument against oakley
An unequal domestic division of labour is not an inevitable outcome of Industrialisation or capitalism. families and households and women’s experiences within them are highly varied and different.
liberal feminist, somerville
Somerville suggests reform (especially family policy) rather than revolution is a more realistic approach to improving the position of women in society and the family. She argues that increased choice and the growth of dual-worker families have created greater equality within marriage. She argues that policies to help working parents such as increased flexibility in paid employment will progress society towards more egalitarian relationships.
radical feminists dobash and dobash
Dobash and Dobash argue that patriarchal, heterosexual marriage legitimates (justifies) violence against women by conferring power and authority on husbands and economic dependency on wives. Their research (based on police and court records and interviews with women in women’s refuges) found that violent incidents could be triggered by what a husband saw as a challenge to his authority such as his wife asking him why he was late home for a meal.
black feminist mirza
Heidi Mirza, a black feminist, claims that powerful stereotypes have been drawn about black family life. She claims that working-class black women are typified as being teenage, dependant on benefits, while middle class black women are seen as ‘superwomen’. This narrative, she claims is unhelpful for mothers and fathers of either class. Black feminists seek to draw attention to the way the media and the government negatively judge black families and especially women, against the ‘idealised’ white, middle class nuclear family. Constructing the idea of black women as black mothers undermines their role beyond family life, according to Mirza. It also ignores the role of fathers who may be involved despite not living in the same house, and also overlooks the important role of the extended family. This is a good example of how differences in women’s experiences are vital to understanding different forms of patriarchy
dunne, lesbian couples and gender scripts
Gillian Dunne carried out research into the ways that lesbian couples organise housework. She found that due to the fact that they are same sex couples, there is far more discussion and negotiation of a more equal distribution of domestic work and paid work. She claims that heterosexual couples automatically defer to stereotypical ‘gender scripts’ without much discussion or negotiation. A gender script can be defined as deeply engrained behaviours which reflect stereotypically male and female activities. Dunne’s research suggests that this is a good example of how gendered everyday life is – men and women make many assumptions about what they should and shouldn’t do based on deeply engrained gendered ideology
intersectionality
In reality, gender only makes up one part of our identity. Class, ethnicity, location, ability and other factors may well shape people’s experiences of family/home life. This awareness of other variables and the way they affect us is known as intersectionality
postmodren feminists
Postmodernist feminists argue that there have been significant changes in the world through the effects of globalisation, therefore we need a new approach to understanding patriarchy. Postmodernist feminists such as Judith Stacey argue that globalisation and increased choice in society today actually leads to great benefits for women, especially. For example, in her ethnographic research of Silicon Valley in the US, Stacey (1998) found that women were using their increased choice to leave patriarchal relationships and select new family arrangements. Stacey and Meadow (2006) state that despite the increased fluidity in family life, the increased use of assisted reproductive technologies, the increase in same sex families, mainstream political ideology still regards traditional nuclear family as the best, most desirable structure. Postmodernist feminists are also often critical of other forms of feminism which take for granted a western perspective on family life, ignoring key differences such as same sex families, ‘families of choice’ (Weeks).
