🔹Feminism Arguments Flashcards
Name the three types of feminism and one example of each
1) radical feminists (Greer)
2) Liberal feminists (Somerville)
3) Marxist feminists (Fran Ansley)
Why do feminists dislike traditional family life?
Because it’s presented as the ‘ideal family’ and the nuclear family is used as an ‘ideological instrument’ so that all other family structures (SPF) seen inferior
What does Jess Bernard suggest?
Marriage is much more beneficial for men than women as the family is patriarchal
What do radical feminists argue that the nuclear family ignores, give statistics
- the ‘dark side of the family’
- BCS states domestic violence counts for 1/6 of all violent crime
- 1/4 women experience DV at some point
- 1/6 man experience DV at some point
What does Devault state to positively evaluate radical administrators?
Devault 1991 showed women performed invisible work e.g organising family meals
What did Warner find (2005) to positively evaluate radical feminism?
He showed that home based mother’s work 100 hours a week
What did Marsden and Duncombe argue to positively evaluate radical feminism?
Women work the triple shift, carrying out the emotional work, going out to work and doing the house work
Name a liberal feminist criticism for radical feminism
They show how there have been improvements to women e.g 70% of women now work in the UK showing all men do not oppress al women
What does Somerville recognise?
That significant progress has been made in public and private life for women e.g 70% of women now work in the uk
What do liberal feminists such as Somerville focus on?
Focus on making several small policy changes in the law as it would resist revolutionary change
How do difference feminists criticise liberal feminists?
They argue that liberal feminism in an ethnocentric view as it only reflect the experiences of mainly white, middle class women
Name a criticism of Somerville’s studies?
Her work is based on a secondary analysis of previous works and is therefore now back up by empirical (scientific) evidence
How do radical feminists criticise Somerville?
Radical feminists such as Delphy, Leonard and Green argue that Somerville fails to deal with the patriarchal culture in contemporary family life
What is the main argument by Marxist feminists?
Women are exploited by both capitalism and patriarchy
What does Marxist Feminist Fran Ansley suggest about women and capitalism?
Argues that men are angered by capitalism and women absorb this anger as the ‘takers of shit’
What does Marxist Feminist Margaret Benston suggest about women and capitalism?
Capitalism benefits from an army of women (unpaid workforce) who have been socialised into being compliant.
Name the famous quote said by Benston
“The large amount of unpaid labour performed by women is very large and very profitable to those who own the means of mass production
Name the statistic from the UK 2000 times survey about paid housework
If housework was paid it would cost the economy £700 billion which is 3/4 of the current wages paid for
How does Hakim criticise Marxist feminism?
Her preference theory states that some women are not as oppressed as feminists claim and like domestic life e.g the triple shift
Name a general criticism of Marxist feminism
Only has emphasis on the nuclear family ignoring diversity
Name the % of women that do housework each day compared to men
Women= 92% Men= 77%
What does Leighton argue about the oppression of women?
That financial dominance and decision making only fall on women if men are unemployed
What did Pahl (1994) state about women and spending?
If there are financial problems women are the most likely to make cutbacks e.g food/clothes
What did Edgell say about middle class women?
Edgell 1980 said that middle class women rely on men for decision making
According to the General Survey how many hours a week do women do compared to men?
Women= 56 hours Men= 31 hours
Why can’t you generalise the view of feminism?
Because feminism is not a united theory as it is fragmented into subgroups such as liberal and radical feminists with different beliefs
What does Marxist feminist David Cooper say about the family?
It is ‘an ideological conditioning device in an exploitive society’
What do radical feminists delphy and Leonard argue about women and oppression
Material factors cause women’s oppression as they criticise ‘labour relations in which men benefit from, and exploit the work of women and sometimes their children’.
Name one argument advocated by Laura Purdy
According to an American study quoted by purdy men only do 20% of housework despite female employment making it difficult for women to compete in the labour environment and fight for greater equality
