feminist perspective on the family Flashcards
what type of theory is feminism?
conflict theory - takes the view that the family is a source of oppression for women
challenges functionalist views on the family (like marxism)
what is the triple shift
DUNCOMBE AND MARSDEN
occurs when women take on unpaid & paid work but also the emotional work in the family by soothing and managing emotions
what is the dual burden
the workload of earning money whilst also doing unpaid domestic labour
what is the patriarchy?
system of society or government in which the father or eldest male is head of the family and it passes down through males.
men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it
what is the 1st wave of feminism?
- suffragettes formed in 1903 and wanted the right to vote
- in 1918 the representation of the peoples act gave women over 30 the right to vote. in 1928 they lowered the voting age to 21.
what are the 4 different types of feminism?
- LIBERAL FEMINISM - believe society is improving in terms of gender equality and consider the denial of equal legal and political rights as the main obstacle of equality
- MARXIST FEMINISM - believe inequality is caused by capitalism
- RADICAL FEMINISM - believe inequality is caused by patriarchy
- DIFFERENCE FEMINISM - believe all female experiences are different and that we cannot make generalisations about women’s lives
what is liberal feminism and what do they believe?
- do not believe full gender equality has been achieved in the family but believe there has been gradual progress
- some studies suggest men are doing more domestic labour
- changes in the law mean women can escape traditional gender roles and enter employment
- sex discrimination act 1975 outlaws discrimination in employment
- other feminists CRITICISE liberal feminists for believing that changes in the law / peoples attitudes will be enough to bring equality
what is radical feminism and what do they believe?
- argue men are the enemy and are the source of women’s oppression and exploitation
- believe patriarchy can be seen in all areas of life, but the nuclear family is where we are socialised into accepting it as normal and inevitable
- therefore, they see the family as the root of women’s oppression, for it maintains male power
- they see male domination being reinforced in the family through domestic violence (or the threat of it)
what are radical feminists alternatives to the family?
GERMAINE GREER
- stop living with families and live separate lives from men, this is called separatism
- GERMAINE GREER - matrilocal households of all females / many radical feminists argue for political lesbianism as heterosexual relationships are ‘sleeping with the enemy’
what are the criticisms of radical feminism?
JENNY SOMERVILLE
- JENNY SOMERVILLE argues radical feminists fail to recognise that women’s position has improved considerably - with better access to divorce, better job opportunities and control over their own fertility
- argues heterosexual attraction makes it unlikely political lesbianism would work
what is marxist feminism and what do they believe?
- argue main cause of women’s oppression isn’t men, but capitalism
- women’s oppression performs multiple functions for capitalism:
- reproduce labour force
- absorb anger directed at capitalism
- reserve army who can be fired when no longer needed
- argue the family must be abolished at the same time as a socialist revolution
who is MARGARET BENSON (marxist feminist) and what did she argue?
- amount of women’s unpaid labour is very profitable to business owners
- to pay women for their work even at minimum wage scales would cause a massive redistribution of wealth
- the support of the family is a hidden tax as wage buys the labour power of two people
who is FRAN ANSLEY (marxist feminist) and what did she argue?
- wives are ‘takers of sh*t’
- they absorb their husbands frustration and anger at their own powerlessness and oppression
- bosses rest more secure if workers are letting out their frustrations at capitalism on their wives
what is difference feminism and what do they believe?
- other feminist approaches tend to assume women live in conventional families and all share similar experiences
- difference feminists argue that we cannot generalise women’s experiences
- argue that lesbian and heterosexual women, white and black women, middle class and working class women, all have very different experiences of the family from one another
