Feminist Theories of the Family Flashcards
What two processes do liberal feminists believe lead to unequal gender roles?
- manipulation
- canalisation
What do liberal feminists believe?
The family reproduces unequal gender roes via socialisation processes
Who mentions canalisation and manipulation?
Oakley
What is canalisation?
Where parents force gender appropriate items onto their child. Toys, sports ect
What is manipulation?
Where parents encourage or discourage certain behaviours based on their child’s gender
Which liberal feminists believe society has changed to the advantage of women?
Wilkinson
What is genderquake?
There has been a shift in power from men to women. Men’s domination of the workforce and ownership has declined
What is the feminisation of the workforce?
Following the heavily industrialised 1980s, the economy has drastically changed towards the leisure and hospitality sector which are very female friendly
What legal and political changes have happened that have benefited women?
The right to vote, employment rights
Evaluation of liberal feminism…
- parents are less likely to treat boys and girls differently following mental health studies, boys more encouraged to show emotion
- more and more families do not have two gender role models, same sex families ect
What do Marxist feminists believe?
Regard women as being doubly oppressed in society by both capatalism and men
Explain Ansleys safety valve for capatalism function…
Women are likely to be subject to their husbands frustrations experiences in a capatalist society. This can take the forms f domestic abuse. This relieves the stress from the man so he can return to work having relieved himself
Explain Benstons reproducing and maintains a capatalist workforce function…
Once married, women are pressured into having children. By doing this, they repopulate society so they grow up and become workers. Also, they maintain the current workforce by caring for their husbands; cleaning, sexually ect
Explain Benstons reserve army of labour function…
Women are invited to participate in employment when needed.
Evaluation of Marxist feminism…
- wrongly claim women are too passive, nowadays women are in full time employment
- don’t acknowledge power in the family may be shared in a family
What do radical feminists believe?
Men dominate society and the exploit women. Once married, women are trapped in subordinated domestic roles in which their independence becomes secondary to the needs of their husbands
What does Germaine Greer believe?
Women that choose to sleep with men are “sleeping with the enemy” and are betraying women.
They see transgender women as being a threat to the biological women
What two solutions do radical feminists propose?
- separatism
- political lesbianism
What is separatism?
Women actively avoid engaging with men. This includes; female safe spaces, and all female working environment
What is political lesbianism?
Where women pursue lesbian relationships to challenge heterosexual relationships
Evaluation of radical feminism…
- not all men oppress women, women have careers to pursue which they wouldn’t have in a world racial feminists claim to be
- there is a big LGBTQ movement challenging the view transgender women aren’t real women
What do difference feminists believe?
Argue all other feminists ignore the unique ways in which women are oppressed.
What different reason can women be oppressed for according to difference feminism?
Class, age, race, religion and sexuality
Evaluation of difference feminism…
-neglect the common experiences of most women in the family
