Feminist views of the family

Question 1

why are feminists critical of the family as a social institution?

Answer 1

believe that the family is a tool of female oppression

Question 2

what do feminists believe about gender inequality?

Answer 2

a social construction and not a natural phenomena.

Question 3

what is the triple shift?

Answer 3

the three roles that women are expected to perform for the family:
1. Emotional Support
2. Domestic Labour
3. Paid work

Question 4

what is the duel burden?

Answer 4

the two traditional roles that women are expected to play in the family:
1. Emotional Support
2. Domestic Labour

Question 5

what is patriarchy?

Answer 5

the way that men dominate women in most areas of society.

Question 6

what is malesteam sociology?

Answer 6

the way that sociologists will apply research data collected about men to the lives of women despite their different experiences.

Question 7

liberal feminists

Answer 7

Families are slowly becoming more equal through changes in law and social attitudes.

Question 8

evaluation of liberal feminists

Answer 8

1. Overstates the amount of
   progress - triple shift.
2. Marxist and Radical feminists - liberal feminists fail to challenge underlying causes of women’s oppression and changing the law is not enough to bring about equality, there needs to be a fundamental change in social structures.

Question 9

radical feminists

Answer 9

• men are the enemy - marriage and family are the key institutions allowing patriarchy
• in order for equality to be achieved patriarchy needs to be overturned.
• family needs to be abolished and a system of separatism needs to be instituted for this
• Political Lesbianism because heterosexual relationships are inevitably oppressive.

Question 10

radical feminists evaluation

Answer 10

• Sommerville - radical feminists fail to see improvements made to women’s experiences of family.
• Better access to divorce and control over their fertility women are not trapped by family.
  also argues separatism is unobtainable due to heterosexual attraction.

Question 11

marxist feminism

Answer 11

-the family as a tool of capitalism
- capitalism not men who oppress women.
- the family as oppressing women whilst support capitalism in three ways:
1. Women reproduce workforce and socialise into social hierarchy.
2. Women absorb the anger of men who
are frustrated by their alienation and exploitation.
Ainsley – Women are takers of
shit.
3. Women are a reserve army of cheap labour that can be activated when they are
needed and let go when no longer
needed – e.g. WWII.

Question 12

evaluation of marxist feminists

Answer 12

Women are no longer a reserve labour force as they have equal rights at work and are as likely as men to
be the main breadwinner in the family

Question 13

intersectional feminism

Answer 13

• other feminist beliefs focus on the experience of women in a nuclear family - not all families are nuclear.
  Just as not all women have the same experience of family life.
  For example a Black women may find her family provide a refuge from societal racism rather then it being a place of oppression or negativity.

Question 14

evaluation of intersectional feminism

Answer 14

Neglects the fact that many
women do share the same experiences of family regardless of ethnicity or social class.
For example they all face a risk of domestic violence and low pay.

Question 15

how do feminists believe the nuclear family oppresses women

Answer 15

serves the needs of men rather than women through issues such as unequal division of domestic labour and domestic violence.

Question 16

what do liberal feminists not believe

Answer 16

that full equality has been achieved but the process is well underway.
For example showing how parents are now socialising their children in more gender
neutral ways, similar aspirations for both sons and daughters and chores not being determined by gender

Question 17

Firestone

Answer 17

Women should use reproductive technology to exclude men from childbearing and child rearing