radical feminism Flashcards
what do radical feminists say about patriarchy?
- racical feminists believe that it is patriarchy not capitalism that is the main source of oppression for women
- they argue that society is run by men and in the interests of men
- as a result men are advantaged in every area of society and have no interest in giving up any of their power and control to women
- radical feminists believe that gender inequality is the outcome and exploit women
- radical feminists also tend to believe that only revolutionary change can offer the possibility of female liberation
how do racical feminists say family is the cause of oppression in women?
- radical feminists see thefamily as central to the oppression of women
- they argue that there has always been a gender division of labour that has served to reinforce male domination, as it is men who define ideas about womens natural roles through establishing a patriarchal ideiligy
- some feminists argue that there is also a biological element to womens oppression because it is women who carry give birth to and feed a child and this has contributed to their position in society
what does Millet (1970) say about biological differences between men and women?
-Millett (1970) argues that men originally acquired power over women because of biological factors but she suggests that modern technology has provided developments such as the contraceptive pill and modern machinery that have meant that men can no longer legitimate their power and domination
what did Johnson (1995) say about patrircal terrorism?
- Johnsons (1995) concept of patriarchal terrorism can be used to explain violence that is the result of patriarchal traditions of mens right to control their women
- it is a form of terroristic control of wives by their husbands that involves the systematic use of not only violence but also economic subordination, threats, isolation and other control tactics
- radical feminists point to the level of domestic violence across the world as evidence of the broad nature of patriarchal aggression
- the issue has been widely recognised and the world health organisation reported in 2013 that the incidence of women who had experienced physical or sexial abuse from an intimate parter in their lifetime was 30% globally and 25% in Europe
what do radical feminists say about compulsory heterosexuality?
- szome radical feminists believe that men also use patriarchal ideology to enforce compulsory heterosexuality as a way of maintaining their control
- some radical feminists advocate separatism in the form of political lesbianism as a choice that women can make to liberate themselves from men and avoid sleeping with the enemy
- during the second wave of feminism, radical feminist theorist Ti-Grace Atkinson stated that feminism is the theory, lesbianism is the practice
- this has been a controversial idea among feminists and led to division within thr movement
what do radical feminists say about the traditional nuclear family?
-the traditional nuclear family is also viewed as a means to ensure male dominance through female subordination to men in their unpaid domestic labour as housewives and motgers forcing them to be dependent uon men
what did Leonard (1992) say about familiar exploitation?
- delphy proposes the view that the family is an institution that plays a major part in the oppression of women
- they see the family as an economic system in which men benefit from and exploit the workof women
- thebkey to this exploitation is that women work for the male head of the household and in this relationship he holds the economic power
- in looking at the family as an economic unit they identify a number of characteristics
which characteristics did Delphy identify of a family as an economic unit?
- family based households have a social structure that involves two types of roles head of household and their dependents
- the male head of hjousehold makes the decisions about the allocation of roles and tasks and even where there is negotiation he has the final say
- members of the household work without pay for the head of the household and wives also carry out sexual and reproductive work as well as the domestic work
- the economic relationships in the family do not usually involve formal contracts or bargaining but mainly use informal methods of negotiation, for example wives and children have to study their husbands and fathers closely and handle them carefully so as to keep them sweet
- dependents often receive payments in kind from the head of household in the form of clothing and so on rather than money
- whem dependents particularly wives have paid employment outside the home they still have to carry out household tasks or pay someone else out of their wages to do the housework or childcare or them
why did delphy say men were the main beneficiaries of the economic arrangements in the family?
- delphy accepts that most men do some housework nut point out that it is usually women who do such tasks
- delphy believes that wives contribute much more work to family life than their husbands but get fewer benefits
- men hold the responsibility for family finances and have the decision making power
- delphy accepts that women can attempt to resisist the domination of their husbands but economic and social factors make it difficult for women to leave usch relationships
which evidence did delphy provide?
- delphy supported their argument with empirical evidence and this may be seen as a strength of their work
- they use a number of already existing studies of british factory workers and their families and data from delpjys own studies of French farming families
- this evidence all shows that men hold a dominant position and women undertake a disproportionate share of the work in the family
- however the british studies that they used are dated and focused on working class families
how is the fact that radical feminists may over emphasise a weakness?
- radical feminists have been accused of over emphasising the factors that separate women from men
- it is argued that men and women work cooperatively together in a range of ways in society including campaigning for gender equality
- men and women also report having very fulfilling family relationships based on more equal division of labour that previous generations so it is argued improvements are happening
why do liberal feminists criticise radical feminists?
-liberal feminists would argue that the position of women in society has changed over time and that this is ignored by radical feminists
how is the fact that radical feminists don’t consuder family variations a weakness?
- radical feminists tend to talk about the family without acknowledging variations in family life between social classes and different ethnic groups
- for example many women from matrifocal African Caribbean family networks regarded their experience of family kife as supportive and positive
how is the fact that radical feminists see all women as sharing common interests a criticism?
- radical feminists see women as sharing common interests because they are female but it has been argued that social class and ethnicity are important sources of inequality and difference between women
- for example the experiences and life chances of upper class females are significantly different to those of working class females and it could be argued that working class women have more in common with working class men that they fo ith upper class women
- similarly the experience of women in Britain will be very different to the lives of women across the globe
