Feminism Flashcards
Ao1 socialisation
Radical feminists argue that the family passes on the norms and values of patriarchy to ensure it reproduced
For example it is the dad that usually is the head of the household and makes decisions, whereas Mum takes care of the children
Liberal feminist argue that the March of progress has occurred in the UK society, improving the position of women in family and society through the process of socialisation.
Changes to the curriculum and education and changes in career ensures girls that have more status and choice in what jobs they want and what family roles they want to pursue in life
Ao3 socialisation
Feminist tend to assume that families are manipulated in-some way by the structure of society to reproduce and reinforce patriarchy to the gender division of labour within the family.
Post modernist argue that they ignore the possibility that we have some choice in creating our family relationships.
Ao1
Economic
Radical feminists say women provide free domestic labour and the housewife role is unpaid. As part of the expressive role the Mum of the house maintains the worker as she prepares food, cleans the home and takes care of his children.
This work is given low status and no pay yet helps capitalism because the worker is comforted by the family
Marxist feminists, say women absorb the anger of the man to ensure he can return to work to be exploited by the ruling class
Ansley describes women as the takers of shit as they absorb the anger that the husband experiences because of the capitalist oppression in the workplace
Ao3 economic
Feminist theories of the family are outdated because they fail to count the recent economic and social changes such as feminisation of the economy, the educational success of young females and the womens use of divorce.
Many women have careers and are in full-time employment or choose not to be in a nuclear family
Ao1 reproduction
Radical feminists state- The family manipulates women’s reproductive capabilities
Women are expected to bear and take care children as a part of marriage
They are expected to create new members of society but this limits their opportunities for careers.
Liberal - the contraception act and abortion acts have helped improve the choices of the woman today as many women choose to focus on education and careers before marrying or having children.
Ao3 reproduction
Feminist also tend to ignore the positive aspects of family.
critics argue that feminists are preoccupied with the negative side of family life and ignore the possibility that many women enjoy running a home and raising children.
Ao1 sexual regulation
Radical feminists- monogamous marriage in the nuclear family controls women’s sexual behaviour
Women are expected to have a sexual relationship with only 1 partner
Marriage is an oppressive institution where women are dominated by the husbands
Ao3 sexual regulation
Black feminist would argue that by solely regarding the family as a source of oppression, white feminist neglect black and Asian women’s experience of racism. Black feminist view the black family positively as a source of support and resistance against racism
Ao1 liberal feminism
Liberal feminist believe that there is patriarchy, but that has been overcome by changes to law and attitudes an example of this is the equal pay act and sex discrimination act
They believe that as socialisation changes, there will be a further stride towards equality
There is evidence by studies that shows men now do more housework than in the past and parents have similar aspirations for their sons and daughters
Ao3 liberal feminism
Radicals criticise liberals as being rose tinted as they assume laws and gradual changes are enough
Radicals see this as naive and believe much more radical solutions are needed
Ao1 Marxist feminists
Marxist feminist suggest that the nuclear family meets the needs of capitalism for the reproduction and maintenance of class and patriarchal inequality
Women absorb anger ansley describes women as the takers of shit they absorb the anger their husbands experience because of capitalist oppression in the workplace
Women maintain the wet losses emotional fitness to the domestic labour. This is also known as a safety valve.
Women are a reserve army of cheap labour and use in terms of economic growth and pushed back into the home during economic slow down
Ao3 Marxist feminists
However, difference feminist would criticise Marxist feminists for assuming that all women are exploited equally under capitalism
For example lesbian and straight women, black and white women and middle class and working class women all have very different experiences from one another
Ao1
radical feminism
Men are the enemy of women’s oppression
Marriage and family oppress women and men benefit from a women’s unpaid labour and sexual services and they dominate family through domestic violence or the threat of it
The family should be abolished, and only way to do this is through separatism
And that women avoid sleeping with the enemy
Ao3 radical feminism
Some would argue that this is outdated as it fails to consider recent events such as feminisation of the workforce and women’s use of divorce laws.
Liberal feminists such as somerville argue that separatism is unlikely to work because of heterosexual attraction and thus makes it unlikely that the nuclear family will disappear
Ao1 difference feminism
They argue that we cannot generalise women’s experiences, for example, lesbian and straight women and black-and-white women, middle-class women and working class women all have different experiences of the family from one another.
Disregarding the family as negative,white feminist neglect the black womens experiences of racial oppression
