Feminist Perspective

Question 1

What is the feminist perspective on family?

Answer 1

Feminists emphasise the harmful effects of family upon women as it contributes to the continuing oppression as family and marriage are major sources of oppression and gender inequalities in society.

Question 2

What is the Liberal Feminist perspective on family?

Answer 2

1. Culture and norms are reinforced by the family, but family is only sexist if it supports mainstream culture.
2. Social change is possible if enough pressure is put on legal systems and the government.

Question 3

What is the Marxist Feminist perspective on family?

Answer 3

1. The exploitation of women is essential to capitalism as they produce and care for the next generation of workers at almost no cost to capitalism.

Question 4

What is the Radical Feminist perspective on family?

Answer 4

1. Housework exploits women but it is down to patriarchal society, not capitalism.
2. Dalphy and Leonard - family is patriarchal institution where women do most of the work, while men get most of the benefit.

Question 5

What are the criticisms of the Feminist perspective?

Answer 5

1. Portray women as passive.
2. Not all family structures are patriarchal in contemporary society e.g. neo-conventional.
3. Ignores gay or lone-parent households.
4. Women from different ethnic backgrounds may have different perspectives.