Feminist Views of the Family

Question 1

General Feminist view of the family

Answer 1

Feminists are critical of the family as a social institutions. They believe that the family is a tool of female oppression and in particular
the nuclear family serves the needs of men rather than women. This is through issues such as unequal division of domestic labour and domestic violence.
They believe that gender inequality is a
social construction

Question 2

Triple Shift

Answer 2

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

Question 3

Duel Burden

Answer 3

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

Question 4

Liberal Feminism

Answer 4

Families are slowly becoming more equal through changes
in law and social attitudes. They do not believe that full
equality has been achieved but the process is well
underway

Question 5

Liberal Feminism Evaluation

Answer 5

Overstates the amount of
progress that has been
made. Women still have the
triple shift.

Question 6

Criticisms on Liberal Feminism

Answer 6

Marxist and Radical feminists also argue that liberal feminists fail to challenge the
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 7

Radical Feminism

Answer 7

men are the enemy and marriage and family are the key institutions which allow patriarchy to exist.
For radical feminists in order for equality to be achieved patriarchy needs to be overturned. They argue that the family needs to be abolished and a system of
separatism needs to be instituted for this to happen. They also argue for Political
Lesbianism because
heterosexual relationships are
inevitably oppressive.

Question 8

Greer Radical feminism

Answer 8

Matrilocal households
– all female households with
shared parental responsibility.

Question 9

Radical feminism
Criticism Sommerville

Answer 9

fail to see the improvements that have been made to women’s experiences of the family. With better access to divorce and control over their fertility. women are not longer trapped by family. She also argues that separatism is unobtainable due to heterosexual attraction.

Question 10

Marxist Feminism

Answer 10

see the family as a tool of capitalism and that it is capitalism not
men who oppress women. They see the family as oppressing women whilst support capitalism in three way

Question 11

the 3 ways family oppresses women

Answer 11

Women reproduce
the workforce and
socialise them into
social hierarchy.
2. Women absorb the
anger of men who
are frustrated by their
alienation and
exploitation. Ansley –
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

Marxist Feminism
Criticisms

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

States that other feminist beliefs focus on the experience of women in a nuclear family however not
all families are nuclear. Just as not all women will have the same experience of
family life.

Question 14

Intersectional
Feminism
Criticisms

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.