Feminist Views Of The Family Flashcards
(8 cards)
Oakley and Somerville- liberal feminist views
Oakley: Showed how housework and childcare are not shared equally — women are expected to take on the majority of domestic labour. She challenged the idea of the “symmetrical family”.
Somerville: Argues there has been progress (e.g. access to jobs, divorce rights), but women still face inequality. She believes reform (like better childcare) is the way forward.
Greer and Delphy + Leonard- radical feminists
Greer: Believes patriarchy is deeply embedded in all areas of society, including the family. Argues that men oppress women through emotional and physical control. Supports ideas like female separatism.
Delphy and Leonard: Say the family is a patriarchal economic system where women do unpaid work and men benefit. Even when women work outside, they still do most of the domestic work at home.
Benston and Ansley- Marxist feminist
Benston: Argues women’s unpaid domestic labour supports capitalism by reproducing and maintaining the next generation of workers. They also act as a “reserve army of labour” during times of economic need.
Ansley: Says women are the “takers of shit” — they absorb the anger and stress that men experience due to alienation at work, often through domestic abuse or emotional strain.
Intersectional feminism
this approach (e.g. black feminism) focuses on how class, race, and sexuality intersect with gender. It argues that not all women experience oppression in the same way.
Domestic division of labor Oakley
Found that men only helped with housework occasionally and the idea of equality in housework was a myth.
Dual burden delphy and Leonard
Say women carry a dual burden: paid work outside and unpaid work inside the home.
Benston on reserve army of labour
Women are a cheap, backup workforce used when needed and sent back to the home when not.
Delphy and Leonard on power relationships
Men make the key decisions in families and control the resources, showing unequal power.
