Gender inequality - Marxist explanations

Question 1

What are the four theories related to Marxist explanations for gender inequality?

Answer 1

Engel’s, Marxist Feminist ideas, Role of housework, Ansley’s theory of safety valves

Question 2

What does Engels look at?

Answer 2

Marxist explanation of gender inequality

Question 3

What does Engel’s say about women’s position in society?

Answer 3

Women’s subordinate position in society is a result of the ownership of private property and due to the development of the nuclear family

Question 4

What does Engel’s believe has brought about gender inequalities?

Answer 4

The rise of class based society through capitalism has brought about gender inequalities which discriminate against women

Question 5

What does Engel’s believe from the capitalist system has translated into the household?

Answer 5

The bourgeoisie and proletariat relationship that exists in capitalist society is translated into the household and mirrors the relationships between males and females

Question 6

How does Engel’s believe males have gained control over women under capitalism?

Answer 6

Men wanted to pass on their private property and inheritance from one generation to the next, and wanted their sons to be legitimate. (ensuring their ‘heirs’ belonged to them and not another male). This resulted in sexual domination of females by males.

Question 7

What does Engel’s believe sexual domination of women gave rise to?

Answer 7

The ideology of the nuclear family, restricting women’s sexuality and enforced monogamy.

Question 8

What are the disadvantages of Engel’s work?

Answer 8

• Criticised for too much focus on class and economic factors - Post modernists see it as outdated

Question 9

Why is Engel’s work criticised for having too much focus on class and economic factors?

Answer 9

Radical feminists would argue that the oppression of women by men (sexual domination due to legitimate children) was the first real type of inequality that occurred in society

Question 10

Why do port modernists criticise Engel’s work for being outdated

Answer 10

It lacks temporal validity because it fails to recognise that gender roles today (and for the last 50 years) have changed and have become more contemporary, for example we now have examples of “stay at home” fathers

Question 11

What are the advantages of Engel’s work?

Answer 11

The ideas on the nuclear family are supported by the Functionalist sociologists such as Parsons. Both sociologists argue that the ideology of the nuclear family is important for society.

Question 12

What do Marxists and Marxist feminists both agree on about the role of women?

Answer 12

The role of women in society helped to support the capitalist system.

Question 13

How do marxists feminists believe the role of women in society helped to support the capitalist system?

Answer 13

This is done through women performing unpaid domestic labour (housework), and also women being seen in the world of work as, “A reserve army of labour”.

Question 14

Since females are not seen as the main workers in society, what are they seen as?

Answer 14

Secondary and as a reserve, for when there is an increase in supply and demand and businesses might need more workers to help out and do some work.

Question 15

What type of institution do Marxists feminists see the family as?

Answer 15

A patriarchal institution where the women’s position in the family as wife and mother means they are exploited by capitalism

Question 16

How do Marxists feminists believe gender inequality is maintained?

Answer 16

Because women are encouraged to accept the dominant ideology of the nuclear family (that it is a natural family form)

Question 17

How do marxists feminists argue the role of women serves the needs of capitalism?

Answer 17

• They reproduce the next generation of workers who are socialised into accepting norms that benefit capitalism - Feeley (1972)

Question 18

Feeley (1972)

Answer 18

The family teaches children to submit to patriarchal male authority (father head of the house). They are pre-conditioned to accept their place in the capitalist hierarchy and the family is designed to teach children to be passive and not rebellious.

Question 19

What are the advantages of Marxist Feminist ideas on gender inequality?

Answer 19

• Research evidence from Sharpe (1994) - Research support from Oakley

Question 20

Sharpe (1994)

Answer 20

supports the idea of females brainwashed into accepting the role as housewife. Studied working class girls in London and found in the 1970’s many females main priorities were, “love, marriage, husbands and children.”

Question 21

What is the research evidence from Oakley

Answer 21

support the idea that males and females are socialised at a young age by capitalism to accept their future roles in society leading to inequality later on. (females given toys that reinforced their role as housewife and mothers. Males might be given more job oriented toys)

Question 22

What are the disadvantages of Marxist feminist ideas of gender inequality?

Answer 22

The ideas presented by Feeley have been criticised by Beishon (1997).

Question 23

How does Beishon (1997) criticise Feeley’s ideas?

Answer 23

Idea of patriarchal families can be criticised by the rise of lone parent families whereby females are head of the household and they make decisions and run the family single themselves. These types of families have been referred to as matriarchal and are very common amongst African Caribbean families

Question 24

What is the idea of the role of house work in terms of gender inequality?

Answer 24

• Women do housework which is unpaid but benefits capitalist society. - One wage is paid to the husband via his job, leaving the female dependent on her husband for money and economic matters

Question 25

Benston (1972)

Answer 25

states how the wife must keep her husband in "good running order" by feeding and caring for him which is essential for him to be a good worker in the capitalist system

Question 26

What is the position of men in the role of housework theory?

Answer 26

Males are the main breadwinner financially providing for their family, so it is unlikely that males will challenge the capitalist system because they could lose their job and this would threaten the nuclear family

Question 27

What is the advantage of the role of housework theory?

Answer 27

Supporting evidence for females contributing most to housework. The 2020 "Understanding society project" found that females spent 15 hours a week, and males spend 10 hours a week on housework chores

Question 28

What are the disadvantages of the role of housework theory?

Answer 28

- Feminists criticise the idea that women should do the majority of housework and that women should be dependent on their husband's wage - Crisis of masculinity criticises Benstons work

Question 29

What statistics cause feminists to criticise the role of housework theory?

Answer 29

females take up paid employment which leads to the dual burden of females working and taking responsibility for housework and children. (75% of mothers in the UK work either full time or part time 2019)

Question 30

How does the "crisis of masculinity" criticise the ideas presented by Benston?

Answer 30

Questions the idea that males are the main breadwinner of the family, and instead state that males in society are in crisis and that females are over taking them in the labour market and other areas of social life. - Farrell

Question 31

Farrell

Answer 31

claimed that we now have the idea of the, "glass cellar" rather than the glass ceiling.

Question 32

What does the glass cellar refer to according to Farrell?

Answer 32

The lowest ranking professions in the USA, and 24 out of 25 of them are filled by 85-100% of males

Question 33

Who theorises that women are safety valves?

Answer 33

Ansley

Question 34

How are women safety valves?

Answer 34

Women soothe the stress and frustration of their proletariat husbands after a long day of work

Question 35

Ansley (1976)

Answer 35

- Women are safety valves and the takers of s**t. - Husbands return from work after being exploited for labour, and they take out their anger and frustration on their wife. - Bosses feel secure knowing their male workers have wives who can act as a safety valve and soak up anger and frustration from a bad day at work, this is needed in order for capitalism to continue

Question 36

What is the advantage of Ansley's safety valve theory?

Answer 36

Supported by Leech and the "dark side of the family"

Question 37

Leech and the "dark side of the family"

Answer 37

Male workers come home from work angry and frustrated and vent their frustrations on their wife. This leads to arguments and dv, females absorb negativity and anger from their husbands because of the demands of the capitalist system.

Question 38

What is the disadvantage of Ansley's safety valve theory?

Answer 38

Hochschild (2003) disagrees with the ideas presented by Ansley about how females are housewives who soothe and emotionally absorb their husband's anger.

Question 39

What does Hochschild (2003) state?

Answer 39

That we have, "commercialised our intimate life."

Question 40

How does Hochschild (2003) argue that we have, "commercialised our intimate life."?

Answer 40

In the family, people will often pay for services that the family used to provide. As women undertake more employment, they pay for someone to do the which means that females are becoming more unavailable to perform the tasks that they once did.