THEORIES OF THE FAMILY - FEMINISTS

Question 1

What does Ann Oakley (liberal feminist) believe about the family?

Answer 1

There is an unequal distribution of houseworld (limited male participation). Housework was seen as women’s work and unpaid and undervalued. Oppression is being overcome through attitudes and law such as Sex Discrimination Act (1975)

Question 2

What do marxist feminists, such as Fran Ansley, believe about the family?

Answer 2

Women’s oppression in the family is not men, but capitalism. Women reproduce the labour force: unpaid domestic labour, socialising workers, maintaining and servicing. Fran Ansley - describes wives as ‘takers of shit’.

Question 3

What does radical feminists, such as Karol Cariola or Germaine Greer, believe about the family?

Answer 3

Cariola - Defines patriarchy as a system of social structures and practises in which men dominate, oppress and exploit women.
Greer - argues for a creation of all female matriarchal households as an alternative

Question 4

What do difference feminists, such as Barbara Smith, believe about the family?

Answer 4

Different types of women have different experiences. Black feminists can often view the family as a source of support and resistance to racism. Smith - critical of second wave feminism for often neglecting and sometimes intentionally excluding black women’s experiences.