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the feminist perspective on the family - Coggle Diagram
the feminist perspective on the family
liberal feminism
concerned with campaigning against sex discrimination and for equal rights and opportunities for women. for example, equal pay and and end to discrimination in employment.
they argue that women oppression is being gradually overcome through changing peoples attitudes and through changes in the law such as the
sex discrimination act 1975
which outlawed discrimination in employment.
they believe that we are moving to greater equality, but further equality will depend on further reforms and changes in attitudes.
hold a similar view to those of '
march of progress
' theorists such as
young and willmott
.
although they believe that not full gender equality had been achieved, they argue that there has been some gradual progress
some studies suggest that men are doing more domestic labour and parents now socialise their children in more equal ways than the past.
other feminists agrue that liberal feminists fail to challenge the underlying causes of women oppression and for believing that changes in the law or in peoples attitudes will bring enough equality.
marxists and radical feminists believe that instead that far-reaching changes to deep-rooted social structures are needed
marxist feminism
marxists feminists argue that the main cause of women oppression in the family is not men but capitalism. women oppression performs several functions for capitalism
women reproduce the labour force
- through their unpaid domestic labou, by socialising the next generation of workers and maintaining and servicing the current one.
women absorb anger
- that would otherwise be directed at capitalism.
ansley
describes women as 'takers of shit' who soak up the frustration their husbands feel because of the alienation and exploitation they suffer at work. for marxists, this explains male domestic violence against women.
women are a reserve army of cheap labour
- that can be taken on when extra workers are needed. when they are no longer needed they are let go and return to their primary role as unpaid domestic labour
radical feminism
radical feminists argue that all societies have been founded on patriarchy - rule by men. for radical feminists, the key division of society is between men and women.
men are the enemy
- they are the source of women oppression and exploitation.
the family and marriage are the key institutions
- in patriarchal society, men benefit from women unpaid domestic labour and from their sexual services, and they dominate women through domestic and sexual violence or the threat of it
for radical feminists, the patriarchal system needs to be overturned. in particular, the family, which they see as the root of women oppression, must be abolished. only way to achieve the sis through 'separation' where women must organise themselves separately in life then men
many radical feminists believe in 'political lesbianism' - the idea that heterosexual relationships are inevitably oppressive because thy involve 'sleeping with the enemy'.
can be seen in
Greers
argument for the creation of all-female or 'matriarchal' households to the heterosexual family.
however, liberal feminists such as somerville argue that radical feminists fail to recognise that women position has been considerably improved by better access to divorce, better job opportunities, control over their own fertility and the ability to choose whether to marry or cohabit. however, somerville does recognise that women have yet to achieve full equality
somerville also argues that heterosexual attraction makes it unlikely that seperationism would work.
difference feminism
difference feminists argue that we cannot generalise about women experiences as all women have very different experiences of the family.
for example, by regarding the family purely negatively, white feminists neglect black womens experiences of racial oppression. instead, black feminists view the black family positively as a source of support and resistance against racism
however, other feminists argue that difference feminists neglects the fact that all women share many of same experiences. for example, they all face a risk of domestic violence and sexual assault, low pay and so on.