Femnists view on the family

• Liberal feminist - Reseacher

  Somerville (2000)Belives legal/policies can change society

  Acknowledges some men advocate for greater gender equality

  Thinks many feminist fail to acknowledge progress made by women

  Conculdes femnist need to adopt principaled progatism (by which pratical policies produe greater equality) - such as improved childcare provisions for working mothers
• Liberal Feminism - General

  • Believe leagal/policies will change society

  • Believe family is an institution which sometimes reproduces this inequlity through socialisation

  •Believe equality is gradually being reached

  • Argue that the rapid growth of domestic symmetry and stay at home dads shows progression

  • March of progress view - Persistence in the doestic divison of labour and gender pay gap

  •Gender pay gap might be closing but men are more likely to be given promotions
• Marxist Feminism - Researchers

  Ansley - Womans role is "takers of shit"

  Cooper -Families ideologically condition people to accept their exploitation

  Benston - Men are tied to their work in order to provide
• Marxist Feminism - General

  • Captalism is the main cause of womans oppression in thr family and provide several functions for capatalism :

  - Absorbng mens anger so its not directed at capatalism

  - Reproducing the labour force = to service the curret workers and socalise the next generation of workers

  - A reserve army of cheap labour = when not needed go back to domestic tasks

  Morgan (1975) points out that marxist assume highly traditional familes which is less common

  Exerggerate damage done to woman in the family and ignore postives they may get
• Radical Feminism - Researcher

  Delphy & Leanord (1992)

  Family is a patriachal and heirarchal institution

  Econmic system in which male heads get unpaind domestic,sexual and reproductive work in turn for the occasional gift
• Radical Feminism - General

  • Men benfit from womens unpaid domestic and sexual sevices

  •Men dominate women through violence or threat of it

  • Family is root of womens oppression.Must be abolished only way to do this is through sepatism - political lesbianism

  • Argue that patriarcy is main cause of womens oppression and family and marrige are key patriarchal institutions

  •Due to heterosexual attraction separtism is unlikley

  •Ignores progress made e.g work,contraception,fertlity and divorce
• Difference feminism - Researchers

  Nichilson (1997)All types of families should be accepted and they could be better to suit women in different circumstances

  Callhan (1977) Family is chosen no matter sexuality - homosexual relatioships are family as well as heterosexuality
• Difference feminism - General

  • Many black women view black families as a source of suppourt in a racist society

  • Not all women share the same experience of oppression: women of differnt ethnicities might have different experiences of families

  •Mainly postive but doen't take into account that all women are at risk for sexual violence/domestic abuse in families

  •Other feminist argue that differnece femnism neglects the fact that all women share the same experiences e.g risk of domestic assulut,low pay e.c.t
• Lewis family abloishment

  • Family serves capatlism

  • Not about breaking down all family interactions