Feminism

• Feminism

  Patriarchal society, women oppressed by men, society run by men for men
• Liberal Feminism

  Want equality for everyone, march of progress

  More equal opportunities for women

  Cause of inequality in relationships = long hours based on breadwinner idea
• Sommerville

  Many feminists fail to acknowledge progress

  Many young women not sympathetic to feminism
• Evaluations of Liberal Feminism

  Equality in relationships need flexibility in paid employment

  Men should put more effort in relationships
• Fran Ansley

  Women = safety valve to ensure capitalism continues > takers of shit > have to deal with triple shift
• Evaluations of Marxist Feminism

  Women's' oppression evident before capitalism

  Correlation between capitalist development and women's oppression = capitalism has opposite effects as suggested

  Women likely to be paid work as men
• Radical Feminism

  Society is structured to oppress women, all relationships between men and women are based on patriarchy
• Triple Shift - Duncombe and Marsden

  Domestic labour, emotional work in family, look after children > family is oppressive to women

  Gender socialisation of girls into stereotypical roles
• Firestone

  All societies are founded on patriarchy, see men as oppressors and exploiters of women

  Advocate for abolish of traditional patriarchal, nuclear family and est. of alt family structures, e.g matrifocal households
• Evaluations on Radical Feminism

  Less relevant than 60's, less likely to suffer from triple shift

  Still relevant, abuse still common
• Ann Oakley

  Women's aspirations have changed, more economically independent

  90's = economic influence through employment > work and education proritised
• Criticism of Oakley

  Equal roles don't exist
• Overall criticisms of Feminism

  Radical criticize liberals for not recognizing it's more than institutions that are patriarchal

  Undermine choice of some women to adopt trad. values

  Intersectionality of women's experiences = focus on white middle class women, ignore differences of women in minority
• Nuclear family traditionally performed two functions that oppress women:

  1. Socialising girls to accept subservient roles within the family > passive, won't challenge
  2. Socialising women into accepting the "housewife" role as normal > limits women to domestic sphere > need to be financially dependent on men
• Marxist feminists

  Women's oppression is due to capitalism and serves functions for capitalism:

  1. Reproduce labour force = women do childcare in nuclear family > socialising children to accept authority of parents and obedient to hierarchal authority > what capitalist economy needs
  2. Absorb anger = women absorb anger of proletariat preventing anger being directed to bourgeoise > prevents revolution to capitalism
  3. Reserved army of cheap labour = women take on instrumental role > bourgeoisie could take on female workers in emergencies