Feminism

• What does feminism think of the nuclear family

  There is a societal division between men & women where women are exploited through the patriarchy
• What are the views of radical feminists

  society is patriarchal & men use biological strength through violence to dominate women
• What do radical feminists think of the nuclear family

  Delphy & Leonard - men exploit women & their children (dependents) & have dominance over financial decisions when women have to complete twice as many domestic tasks & their have careers

  Millett - families represent the patriarchy where men have all the power through biological factors (violence)  but technology (contraceptives) has made male power redundant, gender socialisation confirms ideology of male power to children
• What do feminists think of domestic violence in the nuclear family

  Behaviours such as verbal & psychological manipulation are often not recognised as women as domestic violence (Sclater)

  • Stanko domestic violence reported by women to police every minute 
  • Mirrlees-Black - women are more likely to suffer domestic violence than men, 70% reported violence is by men to their partners
  • Dobash & Dobash - domestic violence often triggered by challenging a husband’s authority & that marriage legitimises violence against women by giving authority to husbands
• What do Marxist Feminists think of the nuclear family

   

  Benston - most families benefit capitalism & men rather than women 

  • Expects women to reproduce & rear the future workforce
  • The family is a unit of consumption encouraging materialism
  • Women ‘cushion negative effects of capitalism’
  • In shortages Women act as a ‘reserve army of labour’ 

  Ansley - Women are a safety valve for the emotional support of their families (‘women are the takers of shit’)

  Bernard - married men live longer than unmarried men whereas unmarried women live longer than married women
• What do marxist feminists think of the nuclear family

  women are disadvantaged by men & capitalism keeping women as financial dependents 

  • Women’s oppression in the family is from Capitalism not just men
• what are the views of liberal feminists

  neither men or women benefit from gender inequalities & are learnt through socialisation 

  • See legislation as crucial to combat inequalities faced by women
• What do Liberal feminists think of the nuclear family

  • Ann Oakley gender inequality stems from her 4 stages of early socialisation of gender roles creating inflexible expectations of each gender 
  • Duncombe & Marsden - women perform the ‘triple shift’ within the family
• A03 of Feminism

  • Feminists ignore positive aspects of the nuclear family life 
  • Hakim (Postmodernist) argues some ideas are seen as outdated & ignore real changes to the role of women
  • Postmodernists argue feminists lump all women together
  • Black Feminist Hooks argues feminists focus specifically on white women’s experiences