feminism

• Liberal feminists think that equality in the family has improved, they do not think that the family is fully equal though.
• Oakley (liberal):

  • the family has started to become symmetrical.
  • the family is not only unfair for women but is also unfair for men. Men may feel like they cannot do the 'housewife' role as it deviates from what is expected of them.
• The dual-burden is when women have to do housework and paid work.

  The triple shift is when women have to do housework, paid work and emotional work.
• Children experience gender socialisation. They are taught that they have a specific role in the family e.g., domestic or paid work to support the family.
• Marxist feminists think that capitalism causes women's oppression. The family feeds into the capitalistic society. Working class women are oppressed in the family because they do not have enough money and have to take care of the children.
• Ansley (marxist):

  • 'women are the takers of shit'
  • in the family, women absorb the anger men feel toward the capitalistic society.
• Radical feminists think families are patriarchal, they oppress women. Men benefit from the domestic labour women do, men are seen as the enemy. Radical feminists think all women should take part in separatism and political lesbianism to help overcome the oppression they face.
• Greer (radical):

  • married men do less housework and spend more money on themselves than unmarried men.
  • a majority (3/4) divorces are initiated by a woman.
  • mothers are not valued as much as they should be.
• Difference feminists think that all women experience the family differently. For example, middle class women are more likely to get and stay married - their experience of the family is better than that of working class women.
• AO3:

  • liberal: evidence that simply changing policy is not enough to increase equality. Decreases the validity.
  • marxists: men are also oppressed by the family.
  • radical: an extreme perspective that is unlikely to be achieved.
  • difference: holistic, looks at different factors that can cause women to be oppressed.
• Radical feminists: consciousness raising - bringing awareness to women's oppression e.g., slut walks/me too