Feminist View of the Family

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  • Created by: 11JoneA1
  • Created on: 16-01-18 14:21

Liberal Feminism

Liberal Feminism: womens' responsibility = negative to power, health, career

  • Aims: remove discrimination, equal rights with men, treat individuals according to talent/skill not sex
  • Methods: reform measures
    • Change socialisation/parenting practices
    • Equality in maternity/paternity
    • Assert legal rights of women 
    • Stronger action in domestic violence 
  • Successes: Equal Pay Act 1970, Sex Discrimination Act 1975, Equality Act 2010
  • Campaign to remove obstacles in way of rights with men 

Somerville: not 100% equal yet, but soon will be as women have more power in divorce, contraception and money/economic. 

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Marxist Feminism

Marxist Feminism: men socialised into exploitative roles

  • Social class beliefs:
    • Women exploited as workers and women (free labour in the home)
    • Class affects life chances
    • Capitalism amplifies conflict between sexes
  • Capitalism beliefs: women maintain capitalism with work in family
    • Reproduce labour force (socialised into r/c ideology)
    • Family = safety valve to stabilise capitalism 

Ansley: woman is a sponge soaking up her husband's stress, anger and anxiety from work. 

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Black Feminism

Black Feminism: highlights importance of race and ethnicity

  • Beliefs: racism model exists where white feminism/feminists pay lip service to anti-racist struggle but stand as persecutors to black women. 
  • Problems with racism model: neglects women from other ethnicites e.g. Greeks, Phillipinos, Chinese

Hill Collins: black women are oppressed - society encourages black women to accept racism, sexism and poverty. Black women need to unite and fight. 

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Radical Feminism

Radical Feminism: family and patriarchy = obstacle to inequality

  • Beliefs: men exercise power and control over women through physical and sexual violence - women are oppressed
  • Lesbians: reject men. New technology means no men are needed (aritifical insemination)
  • Criticisms:
    • No evidence to suggest matriarchy is better
    • Not all relationships include oppression 

Firestone: men are dominant in the family, but women have the equipment to be mothers - men do not.

Greer: mothers are oppressed, not equal to men (men have control). SEGREGATION WANTED

Millet: men have ownership of women and children (through abuse) BUT IT IS CHANGING

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Criticisms

Criticisms 

  • Womens' role is not the same in all families
  • Assumes women are passive victims with no choice 
  • More women work - independent incomes
  • Women can/do escape oppressive relationships
    • 2/3 divorces initiated by women 
  • Family relationships less likely to create obedient workforce 
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