Feminism

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A level Sociology (Families) Flashcards on Feminism, created by Dinah Bennett on 02/11/2017.
Dinah Bennett
Flashcards by Dinah Bennett, updated more than 1 year ago
Dinah Bennett
Created by Dinah Bennett about 7 years ago
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Question Answer
What is feminism ? - structural theory - take a critical view of the family - there are several types of feminism, covering a broad range of approaches towards the family and offers range of solutions to the problem of gender inequality
Liberal feminism (Part 1) -argue that: >women's oppression is gradually being overcome through changes in society (e.g. change in law such as the Sex Discrimination Act (1975) >believes that gender equality in the family isn't fully achieved, but is making progress >would favour challenging gender role socialisation in childhood
Liberal feminism (Part 2) >full equality will depend on further reforms and changes in attitudes and socialisation patterns of both sexes.
Criticisms of Liberal feminism -fails to challenge the undying causes of women's oppression -believes that changes in the law or people's attitudes will be enough to bring equality -marxist and radical feminists believe that instead far-reaching changes and deep rooted social structures are needed
Marxist Feminism (Part 1) -The main cause of women's oppression in the family is capitalism -women preform several functions for capitalism: >women reproduce the labour force - unpaid for domestic labour, responsible for socialising the next generation of workers and servicing the current one
Marxist Feminism (Part 2) >Fran Ansley (1972) says women/wives absorb their husbands anger that would otherwise be directed at capitalism >women are a reserve army of cheap labour that can be taken on when extra workers are needed.
Criticisms of Marxist Feminism -sees the oppression of women as limited to the exploitation of the working class -ignores the other issues of opression
Radical Feminism -men are the enemy, and the key source of women's oppression and exploitation -the family and marriage are the key institutions in patriarchal society. -men benefit from women's unpaid labour and from sexual services, and they dominate women through domestic and sexual violence or the threat of it.
Radical Feminism (Part 2) -the family must be abolished -believe in separatism: argue for 'political lesbianism' >heterosexual relationships involve 'sleeping with the enemy' >Jermaine Greer (2000)argues for the creation of 'matrilocal' households as an alternative to the heterosexual family
Criticisms of Radical Feminism -liberal feminists (e.g. Jenny Somerville (2000)) argue that they fail to recognise that women's position has improved considerably. -also argues that heterosexual attraction makes it unlikely that separatism would work
Difference Feminism -argues that we cannot generalise women's experiences; all women have different experiences of the family from one another -e.g by regarding the family negatively, white feminists neglect black women's experience of racial oppression, causing them to view the family positively
Criticisms of Difference Feminism -neglects the fact that all women share many of the same experiences e.g. risk of domestic violence, sexual assault, low pay, etc
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