Studied by 2 peoplewhat did feminism emerge as a response to
malestream views on the family in sociology
what are the different types of feminism
liberal
radical
marxist
difference/ intersectional
postmodernist
what is the general feminist view of society and the family
it is patriarchal, unequal, and gendered
how do liberal feminists see the family as patriarchal
socialisation within the family is gendered, and this bleeds into other institutions
what sociologist is associated with the liberal feminist view of the family
Somerville
what do liberal feminists see as the solution to the patriarchal family
gradual social change
how do marxist feminists see the family as patriarchal
society is a capitalist patriarchy that exploits women
how are women exploited according to marxist feminists
through unpaid emotional labour
what sociologist is associated with the marxist feminist view of the family
Ansley
how do radical feminists see the family as patriarchal
men are the problem and the family increases violence against women
what sociologists are associated with the radical feminist view of the family
Dobash and Dobash
what is the difference feminist view of the family
not every woman experiences patriarchy and thus the family in the same way
what sociologists are associated with the difference feminist view of the family
Dunne and Mirza
Ansley’s view of the family
translates Parson’s Warm Bath Theory into a feminist framework, and sees that women are takers of shit - they act as a ‘safety valve’, absorbing their husband’s legitimate anger and frustration from the workplace
this way the capitalist system is not threatened
criticisms of Ansley
evidence suggests that people are still drawn to the idea of and the structure of the family
it is not just men that experience frustration
what evidence is there that we are drawn to the structure of the family
despite rising divorce rates, remarriage rates are also rising
what evidence is there to suggest that men are not the only ones who experience frustration at the hands of capitalism
the changing role of women shows that more women are entering the workplace
how can Ansley’s argument be connected to ‘the dark side of the family’
male frustration from poor working conditions and low pay can manifest in domestic abuse
besides being takers of shit, how else are women exploited by capitalist society
they provide unpaid work, through things such as the triple shift (doing paid work as well as house work and emotion work due to their expressive role), the gender pay gap means they are reliant on men, and thus trapped in situations of domestic abuse
how much do ONS figures for 2014 estimate the value of unpaid domestic work at
£1.01 trillion (56% of GDP)
according to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics, what percentage of firms pay men more
78%
according to marxist feminists, what are solutions to the dual oppression of women
paying women the same amount of money for work, making housework paid (this may incentivise men to help)
what legislation was put in place to ensure that men and women are paid the same
the Equal Pay Act
why does the gender pay gap still exist even if the Equal Pay Act exists
the theory of the glass ceiling suggests that women aren’t given the same opportunities for promotions as men are
zero hours contracts
gendered socialisation/ the education system leading girls into low-paid jobs that are extensions of the expressive role (eg. nursing which we know is poorly paid because of recent strikes)
Oakley on the family
industrialisation has led to the separation of paid work from the home, and thus to female subordination through economic dependence on men
women were pushed out of the workplace during industrialisation
the housewife/ expressive role is thus not biological it was constructed
even though the 20th Century saw more women returning to work, the expressive role is still seen as the woman’s primary role, and they are thus further exploited through having to do housework and paid work
women who do work are often concentrated in low-paid jobs that are an extension of the caring role (eg. nursing)
criticisms of Oakley
an unequal domestic division of labour is not an inevitable outcome of capitalism
studies show that men are becoming more involved in housework (the New Man)
however, these studies don’t quantify how much housework men are doing
what functionalist sociologists are very similar to Somerville’s views
Wilmott and Young - they both take the March of Progress view
Somerville on the family
reform rather than revolution is a better way to approach improving the position of women in the family
increased choice and the growth of dual-worker families has created greater equality in marriage
policies to help working parents, such as increased flexibility in paid employment will help further
is social reform always successful in creating gender equality
no
the paternity act only allows men 2 weeks of leave, reinforcing the woman’s expressive role
the Equal Pay Act has failed to close the gender pay gap, because of zero hours contracts and the gendered socialisation in education
how would Dobash and Dobash see the new right view family as patriarchal
the privatised nuclear family allows for the state not to get involved in familial matters, so things like marital rape often get swept under the rug - evidence for this is that it was not illegal until the end of the 20th century
Dobash and Dobash on the family
patriarchal, heterosexual marriage legitimises violence against women by conferring power and authority on men and economic dependence on women
violence can be triggered by perceived threats to male authority
criticisms of Dobash and Dobash
domestic violence doesn’t just exist within heterosexual marriage, and men are not always beneficiaries of patriarchy
in the UK who, according to statistics, is more likely to be a feminist
women are more likely to be feminists, as with radical feminism appearing more in the media, men believe that giving equality to women has gone far enough
statistics show that this attitude is incredibly prevalent among male bosses and this suggests why women are unable to advance in the workforce (the glass ceiling)
Mirza on the family
a black feminist, Mirza examines the way in which stereotypes of black women negatively perceive working class black women as dependent on benefits and middle class black women as superwomen, and as such negatively effect mothers and fathers of both classes
Dunne on the family
lesbian couples, as same-sex couples, are more likely to negotiate the domestic division of labour within their families, as they are less likely to follow ‘gender scripts’
Stacey on the family
we live in an era of increased choice, and according to her ethnographic study of Silicon Valley, women are using this increased choice to leave patriarchal relationships and select new family arrangements
Stacey and Meadows on the family
despite the increase in family diversity, reproductive technology etc, the mainstream political ideology still sees the nuclear family as the most desirable type
how are postmodernist feminists critical of other views of the family
they focus too much on a Western perspective of family life
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Flashcard (28)