differences feminism- Foster

Difference Feminists agree with Walby that class and ethnicity have a part to play in this and we cannot generalise about women’s experiences, however they also focus on sexuality. Difference feminists believe that same sex families offer a very different environment:

Foster found that lesbian couples share more equally in childcare tasks and reported higher satisfaction levels with their domestic arrangements than did heterosexual couples.

Dunne studied 37 lesbian couples and found evidence of symmetry in such families in relation to housework, childcare and careers. She believes this is due to the absence of gender scripts within the family home.

evaluation:

1. Functionalists and the New Right would both criticise Difference Feminists, as they strongly believe that lesbian couples cannot develop proper marriages or indeed construct genuine families.

2. Other Feminists accuse this theory of neglecting to acknowledge that in spite of differences, most women do share many of the same experiences in the family. For example, all women remain at greater risk of domestic violence, low pay and a dual burden than all men.