feminism and the family

Radical feminists

Radical feminists argue that it is not capitalism that exploits women but men. they suggest patriarchy existed well before capitalism appeared in the 18th century. men have always controlled women and will not change by establishing socialism. radical feminists argue that patriarchy therefore benifits al men. they argue that the nuclear family mainly functions to benifit men. they argue that the nuclear family is the main area in which patriarchal ideology is transmitted to children via gender-role socialisation. this ideology encourages the notion that the sexual devision of labour is 'natural' and 'unchangeable'

difference feminism

differnce feminism is critical of the previous feminists perspectives because they assume that all women are members of a single group who share interests and are all equally exploited. however, difference feminism emphasises that women are not one single,united group but rather have a variety of interests. black difference feminists stress the importance of racial/ethnic differences between women. for example some ethnic minority women may have less power and status in families compared with other women. other difference feminists have emphasised differences in class, age or nationality. difference feminists point out that not all women are equally exploited.

feminists

feminists,like marxists, are generally highly critical of the family becuase they believe that it has harmful effects for women and that it is generally responsible for patriarchy.

liberal feminism

liberal feminists see patriarchy and therefor, gender equality originating in gender role socialisation which mainly takes place in the family. liberal feminists suggest that boys and girls learn via the gender role socialsation that they occupy positions of power. moreover the traditional distribution of power within families which underpins gender role socialisation generally favours males- consequently boys learn that they are more likey to be the breadwinners, heads of the house and decision makers while girls learn that they are expected to subordinate their lives to childcare and to take responsibility for housework.

Marxist feminist

marxist feminists reject the optimism of liberal feminists and argue that women's inequalities are the result of being forced to serve the needs of capitalism both inside and out of the family. They argue that the key feature of the family is exploitation of women both by the capitalist system and by men.

Patriarchy

patriarchy can be defined as 'a system of male domination in which males use cultural,social,political,economic and physical power to control women feminists argue that patriarchal control characterises most spheres of social life eg, mass media representations of women generally present women as sexual objects to be enjoyed by by men.