Page 2: Feminist Perspectives on Family and Households
This page focuses on feminist approaches to understanding families and households, particularly radical feminism.
Feminism is presented as a structural theory that, like Marxism, takes a conflict view of the family. Feminists argue that family oppresses women and focus on unequal division of labor, gender inequality, and domestic violence.
Highlight: Feminists suggest that gender inequality is not natural, but socially constructed.
Radical feminism is explored in depth, with its belief that all societies are founded on patriarchy and that men benefit more than women in family structures.
Vocabulary: Patriarchy refers to a system of society or government in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it.
The document discusses radical feminist solutions to gender inequality, such as the idea of "separatism" and creating 'matrilocal' households as alternatives to traditional family structures.
Example: Greer proposes creating 'matrilocal' households as an alternative to heterosexual family structures to address gender inequality.
The radical feminist perspective is critiqued by Somerville (2000), who argues that it ignores the significant improvements in women's position in society.
Quote: "Somerville (2000)... argues that radical feminists ignore the fact that women's position has improved drastically"
This page provides a comprehensive overview of feminist perspectives on family and households, particularly focusing on radical feminism and its critiques of patriarchal family structures.
