Feminist Perspectives on the Family
Feminists of all types have encouraged
sociologists to see the family as an
institution involving power relationships –
“the personal is political”
Feminism has challenged the view of the
family as being based on cooperation,
shared interests and love
Feminism has tried to show that men gain
more from family life than women.
Types of Feminism
Dictionary Definition: “Belief in the social,
political, and economic equality of the
sexes”
In sociology, it means more than that.
There are several recognisable branches
of feminism
Introduction to Feminist Theory
There are many types of feminism;
Liberal
Radical
Socialist
Marxist
Lesbian
Humanist
Liberal Feminism
 18th century Liberal thought Mary Wollstonecraft
A Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792)
 John Stuart Mill The Subjection of Women
(1869).
 Liberal feminists are concerned with extending
to women the liberal values of liberty, equality
and justice through legal and social reforms.
Legislative and political action-- action, lobbying,
courts--reformist and gradualist.
Radical Feminists
 Origins: Late 1960s New Left civil rights and anti-war
protests.
 Beliefs: Gender distinctions thought to be natural are
actually socially and politically constructed
 Significant and radical change is needed in society
Radical Feminists (examples.)
 Kate Millett “The personal is political”
 MEN, not just the patriarchy, at fault because all men benefit from
women’s oppression.
 patriarchal assumptions permeate all social institutions--including
marriage, family, love, heterosexuality etc.
 Loosely organized groups calling for complete restructuring of
society:
 Betty Friedan (NOW); Germaine Greer, Gloria Steinem, Susan
Steinmetz; Pam Allen and Shulamith Firestone--the famous “bra
burning” protest at Miss America Contest in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on
Sep 7, 1968.
 Susan Brownmiller Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape
 “Rape is the act of terror by which all men control all women”
Socialist Feminism
 Combining radical feminism with Marxist
analysis- Overthrow both class and gender - there is a
symbiotic relationship between capitalism and
patriarchy – women get exploited twice as
women and as workers – DUAL OPPRESSION
 Extend notions of modes of production (Marxist
economic determinism) to other production—
e.g. mothering
Other Feminist Schools
 Marxist-feminism focus on destruction of capitalism as
way to liberate women.
 Lesbian feminism Lesbian-feminist politics is a political
critique of the institution and ideology of heterosexuality
as a cornerstone of male supremacy
 Rita Mae Brown, Charlotte Bunch, TiGrace Atkinson, McKinnon,
Andrea Dworkin, Adrienne Rich “Compulsory Heterosexuality and
Lesbian Existence” (1980)
 Humanist feminism women’s oppression is the
inhibition and distortion of women’s human potential by a
society that only allows the self-development of men.
Question
Is the “personal political”?
Once you have read through both sets of
notes post your response on the
Discussion Forum
Return to Lesson Start