Contributions of Feminist Sociologists to the Study of Family Life

1268 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Men masculinities and feminist

Contributions of Feminist Sociologists to the Study of Family Life What Is Feminism? "In my heart, I think a woman has two choices: either she's a feminist or a masochist." - Gloria Steinem There are three types of feminism - Marxist, Radical and Liberal. All feminists believe in gender socialization, although they all blame different groups of people for women being treated the way they do. Marxist feminists blame society or capitalism, radical feminists blame men, and liberal feminists blame nobody; they just want equal opportunities for women. Marxist Feminists. "We still live in a world in which a significant fraction of people, including women, believe that a woman belongs and wants to belong exclusively in the home." - Rosalyn Sussman Marxist feminists believe that women are oppressed by society and are being used to help capitalism. Capitalism is a system that helps the rich people stay rich, and the poor people stay poor. This is done by rich people handing down valuable possessions where as the poor people have nothing of value to pass on to the next generation. Engels said the nuclear family is like an institution - the women are expected to stay at home and do housework whilst the men go out to work. Veronica Beechey argues that women, as housewives, perform two key functions for capitalism by staying at home. By doing so, she believes women provide free care for current and future workers by looking after her husband and children. This helps the capitalist system because if the workers are in good health they can work harder and for longer hours. The second key function housewives provide is by ac... ... middle of paper ... ... to talk about domestic violence against men, and the fact that mothers also abuse their children. This is another big criticism of the nuclear family, although domestic violence against men is hardly ever talked about. This is because men fear they will be laughed at as it is seen in society that they are strong enough to fight back and control a woman. The fact that mothers also abuse their children is not talked about much either. This is because the mother is always seen as a caring and loving stable figure that you can go to and talk about anything. On the whole, feminists have contributed quite a lot to the study of family life as they have bought to light the domestic violence and child abuse issues, as well as the fact that even though women do the same amount of work as men, they get paid less than men do.

Show More
Related

  • Sociology Of Families Chapter Summaries

    1093 Words  | 3 Pages

    Chapter 10 of Teresa Ciabattari book Sociology of families talks about the social policy and the future of families. The chapter starts by giving the readers a brief review of what we have learned so far in chapters 1-9. The chapter discusses the different approaches to what a family is and the changes of what the meaning of family is in the united states. The propose of the chapter is to get a better understanding of the book’s ideas yet to also see what the types of impacts they’ll have in our future society. The chapter is spilt into many categories such as Defining family, family change, family continuity, family diversity, inequality and social policy; housing policy and family inequality, state welfare policy and family, and so forth.

    Read More

  • Sociology: Dramatic Changes To the American Family

    1018 Words  | 3 Pages

    Families have changed greatly over the past 60 years, and they continue to become more diverse.

    Read More

  • Relationship Between Capitalists And Wollstonecraft

    1830 Words  | 4 Pages

    She argues that men have professions and other duties that focus their minds and help to develop reason “whilst women, on the contrary, have no other scheme to sharpen their faculties” (Wollstonecraft 2004, 77). Women spend most of their time tending to the house and their beauty because that is what they are taught to focus on, in order to get the most out of their life. During their upbringing children are taught to follow the actions of those that share the same gender as them. This causes drastic differences between the sexes because there is no opportunity to overlap the characteristics of the two genders to create a more coherent and equal society. In relation to that, Marx states that all citizens, no matter their status, should have the right to private property and freedom to do as they wish with the labor they produce. Marx (1988, 81) believes “private property is thus the product, the result, the necessary consequence, of alienated labor, the necessary consequence, of alienated labor, of the external relation of the worker to nature and to himself.” The deprivation of the laborers from control of their own products causes their alienation not only from the products but also the rest of society, which ultimately creates an unstable form of community. This instability will eventually

    Read More

  • Was Mary Her Beard A Feminist Tradition

    1369 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ed social construction because males are dominant to females in practically every area of life. Ross Douthat wrote another article revolving around abortion titled Divided by Abortion, United by Feminism where he stated, “But the best pro-choice rebuttal to the young idealists and the professional women who lead today's anti-abortion groups isn't that they're too reactionary -- it's that they're too utopian, too radical, and too naïve” (Douthat). The leadership of Mary Beard reflected neither matriarchy nor patriarchy, because she wrote books regarding feminism with her husband.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Feminism In The 1930's

    289 Words  | 1 Pages

    Like any important political movement, goals change based on situational urgency. In the 1920’s through the 1930’s, feminist women were suffragettes who fought for their right to vote. Alongside voting rights, feminists at this time were advocating for a shift in perspective, specifically a shift in the perspective of women’s roles in society. This ideological shift was as follows: “Women could be both a happy wife and mother and a successful contributor to the household economy”(Nicholson, 53). This ideological shift was necessary because America needed a female workforce while the males fought World War II. This period is known as first wave feminism, or as I will refer to it “first storm feminism”. Later on, feminist’s strived for more

    Read More

  • Research Paper

    1148 Words  | 3 Pages

    The life of a woman prior to the 1960’s was simple; stay in the home, take care of the family, and face discrimination daily. The feminists of the 20th century had different visions for themselves however, including: equal pay for equal work, an end to domestic violence, an end to sexual harassment, and sharing of household responsibilities.

    Read More

  • The Social Construction Of Gender And The Joys Of Parenthood

    907 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gender is a popular topic in the world today. It is a subject that is talked about and argued over, yet even with all the discussions being had, there are numerous other matters related to gender that should also be considered and included in the conversation. One of these issues is parenthood. The two articles “The Social Construction of Gender” and “The Joys of Parenthood, Reconsidered” each talk about how their topics are influenced by culture.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Feminist Studies Of Men

    936 Words  | 2 Pages

    Masculinity is a subject that has been debated in our society for quite some time. Many wonder what it means to be masculine, as it is difficult to define this one –sided term. Pairing this already controversial term with “feminist studies” can bring about some thought - provoking conversation. Feminist studies of men have been around for many years with regards to the feminist movement. It seeks to create gradual improvements to society through its main principle of modifying the ways in which everyone views what it means to be a man. Feminist studies of men bring forth the discussion of hegemonic masculinity; how this contributes to the gender hierarchy, the radicalized glass escalator and ultimately the faults of this theory.

    Read More

  • Applying the Sociological Imagination to Sole-parent Familes

    1346 Words  | 3 Pages

    There is much debate on what constitutes as a family today. However, Ball (2002) states, “The concept of the traditional family…is not an immutable one. It is a social construct that varies from culture to culture and, over time, the definition changes within a culture” (pp. 68). There is a growing diversity of families today including the commonality of sole-parenting. In order to explore aspects of sole-parenthood objectively, I need to reflect and put aside my personal experience of growing up in sole-parent household. Furthermore, this essay will explore the historical origins, cultural aspects discussing the influences and implications of gender identity, and social structures of sole-parent families, as well as consider the implications in midwifery by applying the sociological imagination. Mills (2000/1959) describes the sociological imagination as “…a quality of mind that seems most dramatically to promise an understanding of the intimate realities of ourselves in connection with larger social realities” (pp.15). In other words, the sociological imagination involves the ability to consider the relationships between personal experiences and those within society as a whole.

    Read More

  • Our Culture Of Fatherlessness By David Blankenhorn: Book Analysis

    933 Words  | 2 Pages

    Blankenhorn wants men to be the center of the family financially, physically and morally. Feminists are fighting for the opposite; what he describes as “The New Father”. Feminists want androgyny in household and familial work, equal power between the genders but Blankenhorn says that this is destructive to the entire idea of family. Firstly, androgyny in the home would disrupt the already unstable role of a father. Second and most importantly, without strict gender roles, family becomes improvisation. There would be no distinctions between a mother’s work and a father’s work so within each familial unit, who does what work would vary. This is dangerous because it loops back into the idea that fathers aren’t necessary. If anyone can be the breadwinner, the protector, the educator, then there is no real purpose of the father, which is the problem mentality that we are trying to

    Read More

  • Sociology Of Family In The Family

    1527 Words  | 4 Pages

    The film, “The Sociology of Families and Households”, examines families from a sociological perspective, as it discusses the ways in which the meaning of family has changed throughout history. To better understand how families have changed throughout several decades, the film discusses how structural functionalism, Marxist theory and feminist theory have played a role in defining what a family is, or was at that time in history. The film also examines a few key challenges facing families, such as divorce, single parent households, finding a balance between work and the family and the formation of stepfamilies. Conclusively, the film discusses how the changes in society affect how families function

    Read More

  • Feminist Theory

    1180 Words  | 3 Pages

    Feminist sociology focuses on examining and understanding gender in its relation to power within society as well as individuals. The fundamental principle of feminist sociology is the idea that in most societies, women have been oppressed and that men have been more dominant throughout history. Feminist theory directly relates to feminist sociology. According to the Introduction to Sociology 2e textbook, “feminist theory is a type of conflict theory that examines inequalities in gender-related issues. It uses the conflict approach to examine the maintenance of gender roles and inequalities” (Openstax 261). This paper aims to analyze feminist theory, discuss its history, as well as emphasizing a current social

    Read More

  • Feminism Vs Second Wave Feminism

    1875 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the early 20th century, many women went to college and worked professionally, but the mid-20th century myth of the middle-class suburban housewife downplayed the importance of women's education. Feminists knew that girls and women must be encouraged to seek an education, and not just "something to fall back on," if they were to become, and be seen as, fully equal. In her article, "The Long Way Home," Myrna Kostash discusses her experiences as a feminist in university. "It was 1963 and there was none of us who did not believe we would be different from the brigades of women in the suburbs. We were students. We would be clever, and we would travel, and we would have adventures." (Kostash, The Long Way Home, 167.) University provided the perfect place for like-minded women to meet, extend their influence and advocate for change. "Although university women continued to be the support base of the women's liberation groups, it was not unusual when their meetings included young working women, high school students, middle-aged housewives, single mothers, women from old left groups" (Kostash, The Long Way Home, 170.) Yet, although women were more educated then they had been in the past, the only socially acceptable role for them was to get married and have children. The second wave of feminism sought to change this perception and fought to give women opportunities on par with men including wage equality, maternity benefits, and the right

    Read More

  • Essay On Feminist Theory

    808 Words  | 2 Pages

    Feminist theory is the extension of feminism into theoretical, fictional or philosophical dissertation. It helps to explain the main nature of gender inequality. It further explains the social roles of women in the society such as education, communication, philosophy, sociology and so on (Chodrow, Nancy 1991).

    Read More

  • Gender Inequality Essay

    935 Words  | 2 Pages

    In a family, women hold most of the commitment in keeping it together and the men are known to be the budgetary suppliers of the family. Women fill the role of the mother, lover, nurturer, the cook, and the cleaner. This is a staggering measure of work that she should go up against, yet over the long haul the male assumes the acknowledgment in his tendency of supporting the whole family. Since we have these desires of women and men, we disparage the capacity to attempt new things. For instance, if a woman goes out to land a position in a work field, she will be isolated against due to her sex. Furthermore, it is likewise accepted that men won't deal with the family unit duties as a women. With this a gender inequality in the family life, women and men are dealt with contrastingly past their home. Women are out of the house doing her piece of the shopping and men are out working completing things and getting paid for it. It is this part of getting paid for work that is over looked in the female point of view. Women do not get paid to hold the obligation of the family household foundation; they get the affirmation that she is doing what is instructed of her. This is gender inequality disparity that influences for the most part the women. This underestimation of woman in the workforce, suggests to society that she is strange and is dealt with so

    Read More

More about Contributions of Feminist Sociologists to the Study of Family Life

Open Document