Lesson 4.Feminism.notebook
1
April 18, 2018
Feb 203:00 PM
Classroom Expectations:
Arrive on time
Coat off
Bags off desks
Equipment & Planner on desks
Title: The Feminist perspective of the family. Homework due:
Feb 711:40
Objective Key WordsKnow
Understand
How will you display SMSC today?Courage ‐ Respect ‐ Friendship ‐ Inspiration ‐ Determination ‐
Equality ‐ ExcellenceEmpathy – Courtesy – Resilience ‐
Etiquette
To give reasons and evidence for your views (ext: to consider
alternative opinions and views)
To spot patterns and explain what's happening
Recap: How can you relate the Feminist perspective of the
familyto life today?
Title: The Feminist perspective of the family.
What are the main explanations of the family that Feminists
provide?
How do Feminists explain changethat has occurred in society and
relate it to thefamily today?
To what extent do Feminists view the family as positive or
negative and howconvincing are these arguments?
DiversityFragmentationRapid social
changeCapitalismExploitationIdeological state apparatusUnit of
consumption
Feb 203:32 PM
TASK:Of the perspectives which are consensus and which are
conflict?Were will feminism be, about the family?
Conflict Consensus
Feb 203:37 PM
Liberal feminism:‐Campaigning against sex discrimination and for
equal rights & opportunities for women. (equal pay & end
discrimination employment).‐Progress: Sex Discrimination Act of
1975 but further reforms still necessary and sexism still a part of
society.‐Progress within the family: as men do more domestically
than they used to, parenting socialises young girls and women to
believe in their own equality more.
Think ‐ Pair ‐ Share
Criticism?
Feb 203:51 PM
Marxist feminism:Women are oppressed by capitalism not
men:‐Women reproduce the labour force: unpaid domestic labour,
socialising the next generation of workers and maintaining the
present one.‐Women 'absorb anger' ANSLEY 1972 women are 'takers of
shit': soak up the frustration & alienation the men face at
work. (Marxists: this explains domestic violence against
women)‐Women are a reserve of cheap labour‐ can be taken on when
extra work is needed, when not they are the first to 'let go.'
Family as well as a class based society must be abolished.
To what extentdo you think thisis a good argument?
Feb 204:01 PM
Radical feminism:
‐Men are the enemy‐ they oppress and exploit women.‐Family and
marriage are the key institutions in a patriarchal society. Men
dominate and abuse women whilst gaining unpaid labour and sexual
services from them.
They advocate separatism‐ women living independently of men, so
therefore the family must be abolished.
Some argue for political lesbianism‐ as heterosexual
relationships are 'sleeping with the enemy.'Greer (2000) argued for
the creation of all female or 'matrilocal' households.
Germaine Greer
Jenny Somerville 2000 argues that radical feminists fail to
recognise the progress that has been made for women in terms of
work, divorce and work life flexibility.What else?
EVALUATION:
Lesson 4.Feminism.notebook
2
April 18, 2018
Mar 1411:27
Sylvia Walby(AO2)
There is no single cause, rather capitalism and patriarchy work
together to exploit women. There are different structures where
patriarchy operates:• Housework• Paid work• State• Cultural
institutions
Walby identifies two main forms of patriarchy ‐ private (in the
home) and public (in wider society).
She argues huge progress has been made in private but not enough
in public patriarchy.‐ Mean by this? Agree with this?
Patriarchy is 'a system of social structures and practices in
which men dominate, oppress and exploit women'.
What kinds of examples of patriarchy might Walby identify within
these spheres?
Combines Marxist and Radical Feminism.
http://www.refuge.org.uk/gethelpnow/whatisdomesticviolence/domesticviolencethefacts/http://www.aauw.org/research/thesimpletruthaboutthegenderpaygap/
Feb 204:14 PM
Difference feminism:Argues we cannot argue that all women are
the same. The different experiences that women have within the
family cannot be over‐simplified.EG: some black women feel the
family has protected them from the racism of society.
However other feminists would argue one similarity is that all
different types of women are at risk of sexual assault and domestic
violence.
Poststructuralist feminism:BUTLER: Discourse/Power/Knowledge.The
ability to define and label is given to men‐doctor's label women
sick or as a patient when they are pregnant.Criticised the
Enlightenment project as a discourse that primarily enables white
western men.No fixed 'essence' of being a woman...poststructuralism
enables women to deconstruct discourses and recognise power
relationships better‐ enabling them to change.
Consider:To what extent do you agree with Butler about
essentialism?How much do you think about labelling and who has the
power in society and deconstruct it in life?
Mar 1411:24
Feminism article:
Read the article on 'Feminism: Is it a coherent theory.
Go through the main strands of feminist theory‐ write a list
relating each slant of feminism to the family and consider the
strengths and weaknesses of its arguments.
Feminism as a theory.pdf
Feb 204:21 PM
The personal life perspective on families:
1) Many previous perspectives assume the nuclear family is the
dominant family, which ignores diversity of families.2) All
previous perspectives have been structural theories. So top down
where society impacts the individual and not the other way around.
Some interactionist and postmodern sociologists argue we have
choice over our relationships. Meaning should be more important to
function.
List as many different families as you can.Explain the typical
family which you think is now the dominant one?Are roles different
to 30 years ago?Has the position of the child changed too?
TASK:
Feb 204:24 PM
Family has evolved‐ beyond blood and marriage:
Bottom up approach, individual reasons for everything. EG: a
daughter may not be close to her mother but be happy to take in a
boyfriend's mother to nurse back to health. We cannot argue we
understand the family unless we look into individual motives.
Other relationships may be more important now‐ more so than
family:‐With friends‐Fictive kin‐close friends eg of your mum's who
you call 'auntie'.‐Gay 'chosen families'‐people chosen to be a
supportive network.‐Relationship with dead relatives‐ live on in
memory.‐Relationship with pets: Tipper (2011) found children always
included pets as part of the family.
BOTTOM
UP
Feb 204:29 PM
Donor‐conceived children:Nordqvist and Smart: some parents
focused on social relationships more than genetic ones.Eg: Erin
spoke of the time and energy she put into raising a child not the
donor itself.
Issues:Complicated feelings if someone would remark that the
child looked like a parent who was not the real parent.Wonder what
the donor looked like, if there were other donor children and to
what extent they are 'family.'
TASK:Imagine you are a parentof a donor conceived child?At what
point would you deem it appropriate to tell them so and how would
you?What questions do you think they would have at different
stages?
http://www.refuge.org.uk/get-help-now/what-is-domestic-violence/domestic-violence-the-facts/http://www.aauw.org/research/the-simple-truth-about-the-gender-pay-gap/
