Examine the Radical Feminist View of the Family.

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Sociology

Examine the Radical Feminist View of the Family.

Feminism is the belief that women are unfairly treated in society and it should be changed in order to create equality with men. However not all feminists believe the same and there ideas vary.  

Radical Feminists believe that it has been built into the way society is structured that men are allowed to exploit and oppress women. They call this patriarchy. They believe that abuse in the family is down to men being psychologically warped by centuries of patriarchy into being unable to accept women as equals. Shulamith Firestone developed a theory in the 1960’s when Radical Feminists began seeking to overturn what at the time was seen as grotesque and destructive bias towards male power in society. This theory was structural and based on long-term historical views beginning in prehistoric times. Women cave dwellers were seen in the eyes of men as permanently handicapped either by being pregnant or having to breast feeding for most of there adult lives, because of this women were unable to be very active. Men therefore began to take charge of activities that involved going out, hunting and gathering other resources such as firewood. Women were left in charge of the domestic activities such as looking after the house and the children. Over thousands of years because of men’s aggressive and outgoing roles they became used to being dominant and women became use to being dependent on men for food and protection. As men began to like the power they had over women they tried to take power over men from other tribes for dominance and then the women were taken as slaves or sex objects. As time went on men also began taking control over their children (hence the phrase still used today “wait till your father comes home…”). Men control children using physical and psychological abuse but in some case sexual dominance is used. Therefore Firestone believed that the sexual abuse of women and children was not about sexual deviance at all but about power. Over the centuries men have become adapted to the power held over women so find it difficult to accept them as equals. Firestone decided the only solution to this problem was for women and children to live totally separated from men, and to even do away with them completely. However today Firestones theories are not very fashionable, although they do have some truth in them. Violent male partners kill 100 women a year while only 4 men a year are killed by violent women partners, and most of all child abuse cases is committed by men.    

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Liberal Feminists unlike Radical Feminists believe that over time as the old fashioned views have broken down, many new laws have been changed that help to give women equality and there has been a steady improvement in women’s careers in society.

Functionalist and the ‘New Right’ are against feminism, as they believe the nuclear family is the ideal living arrangement as women can stay home and do domestic chores while men go and provide for the family like it was centuries ago. Ann Widdecome a politician for the ‘New Right’ believes strongly in the bible and the messages ...

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