Why is family structure a feminist topic of analysis?
Gender studies scholars argue that the private sphere of family, sex and reproduction are inherently political and related to dymanics of power in society:
1. From this lens, one can examine the social structure of the family as a social institution supported by the law and culture
2. The state (meaning the government particularly) has a interest in the development of future citizens and one can trace the connections between American nationalism and nuclear family structures in US history.
3. Historically, the division of labor in families in unequal and can contribute to the unequal burden of domestic labor on women and constrain women’s ability to succeed
4. Families are often structured around binary gender roles and heteronormativity
The idea of the “traditional family” as a political institution
In contemporary society, many view the idea of a family as non-political or pre-political, assuming that what is viewed as a traditional family has a basis in biology and psychology. We will examine this history and I would like you to judge for yourself if you agree with the above statement or not.
An American emphasis on the nuclear family Nuclear family: For many people the ideal American family is the nuclear family consisting of a father, mother, and an average of two children. Some Americans, during the agricultural era, lived in extended families and the notion of the traditional family as described above is rooted in a post-industrial society.
Of course, as we know, families can take a variety of shapes and do not have to be defined as the heteronormative, gendered structure listed above.
The Pre-industrial family Working the land and keeping it in the family were two reasons families
chose to stay together and live in extended kinship groups (larger than the nuclear family structure promoted by society today).
A lack of pre-industrial transportation and communication technology often would keep families close together as well. Society was not particularly transient.
Having many children to assist with farmwork was valued in rural society.
Pre-Industrial Gender Roles
In agricultural societies, there was more focus on the entire family playing a role in the survival and economic success of the family as a communal unit though tasks were still gendered:
The adult male role included: A. Heavy physical labor, government work, moral instruction of family members, religious service work,
government work and membership in a militia
The adult female role included: a. Child-rearing, but fatherhood generally included emotional, moral, and religious instruction until about 1800 b. running the household in deference to a husband c. assistance a husband, including farm work especially during harvest season
Industrial Model of the Family We begin to see the development of what we now see as traditional gendered labor roles in the family:
Women work in the private sphere of the family, responsible for the majority of domestic work and childcare; all but middle and upper class women tend to also work outside the home for wages about half the rate of men for the same work
Men’s role as parent is viewed as inferior and less important to the child (an overall devaluing of the important of the father and a rising importance of the mother).
Families are increasingly emphasized as ideally nuclear, middle class, and heteronormative.
Men are viewed as the “breadwinners” literally, and are paid at twice the rate or more as women and have more upward mobility in developing economic hierarchies.
Brief History of American Marriage Brief History of Marriage: George Bernard Shaw suggested marriage occurs “under the influence of the most violent, most insane, most delusive, and most transient of passions. They are required to swear that they will remain in that excited, abnormal, and exhausting condition continuously until death do them part.”
But, this is relatively a new notion of marriage as romantically driven
This has not always been the most important relationship emphasized between individuals during the separate sphere stage, as industrialization occurred some estimated that same sex friendships were more important than any other relationship
Colonial American Marriage Largely not an egalitarian marriage
Often arranged by parents
Romantic love develops more in the late 1700s
More advanced courtship rituals develop alongside sexual double standard that suggest a woman needs to be a virgin and a man does not at the point of legal marriage
Monogamy is viewed by many as a guiding principle
Women lose property and civil rights once married and may physically abuse their wives legally
Men had wide latitude to engage in extramarital affairs
Romantic Marriage Mutual attraction in marriage gains most traction about one hundred years ago though these marriages remain heteronomative, male-dominated, centered around child-rearing
Only about fifty years ago do we really start to see the idea of egalitarian marriages based on love take root where women retain full legal, economic, and political rights after marriage
Marriage remains defined as between one man and one woman until the 21st century.
Marriage’s Connection to Parenting Emphasis on Parenting Roles: development of the idea of women as more nurturing what structures in society emphasis maternity?
custodial rights maternity leave suggestion women are more caring suggestion that men cannot care for children as well as women toy play as children
Totally leaves out non-binary conforming individuals and the idea that same-sex and same-gendered couples and single parents successfully raise children without a nuclear family structure
History of Divorce Initially divorce was nearly impossible for women to be granted
in the colonial era, generally only women whose husbands were impotent or who were abandoned could request a divorce
in Protestantism, it is not a sacrament not a possibility for Catholic women in the colonial period
It is both an important right, but also women bear the economic brunt of divorce historically most people who live in poverty are single mothers
First women’s rights movement would lead to more liberal divorce laws, but this largely would be at state levels by 1850s, women could ask for divorce, but they had to prove adultery which often could not happen through the official legal system
Divorce and Marriage Rates The divorce rate has steadily increased since the turn of the century.
“Recent findings have shown that one half of all marriages in America end in divorce.
According to a report based on the results of the 1981 Census, the number of single-parent families has doubled since 1970 (the last census) and 90% are headed by women.
The number of single-parent, male-headed families has doubled since 1970, but is still small relative to the number of female-headed, single-parent families.
Two-parent families still make up 79% of American families although it was a drop from 88% in 1970.
The differences in the percentage is somewhat misleading; the number of two-parent families was 24.9 million out of 31.5 million families in 1981, only a 2% drop from 1970.”
Frameworks of Critical Theory to Analyze the Family We will look at critical theories and the way in which they evaluate the role of the family in social history:
1) Functionalist 2) Marxist 3) Feminist Marxist 4) Contemporary Feminist
Functionalist Model of the Family Functionalist – “believe that the traditional nuclear family is a natural unit and exists to maintain social order and is mutually beneficial to all. Marriage controls sexual behaviour and ensures it is morally acceptable(i.e. heterosexual and monogamous) and parents can control children.This arrangement meets the needs of industrial society.”
Marxist Critique of the family Marxist – “believe that the nuclear family is valued over the typical working class extended family to encourage material aspirations. This family unit is organised to reinforce passive acceptance of authority, hierarchy and inequality thereby keeping the working classes (Proletariat) under the control of the Middle/upper classes (Bourgouise).”
Marxist Feminist Marxist feminist- “the nuclear family benefits the powerful at the expense of the working class AND women’s domestic labour enables the future workforce to be reared at little cost to the patriarchal capitalist state. The containment of women’s sexual services and domestic labour within marriage ensures the male workforce is emotionally and physically fit. Keeping men satisfied at home detracts from frustrations caused by lack of power but results in compensatory behaviour i.e. violence against women and children.”
Contemporary Feminist View Feminist – “men and women are socialised into gender specific roles that exist to confirm and uphold male power and superiority. Marriage and nuclear family exploits and oppresses women” as well as a heteronormative family as the ideal.
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