Feminist Approaches

About the lecture

In this lecture, we explore feminist approaches to the family, focusing in particular on: (i) the idea that as well as being a vital place of care and comfort, the family can also be a source of inequality and exploitation; (ii) the extent to which inequalities within the family are perpetuated by the state, e.g. unequal maternity/paternity leave; (iii) the extent to which the development of capitalism has brought about a much sharper distinction between domestic work (seen as the female sphere) and paid work outside of the house (seen as the male sphere); (iv) the work of Ann Oakley on housework, and the concept of the 'second shift'; (v) the work of Marjorie DeVault on foodwork, and the idea that the 'good mum' is someone that cooks, cleans, etc.; (vi) the concept of emotional labour, and the extent to which women are 'household managers' even if they don't do tasks directly themselves; (vii) the work of Sharon Hays and the concept of 'intensive mothering'; and (viii) the work of feminist scholars on the 'dark side' of family life, including domestic violence and child abuse.

References:
– A. Oakley, The Sociology of Housework (1974)
– M. L. DeVault, Feeding the Family: The Social Organization of Caring as Gendered Work (1991)
– S. Hays, The Cultural Contradictions of Motherhood (1996)

About the lecturer

Dr Vicki Harman is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Surrey. Her research interests include family life, motherhood and gender. She is co-editor of Feeding Children Inside and Outside the Home (2019) and Mothering, Mixed Families and Racialised Boundaries (2015), and author of The Sexual Politics of Ballroom Dancing (2018).