Feminism and Family
Feminism and Family
Maigan Sorensen
Northeastern State University
Feminism and Family
I will start out my paper by stating that I do not believe that feminism should be blamed for the downfall of the “traditional” family. Society as a whole has become more accepting of this generation’s liberal ways, this includes men and women. I personally believe that feminism can help in the family dynamics. I am a firm in my belief that the running and functioning of the family should be the responsibility of both the man and woman. They should share workload to set a positive example for the children. The children would learn that it takes two people working together to achieve a more successful life. With my point being stated, I would like to explain exactly what feminism means. Rebecca West, a British suffragist and journalist said that "Feminism is the radical notion that women are people." Feminism can be defined in so many ways, but I think of feminism being aspiration of achieving equality between both genders. I realize that some people take the ideals of feminism to extreme levels, but not everyone does, therefore the ideal only should not be blamed for the breakdown “traditional” family values. I don’t think of feminism as being a woman trying to take over the world, but rather trying to make the world a place of equality between the sexes. Allowing people remove the age- old stereotypes that trap us into old fashioned ways of the male breadwinner, and the woman caregiver. Several studies have been done on the gender role reversal and their effects on the families, and while the stress levels are higher, the studies show mild negative effects of it when coping strategies are practiced. As with anything, there are good and bad point to feminism in families. However, a whole I think feminism in mild forms can be beneficial for families. It is not feminism’s fault for the change in today’s times. Blame the ignorance of people for not allowing
Maigan Sorensen
Northeastern State University
Feminism and Family
I will start out my paper by stating that I do not believe that feminism should be blamed for the downfall of the “traditional” family. Society as a whole has become more accepting of this generation’s liberal ways, this includes men and women. I personally believe that feminism can help in the family dynamics. I am a firm in my belief that the running and functioning of the family should be the responsibility of both the man and woman. They should share workload to set a positive example for the children. The children would learn that it takes two people working together to achieve a more successful life. With my point being stated, I would like to explain exactly what feminism means. Rebecca West, a British suffragist and journalist said that "Feminism is the radical notion that women are people." Feminism can be defined in so many ways, but I think of feminism being aspiration of achieving equality between both genders. I realize that some people take the ideals of feminism to extreme levels, but not everyone does, therefore the ideal only should not be blamed for the breakdown “traditional” family values. I don’t think of feminism as being a woman trying to take over the world, but rather trying to make the world a place of equality between the sexes. Allowing people remove the age- old stereotypes that trap us into old fashioned ways of the male breadwinner, and the woman caregiver. Several studies have been done on the gender role reversal and their effects on the families, and while the stress levels are higher, the studies show mild negative effects of it when coping strategies are practiced. As with anything, there are good and bad point to feminism in families. However, a whole I think feminism in mild forms can be beneficial for families. It is not feminism’s fault for the change in today’s times. Blame the ignorance of people for not allowing
References: * Somech, Anit, Drach-Zahavy, Anat (Jan 2007) Strategies for coping with work-family conflict: The distinctive relationships of gender role ideology, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology 12(1) pgs. 1-19 Retrieved from ebschost.com * Baumgardner, J., & Richards, A. (2005). Grassroots. (1 Ed.). New York: Farrar,Straus, and Giroux