Feminist critique of family structure and gender roles in sociology

Sociology of Women

Family

Family, as sociology recognizes is one of the most important institutions that contribute to the process of primary socialization of an individual. However, like all other institutions, family is one of the crucial grounds where feminists have a lot to argue about and they fight for the rights of women and the need to be given an appropriate space and respect in the household.

As the distribution of work in the household goes, the traditional belief and concept is that the women are the ones who need to stay home and monitor all the necessary chores and the domestic work needed around the house. However, the feminists seem to be highly critical about this particular thought. They have begun to question why it is seen as the women's sole responsibility to look after the needs of the children and tend to every individual in the household. Since the feminists have largely raised arguments about the liberation and freedom that a woman should have regarding her career and her life, they have also put forward the idea of symmetrical roles in the family played by the husband and wife.

They stress the need for both of them to have a certain amount of shared responsibility in the caretaking of the children as well as the rest of the household chores. It is seen as a common notion that the responsibility of keeping the family happy and together falls on the woman's shoulder but according to the feminists, it is not just the woman alone who has to suffer through everything that goes wrong. Today, we can see a lot of changes that have come about in the family structure and work distribution. The modern family system has now become the nuclear family and the concept of extended families is now rare to find.

The feminists are highly critical regarding the much common patriarchal family system and have put forward the need for it to be symmetrical and peered out. This has brought about much diversity and changes in the roles played out by the men and women in the household. What needs to be realized is however that the feminists do not aim to diminish the strong hold of the men or their influence, but merely establish a more equal and symmetrical household where the women have an equal say in the important decisions and an equal freedom to put herself above her family.

Sexuality

Sexuality, considered from a sociological point-of-view can be described as the way in which an individual performs and behaves according to their respective gender. Some people argue that this is a mere social construct and has been formed by social interactions but it still remains to be quite an important factor in society.

It is seen as highly important to follow your own gender role and know the sexuality that one belongs to. The "normal" sexuality form remains to be heterosexuality which is commonly found and the others are seen as deviant or queer. The importance of sexuality is seen by the gender roles performed by the men and the women and the way society perceives men to be the more dominating and stronger gender that undermines the women and can exercise power and control over her. This concept is emphasized also by the sexual organs that the two genders possess and how the women are seen as the weaker gender.

The "Orgasm Gap" and the myths that surround it show just how the concept of sexuality is perceived in society and how the women are seen to be symbolizing sex by the biology of their figure and how men think the body of the women is a source of orgasm for a man. Another myth that surrounds sexuality in society is how sex is seen to be a more serious matter for the women and associated with their respect while the men are seen as promiscuous and their intentions are rarely ever questioned in the act. This again enforces the extent of patriarchy in the society.

Bodies

The body structure and the caretaking of the human body is something we see people worrying about a lot these days. What we often notice is the fact that women are programmed to be more cautious about their looks as compared to the men. A fat woman would be highly criticized for her plump figure whereas a man would not be ridiculed quite as much.

This is another assertion of the patriarchal society that we have come to live in. Women in our society are programmed to look a certain way and be extra careful about their weight and their looks. The fear of becoming an outcast drives women to conform to these requirements. Feminists have now raised arguments and tried to gain some stance as far as the looks of women and their decisions go. They argue that getting an abortion is the choice of the mother and it should be made accessible to rich and poor women, both. They also argue that women should not be forced into having sex and getting pregnant if that is not what they want.

Global

Some global phenomenon that exist which again show us what an extent the males can bring down the women is by the level of forced prostitution that the women are subjected to be a part of which they rarely can ever do something about. This is becoming one of the major concerns of the feminist activists in order to give women their respect and their dignity that they deserve and free them from the domination and oppression inflicted upon them by the males of their family as well as society as a whole.

Often women are deprived of their basic human rights and liberation because they belong to a particular class, religion, ethnicity or race. This is no reason to deprive the woman of their right to have the life of their choice and the feminists are taking a stand to give them back their due rights and diminish the male domination.

Feminism

Feminism is the concept that strives for an equal stance among men and women and to try and give women their due respect and place in society and enable them to make their own choices. It is not a drive to overrule the men or to deprive them of their authority but to make them realize that women are their equals and they are also human beings which means that they have an equal place in society and they deserve to be respected for the hardships they face in society. This will not just benefit the women but will also assist the men as women enter the work field and try to support their families and their children and try to be a support of every kind for their families.