Feminist Theory

I think that the Feminist theory fits the best in explaining the majority of marriage and family issues. The Feminist theory resembles the conflict theory, which describes power imbalance and wealth inequality as a result of capitalism, but instead is applied to gender roles and expectations, focusing on the power imbalance and inequality between men and women that is embedded in our social structure and how it creates conflict within the institutions of marriage and family. I believe that this theory accounts for many marriage and family problems today because gender status, as determined by society, and the act of “doing gender” largely influence family interactions and relationships in a variety of ways. This image displays the theory by depicting a woman trying to juggle all of her household and working responsibilities. While she is performing this balancing act, the man in the family does not have to worry about anything but his employee duties. The picture accurately portrays the unbalanced division of household labor between men and women. This means that working wives and mothers are expected to have two jobs, homemaker and full-time employee, while husbands and fathers are only expected to have one full-time job to help provide for the family. These different expectations for each gender show the subordination of women and the domination of men in marriage and family as women are expected to do double the work of men yet are still valued less for their everyday efforts. This phenomenon puts stress on the family and causes tension between its members. This theory can also explain the social problems of gender inequality and discrimination in the institutions of work and education, and in larger society as a whole.