What do radical feminists say about the family and relationships with men?

• A. The family empowers women
• B. The family is patriarchal and exploitative; solutions include rejecting the family and relationships with men
• C. The family is neutral
• D. The family is beneficial to all

Answer: (B)

Radical feminists see the family as a key site of patriarchal control, where men's power over women is reinforced through unpaid domestic labor, the sexual double standard, and the socialization of children to accept traditional gender roles. Because of this, they argue the family and heterosexual relationships can be exploitative rather than empowering for women. The proposed response, then, emphasizes that the family is patriarchal and exploitative and suggests solutions like rejecting the family and relationships with men as a way to escape male domination. This contrasts with other views that see the family as neutral or beneficial, which radical feminists would reject because they foreground power and oppression embedded in family life. Some radicals also discuss separatist or political lesbian ideas, but the core message is that traditional family life sustains patriarchy.