Sociology 7 Assignment: Families, Motherhood, and Family Violence

This sociology assignment explores the historical evolution of families and the changing conceptions of motherhood, with a specific focus on how these changes have impacted societal norms. The essay examines the terms 'momism' and the 'motherhood mystique,' providing a critical analysis of their implications. It further delves into the feminist perspective on families, discussing the ideal family structure, family diversity, and the prevalence of family violence. The assignment outlines various forms of family violence, detailing their consequences and exploring feminist scholars' views on the root causes of violence against women, which are often linked to gender inequality and patriarchal structures. Finally, it proposes an effective strategy to eliminate family violence from society, emphasizing the importance of education, awareness, and improved legal frameworks to protect victims and hold perpetrators accountable.

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University Name
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Author Note

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Outline the history of families and how the conception of motherhood has changed in
particular. What is meant by the terms ‘momism’ and the ‘motherhood mystique?’ What is
the feminist perspective on families? Discuss within the context of the ideal family, family
diversity, and family violence. Discuss the various forms of family violence and its
consequences. What do feminist scholars believe is the reason for violence against women?
What is your best suggestion to eliminate family violence from society?
The origins of motherhood dates back on 2 million years ago where majority of human
ancestors begin to emerge as specific species from other primates (Roomani et al., 2016).
Unlike the other animals human motherhood included the style of wearing the children and
allowing others for assisting the caring and the feeding process of their in science. According
to anthropologists, this was a step of change which has the most significant effect over the
subsequent evolution of human (Stephens, 2007). In discussion of the outline related to the
history of families and how the conception of motherhood has changed throughout the era, it
is to note that the role of early motherhood was way to weekend. The concept of
alloparenting included the involvement of wider community and family tour here giving and
sharing of a child.
Throughout the evolution period, the context of motherhood has been positioned with the
support of social frameworks that allowed mothers were the development of essential primary
bonds with their child or in science and also allowing them to be additional reproductive
within the group they reside (Gutierrez-Domenech, 2005). During the late Stone Age when
majority of the evolutionary force have shaped the ways of living, the role of mother and
women weather of critical towards survive. However with the increasing rate of globalisation
and the use of technology, the entire globe has been on the progressive run by improving the

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quality of the lives of mothers and motherhood. According to the research studies there lies
evidences for modern mothers who already have strong network switch provides them with a
stronger sense of community engagement (CSOMORTÁNI, 2013). However one of the
major difficulties for the current day’s mother and their motherhood is towards maintaining a
work life balance and sorting out their priorities in this fast moving world.
The term momism refers to excessive adoration as well as oversentimentalization of mothers
which is held towards being oedipal as well as allowed towards overprotectiveness. This
situation in motherhood unconsciously denies emotional image submission of their
offspring’s furthermore resulting in psychoneuroses (Skott, 2016). On the other hand the
motherhood mystique is one of the idealized view of the context of motherhood which holds
that women are uniquely suited you are raising their children. The term supposes that each
and every woman want to experience motherhood and that motherhood is major and ultimate
fulfilment within the life of a women. This term is connected to several critics that points out
to the guilt faced by many mothers towards the fact that the context of motherhood infiltrates
and initiate in replacing women’s personal identity.
Feminist perspective within the families revolves around the agreement that gender is a
socially constructed phenomenon (Valls et al., 2016). Gender roles are learnt rather than
determined buy chapters of biology.one of the most significant institution where humans
socialize towards appropriate roles and norms of behaviour is the family. According to the
research studies feminists have been the centre of criticism regarding the gender roles that are
associated with the traditional families specifically after 1950 (Bograd, 2014). Towards the
elaboration of the feminist perspective, research studies argued that nuclear family tends to
have traditionally performed to key functions that appraises or women. Geyser socialization
of women towards accepting subservient roles while socializing the main towards believe that
they are always the superior. Secondly the socializing of women population towards

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accepting the role as housewife was considered to be the only way for being feminine.
However the context of feminism in the current day is split into three distinct branches of
Marxist feminist, liberal feminist and radical feminist (Espelage et al., 2014). Please
perceptions over the families underlies the causes of the existence of patriarchy as well as the
progress of the families and the humans towards a feminist change.
However still in the current times, ideal family is being portrayed with women over the role
of a housewife while men are shown as the superior one earning the bread for the family.
Towards the explanation of the feminist perspective, the concept of diversity is good
according to the Marxist feminism since the nuclear family being a tool towards supporting
the bourgeoisie and the capitalism tends to prevent the freedom of a women and does not
recognise the role of a women apart from the house works (McClennen, Keys & Day, 2016).
Family diversity referring to the characteristics on the dimensions in a broader range together
with the recognition of the multitude of different characters of the family with several
functions is a more contemporary view towards propagating feminism.
Family violence can be classified as the destructive behaviour within an intimate relation
where one individual intense to dominate and control the other. Also referred to as domestic
violence that includes several range of behaviour, some of the popular examples of family
violence includes physical abuse, verbal abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, social abuse,
stalking and financial abuse (World Health Organization, 2016). The effects of all these
family violence majorly targets the psychological on the mental health of the victim together
with severe physical injuries in case of physical abuse and internal organ or genital injuries in
case of sexual abuse.
According to the research studies the reason for violence against women by the male
population is a result of inequality and gender norms (Johnson, 2016). Due to the result of the

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prevailing patriarchal society throughout the globe and often feel pressurized to be the
dominant one and within the control of the entire family (Messner, Greenberg & Peretz,
2015). Growing up in a patriarchal family majority of men believe that they are the superior
and does needs to be powerful and strong enough to dominate the weaker section of the
gender. These characteristics are majorly termed as the gender notes. From the perspective of
feminist scholars, the drivers of violence against women includes controlling decision-
making of male, and acceptability of the equal rights among female and male, limitation
towards the independence of women in public and private life, feelings of being threatened to
nurture the power and dominance at home (Çelik, 2016). My best suggestion to eliminate
family violence from society is by education and awareness of the equal rights of women. I
furthermore believe that the laws needs to be improved for punishing the perpetrators.

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Reference
Bograd, M. (2014). Feminist approaches for men in family therapy. Routledge.
Çelik, A. B. (2016). A holistic approach to violence: Women parliamentarians’ understanding
of violence against women and violence in the Kurdish issue in Turkey. European
Journal of Women's Studies, 23(1), 76-92.
CSOMORTÁNI, Z. D. (2013). ADVERSE CARE. THE THEORIES OF
PSYCHOLOGICAL OVERPROTECTION BASED ON THE PSYCHOANALYTIC
IDEA FROM MOMISM TO INTERACTIONAL SYNCHRONY. Practice and
Theory in Systems of Education, 8(1), 41-58.
Espelage, D. L., Low, S., Rao, M. A., Hong, J. S., & Little, T. D. (2014). Family violence,
bullying, fighting, and substance use among adolescents: A longitudinal mediational
model. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 24(2), 337-349.
Gutierrez-Domenech, M. (2005). Employment after motherhood: a European
comparison. Labour economics, 12(1), 99-123.
Johnson, M. P. (2016). Confl ict and Control: Symmetry and Asymmetry in Domestic
Violence. In Couples in conflict (pp. 125-134). Routledge.
McClennen, J., Keys, A. M., & Day, M. (2016). Social work and family violence: Theories,
assessment, and intervention. Springer Publishing Company.
Messner, M. A., Greenberg, M. A., & Peretz, T. (2015). Some men: Feminist allies in the
movement to end violence against women. Oxford Studies in Culture and.
Roomani, F. Z., Tayyab, F., Kamal, N., & Siddique, K. (2016). Role of Women in
Perpetuating Violence against Women: Case Studies of Domestic Violence
Victims. Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences (PJSS), 36(2).

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Skott, B. P. (2016). Motherhood Mystique. Encyclopedia of Family Studies, 1-3.
Stephens, R. (2007). A history of motherhood, food procurement and politics in east-central
Uganda to the nineteenth century. Northwestern University.
Valls, R., Puigvert, L., Melgar, P., & Garcia-Yeste, C. (2016). Breaking the silence at
Spanish universities: findings from the first study of violence against women on
campuses in Spain. Violence against women, 22(13), 1519-1539.
World Health Organization. (2016). Ethical and safety recommendations for intervention
research on violence against women: building on lessons from the WHO publication
putting women first: ethical and safety recommendations for research on domestic
violence against women.