Family Structure and Feminism in Kalachuvadu Short Stories

காலச்சுவடு சிறுகதைகளில் குடும்ப அமைப்பும் பெண்ணியம்

Abstract

The family is a fundamental social institution. If man is considered its foundation, woman is its root strength. The institution of the family has a long historical lineage. While Marx and Engels proposed the revolutionary idea that this structure should be abolished, socialist feminists argued instead for transforming it through essential changes. In the traditional family system, women are burdened both within and outside the household—managing domestic chores while also participating in external work, leading to physical exhaustion and emotional isolation. Lenin, as quoted by Prema, remarked that “women are tied like a continuous chain to the kitchen, school, household chores, and outside work.” In middle-class families, women are often subordinated to their husbands’ desires and moods, simultaneously taking care of children and maintaining the household. This mechanical, repetitive existence affects them both mentally and physically. Hence, socialist feminists emphasized the need for restructuring the family system to liberate women from oppression and inequality.