ABSTRACT
The fact/value distinction originates in the positivistic contention that facts are products of neutral, disinterested observation performed in controlled conditions such as laboratory experiments. These conditions ensure replicability; and objectivity. Facts are 'value neutral'. Feminists have shown that behind the mask of objectivity and value-neutrality are complex power structures of vested interest, dominance, and subordination. Feminist approaches to the interpretation of fairy tales have been instrumental in revealing the form's potential for renegotiating and transforming categories of gender. Various feminisms tend to address the institution of the family in differing ways. Typically, liberal feminism emphasises family impediments to gender equality, for example socialisation, reproduction, child-care and domestic labour. Family law was for many centuries based on the notion that the family was a natural association of husband, wife, and their biological children, with men and women by nature fit for different tasks and responsibilities.
