Some of the things that get women's rights groups up in arms is the treatment of the female characters in the show They are shown in some episodes to be targets of physical violence or bullying from the male characters and even opposing women characters like the ones at James Woods Regional High. They are either treated as defenseless humans unable to stand up for themselves, lower than average thinkers, or dependant on their male counterparts to take on the load of the work. Some of the funniest, while at the same time, crude humor is placed on the Meg character. She receives fart smelling from her father as a way of amusement by Peter, the "Shut Up, Meg" whenever she is trying to fit in with her family. The way they have her character is the "butt" (no pun intended) of the family's and the town's humor. There is also a debate for the rights of women in the show where most times, especially with Meg, that they try to promote their rights and prove that there are good or better at what they do than their male counterparts.
Part of that may have to do with the parenting of Peter and Lois. In particular, Lois is the target of choice. In the episode "Seashore Seashell Party", Meg highlights the stereotype that is portrayed in the show where women are treated as nothing but objects for male pleasure. There is a point that can be made where Meg Griffin can be seen as a figure of feminism and women's right. If there were anybody that should be there to help Meg out when she needs guidance to grow as a human, it should be her "role model" mother. As religious studies scholar David Feltmate highlights in his article talking about animated sitcom mothers and their sexuality, he talks about why the Lois character has lost quality for the promiscuous activity she partakes in.
"Meg’s rant combines Lois’ failures as a mother and her sexual history. Note that two of her four labels for Lois (porn-star and whore) slander Lois’ sexuality. In so doing, Meg (and by extension Family Guy’s creative staff) links Lois’ promiscuity and her poor mothering. If Lois were moral she would be a good mother and not so licentious. When Lois acted lasciviously, she succumbed to one side of the sex/motherhood dichotomy, taking a narcissistic route and forgoing good mothering. While the series started with Lois being a caring and doting housewife, by the tenth season she is a cruel, uncaring, sexually wild woman (2014: 549)"
Where many view the mother as a figure of empowerment for a child to look up and emulate themselves towards, having Meg highlight Lois' past of promiscuity, criminality, and addiction labels Lois as an object of male superiority being the best example of that label.
One of the arguments that can be made of the treatment of women in the show is how they can be treated ab objects or "eye candy" for the pleasure of the males. In the episode, "I am Peter, Hear me Roar", Peter gets himself in trouble for a chauvinist joke about one of the women employees. The joke goes "Why do women have boobs? So you got something to look at when you talk to them". In Mr. Weed's office, he mentions to his lawyer, Gloria Ironbachs, who represents Sarah Bennett, the woman whom this joke was made to mentions that while Gloria feels that Bennett was sexually harassed, Mr. Weed assures that Happy Go Lucky Toy Company does not condone sexual harassment in the workplace. He adds that female employment relations have been a mandatory part of the personnel training for fifty years. Then it cuts to the video where it shows women in the workplace typewriting. The video contains comments about how woman are insecure about their appearance and how you should give them compliments about how they look every day, followed by a smack on the rear end. When this was first aired, the joke can be gotten away with. However, with further access to social media and the #MeToo movement, there will not be a day where this episode is not criticized for the chauvinist nature.