Families

Question 1

Describe Parsons ‘organic analogy’ for explaining the role of the family

Answer 1

The family is a vital ‘organ’ in maintaining the ‘body’ of society

Question 2

What are Murdock’s 4 functions of the family

Answer 2

• Stable satisfaction of the adult sex drive
• Reproduction of the next generation
• Meeting the economic needs of its members
• Primary socialisation of children into shared norms and values

Question 3

What are Parsons 2 irreducible functions of the family

Answer 3

primary socialisation of a child and stabilising adult personalities

Question 4

What are Murdock’s views on the nuclear family? And why are they criticised?

Answer 4

He views it as universal as it can be found in all stages of societies development. He focuses on only the nuclear family. Other institutions can perform all these functions.

Question 5

What is structural differentiation and what does Parsons say about it?

Answer 5

Parsons describes it as the process in which the state has taken over some of the roles of the family

Question 6

How can the general functionalist view of the family be criticised?

Answer 6

Functionalists are described as having a rose tinted view of the family as they ignore all the negative aspects of it such as child abuse and neglect.

Question 7

What do Marxists say the family does for society?

Answer 7

Benefitting the bourgeoisie and the capitalistic society while disadvantaging the proletariat.

Question 8

What are the 4 functions of the family according to Marxists?

Answer 8

• Inheritance of wealth and property - through the paternal line to maintain means of production.
• Ideological functions - Socialisation of children, ideas that hierarchy and inequality are inevitable. Ensures the following of orders in proletariat.
• The cushioning effect (Zaretsky) - women absorbing aggression from their working husbands.
• Existing as a unit of consumption - family as important market in sale of consumer goods.

Question 9

What is an ISA and why does Althusser say the family is one?

Answer 9

Althusser says the family is an ideological state apparatus because it transmits the values of the state.

Question 10

How is the Marxist view of the family criticised?

Answer 10

Marxists tend to assume nuclear family is dominant, ignoring all other family types. Feminists say that they focus too much on class inequalities and not enough on inequalities of gender (family serves interests of men not capitalism). Functionalists argue they overlook the positives of the family.

Question 11

What is the general feminist attitude to the family?

Answer 11

Feminists believe the family typically oppresses women, they focus on the domestic division of labour and domestic violence.

Question 12

What is the liberal feminist attitude towards the family?

Answer 12

They seek reform through campaigning for fair treatment. Examples include Sex discrimination act 1975. March of progress towards gender equality. Criticised for failing to challenge the underlying causes of women’s oppression.

Question 13

What is the Marxist feminist attitude towards the family?

Answer 13

They believe that the oppression of women has three main benefits for capitalism. They reproduce the labour force, absorb anger from their partners and they are an army of cheap labour in crisis scenarios.

Question 14

Which Marxist feminist describes women as ‘takers of shit’?

Answer 14

Fran Ansley

Question 15

What is the radical feminist view on the family?

Answer 15

Radical feminists believe society is founded on patriarchy. They view men as the enemy of women and marriage is a key institution that maintains the patriarchal control that men have. They want to free women from the influence of men which is why they argue for political lesbianism and separatism.

Question 16

How does Somerville argue against the views of Radical feminists?

Answer 16

They fail to recognise the improvements in the position of women in all aspects of life and that heterosexual attraction makes it unlikely that separatism would work.

Question 17

What is the Difference feminist attitude towards the family?

Answer 17

They argue against generalisations made about the experiences of women. They talk about how sexuality, race, class and ethnicity can all affect how a women experiences the impacts of the patriarchy. They also emphasise that the discrimination women face may not be the worst factor in their life, eg women starving in Africa care less about misogyny and more about getting food.

Question 18

What does Giddens (Postmodernist) say about relationships and families.

Answer 18

Giddens says that people have more choice in terms of the relationships and family they are part of today than ever before. These relationships are so called pure relationships which last as long as everyone involved is happy, so cohabitation and serial monogamy is more common.

Question 19

What does Stacey (Postmodernist) say about the changing position of women in the family?

Answer 19

Women now have more freedom to shape their family arrangements and relationships to suit their own needs, freeing themselves from the impacts of an oppressive male partner, but traditional gender roles are still the norm in postmodern society.

Question 20

What does Postman (Postmodernist) say about childhood?

Answer 20

The cause of both the emergence of childhood, and now its disappearance, lies in the rise and fall of print culture and its replacement by television culture.

Question 21

How does Brooks criticise Postman’s work?

Answer 21

He argues that evidence suggests that adults are taking more and more control of children’s lives- cotton wool society! Parents are more obsessed with safety, and ever more concerned with defining boundaries for their kids. Helicopter Parents.

Question 22

What does Margot say about Childhood?

Answer 22

She points to the rising sexualisation of childhood,

Question 23

How does Jenks, another postmodernist, disagree with Postman’s work?

Answer 23

He says that childhood is not disappearing it is just changing.

Question 24

Why is marriage declining?

Answer 24

• Secularisation
• Changing attitudes
• Declining stigma
• Changes in position of women
• Fear of divorce

Question 25

Why reasons are there for changes in Divorce rate?

Answer 25

• Changes in law
• Secularisation
• Changes in position of women
• Declining stigma
• Rising expectations of marriage – Pure relationships

Question 26

What reasons are there for changes in cohabitation?

Answer 26

• Declining stigma
• Trial marriage
• More choice
• Secularisation
• Women less financially dependent

Question 27

What reasons are there for changes in Childbearing?

Answer 27

• Changes in position of women eg. having children later after pursuing a career.
• Less stigma
• More choice, people chose to be childless

Question 28

What has lead to the increase in same sex couples?

Answer 28

• Increased social acceptance
• Legal changes
• less stigma
• more choice and individuality

Question 29

Why have birth rates been affected:

Answer 29

• changes in the position of women (harper)
• lower infant mortality rate
• secularisation
• economic liability not asset (factories)
• child centeredness (socially constructed)
• migration

Question 30

Why have death rates changed?

Answer 30

• less infectious disease
• improved nutrition
• medical improvements
• public health measures
• environmental improvements

Question 31

Why has Migration led to changes in the family?

Answer 31

• different family types
• economic reasons
• labour shortages
• Erikson - Transnational identities. Because of technology, migrants are less likely to desire assimilation into their host culture.
• Migrants are typically young working age and fertile

Question 32

How has globalisation affected family structure

Answer 32

• more asylum seekers
• more immigration
• super diversity

Question 33

What is the western view of Childhood

Answer 33

• psychological and physical immaturity
• needs protecting
• laws and policies surround them
• pilcher – separate status from adults

Question 34

How was childhood different in the past

Answer 34

• Aries – mini adults
• high deathrates meant that kids were not that important
  *Economic asset rather than Burden
  *Schools, clothing and childrearing handbooks changed this

Question 35

What is the march of progress view about childhood?

Answer 35

Lloyd De Mause - Childhood was a nightmare the further back you go
Babies now live longer
More child centredness including laws
Aries - children used to be mini adults
Short - children used to expect death in factories (almost replaceable as financial asset)

Question 36

What does conflict law entail?

Answer 36

There is inequality between children (nationality, gender, class, ethnicity)
There is inequality between children and adults (control over time, space, bodies and resources)

Question 37

What does Parsons say about the domestic division of labour?

Answer 37

Husband performs an instrumental role where he financially provides for his family. Breadwinner. The wife performs an expressive role with primary socialisation of children and fulfilling emotional needs. Full time housewives.

Question 38

Why do functionalists and the New right agree with Parsons?

Answer 38

They believe that this division of labour is beneficial for both husband and wife, their children and wider society.

Question 39

Why do Feminists disagree with Parsons?

Answer 39

They disagree with the view that the division is natural. They argue it only benefits men.

Question 40

How do Willmott and Young criticise Parsons?

Answer 40

They point to men doing more childcare and housework. They view family as symmetrical. Gradually improving for all members with joint conjugal roles not bound by stereotypes.

Question 41

What type of sociologists are Willmott and Young?

Answer 41

They are march of progress functionalists

Question 42

How do Feminists reject the march of progress view?

Answer 42

They view women as being exploited in terms of housework due to the Patriarchal nature of society

Question 43

How does Ann Oakley criticise Willmott and Young?

Answer 43

She says that most men only help once or twice per week. 15% help in housework and 25% in childcare.

Question 44

How is Ann Oakley’s study criticised?

Answer 44

Her study was conducted in the 1970s (outdated results), nowadays there is many more women working full and part time which shows how there has been development in society towards equality.

Question 45

What do Duncombe and Marsden say about the domestic division of labour?

Answer 45

They believe that women have to perform a triple shift of housework, paid work and emotional work.

Question 46

What evidence does Gershuny and Kan give towards a march of progress?

Answer 46

He found that couples whose parents had a more equal relationship were more likely to share housework equally. Kan found that for every 10k a women earned she did 2 hours less housework.

Question 47

What do Radical feminists say about domestic abuse?

Answer 47

They point to domestic abuse as an inevitability due to the patriarchy, saying it preserves the power men have over women. This is then evidence to why domestic assault is under-prosecuted as men run the state institutions.

Question 48

How does Elliot reject the view of Radical feminists?

Answer 48

Points out that not all men are violent and they don’t all benefit from domestic abuse. They also ignore female violence, including child abuse, in lesbian couples and against husbands (e.g. Amber Heard). They are also unable to explain what makes women more at risk of domestic abuse.