Families and Households

Question 1

what do functionalists say about the family?

Answer 1

the family has a function or purpose for the family and society. the family shares norms and values

Question 2

what is george murdocks perspective on the family.

Answer 2

functionalist view in 1959

most important functions of family:
-sex drive, reproduction, economics and socialisation

Question 3

what is talcott parsons perspective on the family.

Answer 3

functionalist view in 1955

two irreducible functions:

• primary socialisation of children: learn norms and values
• stabilisation of adult personalities: “warm bath theory” married couples use each other as emotional security and provide relief for each other

Question 4

evaluate george murdocks perspective on the family.

Answer 4

weakness: ignores family diversity/not ever family reaches economic needs
strength: less problems such as unwanted children

Question 5

evaluate talcotts parsons perspective of the family.

Answer 5

strength: shows how every person in the family plays a role and has a purpose.
weakness: feminists argue that the family benefits the man more then the women, transmitting patriarchal views

Question 6

who makes up the new right theory and what do they believe in?

Answer 6

journalists, academics and politicians

they see family as the basis of society and only agree with the nuclear family.

Question 7

what is the new rights opinions on other types of families?

Answer 7

disagree with lone parents as they become dependent on the governments welfare

disagree with same sex couples as it breaks the male and female role ideology

Question 8

give strengths of the new right views on the family

Answer 8

• recognise the negative impact of long term dependency on benefits on families
• offer policy solutions to try tackle issue of welfare dependancy eg welfare to work programmes

Question 9

strengths of the functionalist view on the family.

Question 10

weaknesses of the functionalist views of the family

Answer 10

• feminists highlight that the family benefits men more then women and transmits patriarchal views.
• theory is too positive; ignores domestic violence and child abuse (dobash and dobash)
• marxists argue that the values transmitted in the family support capitalism and inequality rather then benefitting everyone

Question 11

what is nanny state

Answer 11

term used for families that are too dependent on the government

Question 12

what is the underclass

Answer 12

population of people who depend on the welfare of the government, usually unemployed

Question 13

what is welfare dependency

Answer 13

state in which a person it household is reliant on government welfare benefits for their income (jobless)

Question 14

what do the new right state about family

Answer 14

• need both female and male role model for effective socialisation
• single parent family cost too much in welfare benefit
  (also support traditional gender stereotypes)

Question 15

weaknesses of the new right views on the family

Answer 15

• criticise single parent families but don’t acknowledge they can be loving and supportive homes
• feminists argue that nr have sexist attitudes towards womens roles; many families cannot survive on only one male wage so the ideas are inpractical

Question 16

what is capitalism

Answer 16

system by which society is organised; people exchange their labour for wages and this profits private and rich owners

Question 17

what are the three main functions that the family performs according to marxists

Answer 17

inheritance of property,ideological functions and unit of consumption

Question 18

what is inheritance of property and who presented this idea

Answer 18

engles- a marxist

-monogamy (marriage between a male and female) only developed with the emergence of private property and capitalism

Question 19

what are ideological functions and who presented this idea

Answer 19

zaretsky
-ideology; set of beliefs,norms and values that are biased or one-sided and serve to support the structure of society as it is. the family socialise children to accept the inequalities of capitalist society and accept hierarchy.

Question 20

what is the unit of consumption and which theory does this apply to

Answer 20

capitalism makes money from the products it sells, many of these products being sold to families (encouraged by media and advertising, to buy more and more)

Question 21

strengths of the marxists perspective

Answer 21

• accepts hierarchy

- families are major consumers and allows advertisements to be targeted

Question 22

weaknesses of the marxist perspective

Answer 22

• ignore family diversity
• feminists say that marxists ignore the huge contribution that females give to the family
• deterministic (individual’s behaviour is determined by external factors) in this case the capitalist system rather then considering free will

Question 23

what are the different types of feminists

Answer 23

liberal, marxist, radical, difference

Question 24

what is the liberal feminist perspective

Answer 24

• optimistic view of the family as they see changes indicating a decrease in female oppression eg Equal Pay act 1970 and rape being made illegal in early 1990s.
• men do more in the home than in the past; more involved with childcare

Question 25

strengths of liberal-feminist approach

Answer 25

-their campaigns for political and social change have brought real improvements to the lives of women

Question 26

criticise liberal feminists

Answer 26

• only target white, middle-class groups of women, ignoring the experiences of other women
• studies on conjugal roles still suggest that women bear the majority of the housework (oakley)

Question 27

what is the marxist feminist perspective

Answer 27

• reject optimism if liberal feminists and argue that (benson) women still contribute to ruling class profits by performing free domestic tasks.
• see women as the “takers of shit” and that they absorb anger directed at capitalism (domestic violence) (ansley)
• women are the ‘reserve army’ of cheap labour; after employers don’t need them they’re sent back to perform unpaid domestic labour