families and households Flashcards
Murdock’s view on family
SEER
sexual, economic, education and reproduction
Murdock evaluation (4)
ignores same sex families
families may have other functions e.g. love
Nayyar- the mothers brothers look after the children
Marxists argue it reproduces capitalism.
Parsons view on family
nuclear family is best
1. primary socialisation of children
2. stabilisation of adult personalities
also known as the warm bath theory
Parsons evaluation
rose- tinted, ignores abuse
ignores other family types
feminist (Browne) argues housework also causes stress leading to mental illness
what is pester power
when children pester their parents in order to get the newest thing/ what they want
what is keeping up with the jones’s
when you see what people around you have and therefore want it too
what is the family according to marxists
the family is a…
unit of consumption
who are the three key Marxist speakers
Engels, Althusser and Zaretsky
what is Engels argument
the family is like a business arrangement
men provide money etc while women act like a prostitute and provide an heir.
this keeps the wealth within the hands of the bourgeoisie.
what is an evaluation of Engels
it is not very romantic as it sees women as prostitutes
not all families want children
only talks about the nuclear family and ignores family diversity
what is Althusser’s argument
Althusser believes the family have the function of the ISA (ideological state apparatus) this is where the proletariat are taught that capitalism is right and prevents them from rebelling
what is an evaluation of Althusser
ignores social mobility in which families are given the ability to move social class if they work for it
as well as this feminists argue Marxists place too much emphasis on capitalism while ignoring other inequalities
what is Zaretsky’s argument
the family acts as a cushioning effect and the woman comforts the man when he comes home from the stress of the workplace
the family is also a place in which men get to be in charge, ‘the king of the castle’
what is an evaluation of Zaretsky
outdated as women now also work (duel earner families)
ignores the positives of the family
what is patriarchy
a society dominated by men
what do feminists believe are the roles of the family are
socialising girls to accept subservient roles and socialising women to accept the housewife role
what are the three types of feminism
liberal, radical and Marxist
how many women a week are killed by (ex) partners
3 a week
what do liberal feminists argue
things aren’t completely equal at the moment however they are improving through laws and policies e.g. Equal Pay Act 1970
Somerville argues that things are improving however recognises further changes need to be made
what is an evaluation of liberal feminists
radical feminists argue they are too happy with the changes already made and don’t recognise how wide gender inequality is
what do Marxist feminists argue
that women are exploited by both patriarchy and capitalism
what does Marxist feminist Ansley argue
women are the ‘takers of shit’
what does Marxist feminist Beechy argue
- women reproduce the labor force
2.women are a ‘reserve army of cheap labour’
what do radical feminists argue
that women should live in matrifocal households (only women)
what is an evaluation of radical feminists
they make all men look bad
not all women want to live without men/ be a lesbian
what happens to sons of mothers?
what is the triple shift
emotional work, career and domestic work
who argued the triple shift
Duncombe and Marsden
what is the new right preferred family
nuclear
what do the new right blame the decline of the nuclear family on (4)
teenage pregnancies, young offenders, emotional trauma and educational failure
what do the new right believe about single parent families
they are ‘feckless’ and rely on benefits (only have children for benefits)
what does Charles Murray argue
the welfare state has created a dependency culture
he is scathing of lone parent families
there is an ‘underclass’ in society that rely on benefits
what is an evaluation of the new right
they exaggerate the decline of the nuclear family
they are extremely prejudice
they only place blame upon women
what do postmodernists believe
there is no longer a dominant family type, serial monogamy is more popular
what is the supermarket of life
picking and changing your partner
what does beck-Gernsheim and Stacy argue
people are no longer bound by tradition
what does Stacy argue
‘diverse, fluid and unresolved’ diversity is here to stay and there is no normal/ best family
what is an evaluation of postmodernism
functionalists argue the family is unstable
there isn’t as much diversity as they claim
they don’t use any evidence e.g. statistics
who came up with the ‘labelling theory’
Becker
what is labelling theory
when you give someone a label e.g. criminal. they are told they are criminal for so long that it becomes their master status, its all they are. they then self fulfill their prophecy and become a criminal
what experiment do we link with Jane Elliot
blue eyes brown eyes.
told blue eyes they were great, they did great in school told brown eyes they were bad and they did bad
swapped it around
what do functionalists Young and Willmott argue
that the family is symmetrical and jobs are shared equally
why does feminist Oakley criticise the symmetrical family?
she found that men only had to do one job a week to be involved in THE statistic
as well as this women still found domestic labour to be their priority and responsibility
what does feminist Oakley argue
that domestic labour is hard, unrewarding and routine
what is the general marriage trend
decreasing
marriage statistic
213,122 heterosexual marriages in 2019, lowest since 1888
why has marriage declined
secularisation, cost, changing role of women, fear of divorce, cohabitation, serial monogamy
what’s the difference between an arranged marriage and a forced marriage
arranged marriages are consensual and do not break the law
what is a strength and weakness of an arranged marriage
s- no stress of finding a partner, parents would pick someone suitable
w- maintains men’s power over women, limits personal choice
what does Mead argue about cohabitation
that it is a trial for marriage ‘probationary mariage’
what does Mcrae argue about cohabitation
is cohabitation that different to marriage?
what do Allan and Crow argue about cohabitation
contraception made it possible
why has cohabitation risen
change in social attitude, see your partners true colours, fear of divorce, secularisation
what are some limitations of cohabitation
Murphy- children of cohabitating parents are disadvantaged
Wilson and Stutchbury- cohabitating is less stable
what are LAT’s
living apart, together
a couple which live separately
what is a reason for LAT’s
habits that annoy each other etc.
is divorce increasing or decreasing
increasing
divorce statistic (2)
in 202 there were 11,505 divorces a 9.6% increase from 2020
half of all marriages end in divorce
who are more at risk of divorces?
rushed marriage
children of divorce
financial problems
why has divorce increased
changing role of women, easier, less stigma etc.
1949 legal aid and advice act
those filing for divorce had to prove guilt
1969 divorce reform act
women could file for divorce without proof
why are birth and fertility rates dropping
contraception, changing role of women, decline in infant mortality rate
child mortality statistic
1990 22.5% would die before their 5th birthday, 2015 0.5%
why is here a decline in infant mortality
free healthcare, medical advancements, increased guidance e.g. midwifes
sue sharpe study
1976- girls priority love marriage children
1994- job, career, independancy
what is the life course
the sequence of events and actions in an individuals life history
what do Allan and Crow argue about the life course
it was a standard process and cycle which reset with your children however now multiple choices and paths are available
what is the personal life perspective
interactions between people in relationships and the networks that connects individuals
the work of May 2011
greater family diversity and people construct their own networks to develop their own needs
what is the benefit of a support network
have your best interest, fit your needs
