Families and Households paper2 section 1 Flashcards
what perspective and viewpoint do functionalists take and is their view on the family positive or negative?
- functionalists have a consensus perspective
-they take a macro view on society
-they say families have a positive and important role in society
what is Murdock’s Four major functions theory?
-Murdock believes the family performs four major functions
-Sexual
-Reproductive
-Economic
-Education- socialisation
What does Emile Durkheim- functionalist- believe the family do
- Emile Durkheim believes the family are important in creating value consensus and he believes the family is central in integrating individuals into society so that it functions properly. It is important for creating social solidarity and a collective conscious.
what is Talcott Parsons - functionalist - two irreducible functions of the family theory?
-Talcott Parsons believes the family has two main roles
- The primary socialisation of children to internalise societies culture
-The stabilisation of adult personalities- warm bath theory- husband worries about money and job and his family act as a warm bath to wash this away so family provides emotional security
What are the key criticisms of the functionalists view on the family?
- functions of the family could be performed equally well by other institutions
- Marxists and Feminists say it has a rose tinted view as the family is oppressive and serves the neds of men and capitalism
- Morgan states the functionalists view on the family over emphasises the importance and efficiency and the approach has painted a picture of family life which is too good to be true.
what is Marxist perspective and view on society and do they believe the family is positive or negative?
-Marxists are a conflict perspective that take a macro view on society
-they say the family plays a negative role in society as it upholds the capitalist ideology
What are some Marxist theorists views on the family?
-Engles - the family ensures the wealthy stay wealthy through inheritance and marriage
-Zaretsky - he family offers a haven from he hard world of capitalism but this is an illusion as it is based off the un-payed labour of women The family also produce the next labour force and are a unit of consumption- media target children
-L Althusser- the family is an ideological state apparatus that indoctrinates the working class into a state of false consciousness
What are the positives of the Marxist view on the family?
-not a natural institution but has taken on the form that it has to serve the needs of capitalism
-a vehicle of social control
-ideological state apparatus along with the media, education and religion
-shaped by the economic base
What are the negatives of the Marxist view on society?
- too stereotypical -ignores family diversity
-too deterministic- views people as passive
-overemphasises the degree to which parents can socialise children into the philosophies of capitalism
-exaggerate that it is a function for capitalism whereas functionalists would say its for society as a whole
-places too much emphasis on capitalism exploiting women as it is not just capitalism but the patriarchy so they both ned to be eradicated is what a feminist would say
what is a liberal feminists view on the family?
- women’s oppression is gradually being overcome by changing attitudes and change in the law- sex discrimination act 1975 and more shared domestic labour
-gender equality has not been achieved but its a gradual change
-they hold a similar view to march of progress theorists like Willmott and Young
What is liberal feminist J Bernard’s view on marriage
Marriage is only beneficial for men and married women and women suffer more illness and initiate more divorce
What are the pros and cons of liberal feminism?
pros- outlines women’s disadvantaged position
-shows how the patriarchy can be challenged without a revolution
cons- doesn’t challenge the underlying cause of women’s oppression
-Oakley argues women still do most of the housework
-Henwood shows that although women go to work they don’t earn as much as their male counterparts
What do Marxist feminists believe about the family?
Marxist feminist believe that it is capitalism that causes women’s oppression not the patriarchy.
-women reproduce the labour force through their un-payed domestic labour
-women absorb anger- takers of shit-that would otherwise be directed at capitalism
-women are the reserve army of cheap labour -when no longer needed they can be let go.
what is Benson - Marxist feminist- theory on the family
-women bear the next generation of wage slaves so if women have children who are male they become the next generation of capitalist wage slaves
What is Ansley’s theory on the family as a Marxist feminist?
- women are the takers of shit - slave husbands release their anger from their built up alienated work on their wives therefore they are an anti revolutionary element in society.
what are the pros and cons of Marxist feminism?
pros- clearly demonstrates that the nuclear is part of the superstructure shaped by the economic base that exploits women
-cons- its outdated and has a stereotypical view of the family that fails to recognise diversity and other family forms.
What do radical feminists believe about the family?
-radical feminists believe men are the enemy and that family and marriage are a key institution in patriarchal society so instead the system needs to be overturned and men and women should live in separatism
what does Ann Oakley believe about the family?
-Ann Oakley believes that women work long hours doing dull and repetitive work for which they receive no status quo and no wage often resulting in mental and physical illness.
What are the pros and cons of radical feminists view on the family?
pros- reveals that it is the patriarchy which manipulates women within the family rather than capitalism
-the patriarchal nuclear family is not consequently, a natural institution.
cons- liberal feminists like Jenny Somerville state that radical feminists fail to recognise that women’s position has improved considerably- better access to divorce, job opportunities, control over fertility.
What do difference feminists believe about the family?
-difference feminists argue that we cannot generalise about women’s experiences everything is different for black women heterosexual women middle class women working class women.
What are criticisms of difference feminism?
-other feminists argue that difference feminism neglects the fact that all women share many of the same experiences for example all face a risk of domestic violence.
What is the new rights perspective of the Family?
-The New right believe the traditional monogamous nuclear family is the most desirable environment to raise children and that the decline of this family type is causing a state of moral decay.
What Is the theorist Charles Murrays thought on the family?
-The decline of the nuclear family has caused the formation of the underclass or the new rabble evident amongst young white males and lower class black men
-this decline and increase in promiscuity cohabitation ect has led to a variety like crime, educational failure, delinquency
What do the new right believe about the welfare state ?
-The new right are against the welfare state because it is costly and it creates a dependency culture.
-Having babies enabled them to have a higher living standard - child benefit cap
what are supports for the new right?
-N Dennis supports Murray by stating that children brought up without fathers were much more likely to commit crimes than those raised in a two-parent household
-A Halsey states that alternative family types are unhealthy and the lack of a male breadwinners in matrifocal households in deprived areas causes undisciplined children
what are criticisms against the new rights view on the family?
-P Abbot states Murrays model of the family is oppressive for women
-A Halsey says it may be unemployment, poverty or other factors causing crime rather than the decline in family type
what is the personal life perspective?
- the personal life perspective is a social action viewpoint.
they argue that families and their members are active and that to understand the family today, we must focus o the meanings and motives from the point of view of individuals concerned rather tan the families supposed ‘function’
-they take a bottom up approach
-they take a wider view of relationships than just the traditional ‘family’ relationship based on blood ties
what are some examples of modern families that are not conventional blood ties?- personal life perspective
-relationships with friends that like a brother or sister
-fictive kin- close friends that like aunties or uncles
-gay and lesbian chosen families- made up of supportive networks of close friends or ex partners ect
-relationships with dead relatives
-relationships with pets- Becky tipper research that children view pets as part of the family view
for donor conceived children what did Nordqvist and smart find?
- importance of social relationships over genetic ones in forming family bonds
-mum in terms of time and effort used to raise a child
-differences in appearance lead to questions of donor siblings and if they are family
-for lesbian couples there is concerns that the genetic mother is the real parent and the donor is the real second parent
what is Focault’s view of the family- post modernism?
-Focault has a critical approach involving the idea of surveillance - he argues even the most personal aspects of our lives are subject to scrutiny
what is focault’s view about the internalisation of norms?
-the surveillance of the family still instil discipline of the modern person with the media and social agencies regulating family life by defining a norms and subjecting people to scrutiny
what is Focault’s concept of surveillance of the family?
- sees power as diffused through society and found in all relationships
- he argues expert knowledge allows professionals to intervene in family life
-society supports the nuclear stereo-typical family an and deviance can be corrected by laws( bigamy) and by social workers
what does Focault believe about conventional motherhood?
-laws and professionals reinforce conventional ideas of motherhood
-mothers wishing to work may find difficulties in arranging childcare- restricts job opportunities compared to men
what is Donzelot’s concept of policing of the family?
-social workers, health visitors and doctors use their knowledge to control and change families
what are some key government policies affecting the family?
-1942- the Beveridge report- founded welfare state
-1969 divorce reform act
-1975 sex discrimination act
-1991 rape became illegal in marriage
-2004 civil partnership act
-2013 gay marriage act
-2019 straight couples can also get civil partnership
what do the new right believe about social policy?
New right believe social policy should not undermine the nuclear family
-they favour cutting welfare state to avoid a nanny state
what are some new right policies?
- child support agency 1993- make absent fathers pay child support
-children’s act 1989- outlines the rights of children
-tax and welfare benefits to married couples
what are some new labour policies?
- changes in maternity and paternity leave - increase time and pay
-the new deal- designed to reduce unemployment by providing training and subsidising employment and voluntary work- targeted single parents
-the adoption children’s act
what are some coalition government policies?
-married tax allowance
-shared parental leave and pay
-means tested child benefits
-troubled families programme:
get children back into school
reduce youth crime and anti-social behaviour
put adults on a path back to work
reduce the high costs these families place on the public sector each year
critics argue that the coalition governments financial austerity policies reflected the new rights desire to cut public spending
what is lands theory on policy as a self fulfilling prophecy?
policies assume the ideal family is patriarchal nuclear family with male breadwinner female homemaker and dependant children so therefore policies create this type of families
how do functionalists view social policy?
-functionalists see society as built off harmony and consensus and they view social policies as being good of all in society
what is the feminist view on social policy?
feminist see policies as continuing to reinforce the patriarchy
