Families And Households - The Family In Society

Question 1

Which types of family are new or growing in number?

Answer 1

• same sex families
• households containing two or more families
• cohabitating couples
• single parent families
• blended families

Question 2

Is family becoming more or less important?

Answer 2

The definition of family is changing
- it’s different to everyone
- people see their closest friend as family

Question 3

What is happening to marriage?

Answer 3

• same sex marriage rates are increasing
• less people are getting married
• divorce rates are slowly declining
• less religious ceremonies

Question 4

What is happening to divorce?

Answer 4

• divorce rates were steadily increasing but are now starting to level off due to less people getting married - starting to slowly decline

Question 5

What are functions of the family? (In general)

Answer 5

• to provide love
• to provide comfort
• socialisation — learn behaviours from others
• keep population stable
• production of babies

Question 6

What do functionalists believe education does for society?

Answer 6

• Organic analogy - family is a vital organ in maintaining the body of society
• Value consensus - the family is an important agent of primary socialisation
• Functions - family holds important functions for both the individual and society

Question 7

What are Murdock’s (1949) 4 functions of the nuclear family? (Functionalist)

Answer 7

SEER
1) Sex/sexual — creates regulation and stability regarding sex and one’s sex drive
2) Economic — meets economic needs such as food and shelter
3) Education/educational — teaches norms and values
4) Reproduction — helps create the next generation

Question 8

What are criticisms of Murdock (1949)?

Answer 8

• other institutions or family types could perform those functions just as well
• Marxists and Feminists would say that he over emphasises the positive aspects of family life

Question 9

What are Parsons’ (1955) 2 key functions of the family?

Answer 9

1) Socialisation of children into their society’s nature — family teaches norms and values and therefore creates a value consensus. He claims that the family also teaches norms and values relating to gender roles. Children learn from their parents that female = expressive caring role and male = instrumental breadwinner role
2) Stabilisation of adult personalities — refers to the comfort and emotional support the adult gains within the family. Also known as ‘warm bath theory’ - getting home is a relaxing experience like getting into a warm bath

Question 10

What are criticisms of Parsons (1955)

Answer 10

• not relevant to all the family types which exist today e.g. lone parent families
• Feminist criticise Parsons for suggesting that there are set male and female roles
• warm bath theory ignores abuse within families e.g. domestic violence