Families and households - Theoretical views of the family

Question 1

What do Functionalists concerntrate on?

Answer 1

The positive functions of the family and what good the family can do to benefit of the whole of society?

Question 2

Who are the two key functionalists?

Answer 2

Murdock 1949
Parsons 1959

Question 3

What is the tribe called and how do they view family differently to Murdock?

Answer 3

Women are allowed to marry several husband
Women have the right to terminate unhappy marriages
Only have duty to her mother’s side of the family
Husband is free from family obligations such as finance so women are seen as independant

Question 4

Murdock went on to argue that family had four vital functions that it must perform for the benefit of society what are they?

Answer 4

Sexual - the family is centred around a monogamous relationship between two consenting adults. This controls sexual behaviour, stabilises the adult sex dirve and therefore prevents a sexual free for all society

Reproductive - family reproduces the next generation into the norms and values of society

Economic - the family unit financially provides for all the dependants in the unit e.g shelter, food, clothing

Educational - family socialises the next generation into the norms and values of society

Question 5

What did Parsons look at?

Answer 5

The change of society from pre industrial to industrial and how this impacted upon the family type that we lived in (functional fit theory)

Question 6

Explain the functional fit theory?

Answer 6

The functions that the family perform depend on the type of society in which they are found:

-Pre-industrial society - extended family - had the function of production and consumption, based on farming/worked on the land

-Modern society - nuclear family - have the function of social and geographical mobility, based on heavy industry/worked in factories

Question 7

He suggested that over time the family saw a reduction in the amount of functions it carried out. Now only performed 2 vital functions what are they?

Answer 7

Primary socialisation - the family passes on the norms and values of society to the new generation (specifically between the ages of 0-3)

Stabilisation of adult personalities - The family is a relaxing place that takes away any stress or frustration. This prevents an over flow of emotion and serves to stabilise personalities

Question 8

Is family loosing its functions…why?

Answer 8

Economic - Nowadays both parents if able contribute finanically in the family

Reproduction - choose to have less children, more couples choose to become childless

Question 9

Similarities of Murdock and Parsons?

Answer 9

Socialisation centered around
Nuclear family
Carry out functions
Macro

Question 10

What do functionalists not like?

Answer 10

Single parent or same sex families
Prefer marriage over cohabitation
Do not like divorce

Question 11

Functionalists argue that men should have the instrumental role and women the expressive role but what does this mean?

Answer 11

Instrumental - financially provides for the family, takes control in terms of power and decision making
Expressive - emotionally provides for the family. Primary care giver within the family unit.

Question 12

What is the New Right view of the family?

Answer 12

Increased divorce and amount of children born out of wedlock has undermined the traditional nuclear family set up

In their view this is dangerous for society as it leads to a lack of socialisation and therefore a lack of morals and values

Question 13

Who is the key new right theoriest and what did they say?

Answer 13

Charles Murray - single parents were to blame for all of society’s problems and that we are now too dependant on the welfare state. He also came up with the idea of the ‘underclass’ and highlighted to specific groups

• New Rabble - including the long term unemployed, the welfare dependant and single mothers - this group was extremely dangerous for society as children were not socialised properly

-New Victorian - including the respectable middle classes who marry socialise their children properly, work and pay their taxes

Question 14

What is the case study for the New Right

Answer 14

Benefit street - most people living on the street are welfare dependant (new rabble)

Question 15

Marxists conecpts: What is bapitalism?

Answer 15

An economic system based on market competition and the persuit of profit in which the means of production are privately owned by indviduals or corporations

Question 16

Marxists key concepts: What is bourgeoise?

Answer 16

Ruling class, owns the mean of production

Question 17

Marxists key concepts: What is proletariat?

Answer 17

Working class; wage slaves

Question 18

Marxists key concepts: What is exploitation?

Answer 18

Using an individual or group to your own advantage; in a capitalist system the bourgeoise exploit the proletariat

Question 19

Marxists key concepts: What is communism?

Answer 19

Classless society, an economic system basd on the collective ownship of property and the means of production

Question 20

What do Marxists argue?

Answer 20

The family is being used by the bourgeoise to help maintain the capitalist state and ensure that the rich stay rich

Question 21

Who are the two key Marxists?

Answer 21

Engles and Zaretsky

Question 22

Engles: the family had one key function what is it?

Answer 22

To ensure that rich families passed on their inheritance to their rightful heir

Question 23

What does Engles say?

Answer 23

The monogamous family only emerged with Capitalism

Before capitalism tribal socieites (classless) practised a form of ‘primitive communism’ - no private property

In such societies property was collectively owned and the family structure reflected this

Emergence of Capitalism in the 18th century society and the family changed. Capitalism is based on a system of private ownship

Bourgeoise use their own personal wealth to personally invest in businesses in order to make a profit, they dont investfor the benefit of everyone else. Eventually started to look for ways to pass on their wealth to the next generation

Reproduce inequality - children of the rich grow up into wealth while the children of the poor remain poor. Thus the nuclear family benefits the Bourgeoise more thean the proletariat

Question 24

Zaretsky: one key function of the family was to….

Answer 24

transmit ideology that helps maintain the capitalist state, and stop the proletariat from rebelling

Question 25

Zaretsky

Answer 25

Family passes on ideology that is needed to justify the legitimate power of the ruling class.

During the socialisation process - passing on norms and values and ideas and beliefs that a. the working class wll always be exploited and b. ruling class will always be in control
Family is a private unit where members can relax, providing a safe haven from the stresses of the capitalist estate

Another key function was to act as a unit of consumption