Families and Households - Theories of the Family Flashcards
What are the four perspectives of the family?
- Functionalist
- Marxist
- Feminist
- Personal Life Perspective
What is the functionalist view of the family?
The family, in the same way as other institutions, is essential to society and serves certain purposes like primary socialisation.
Murdock’s (1949) 4 functions of the family:
- Stable satisfaction of the sex drive to prevent sexual ‘free-for-all’
- Reproduction of the next generation to continue society
- Socialisation of the young into value consensus
- Meeting its members’ economic needs
Give two criticisms of Murdock (1949).
- Merton’s internal critique of functionalism: argues these functions could be equally, if not more efficiently, be performed by other institutions like welfare or education
- Murdock ignores the conflict and unfunctional nature of the family for women and the W/C.
Parsons (1955) and the ‘functional fit’ theory:
The family exists to perform its functions for society - it will change shape in order to function best. As Britain began to industrialise, the extended family began to lose its function so we transitioned to the nuclear family.
Parsons (1955) and the superiority of the nuclear family:
- The Nuclear family is more geographically mobile as it is much smaller, superior in a modern society where workers have to move to find work rather than stay in one place.
- The nuclear family is more socially mobile as there is no clash between a man’s class external to the family and internally, superior in a modern society where people’s status is meritocratic
Parsons (1951) and the loss of function:
Industrialisation has changed what functions the family has but it has also gotten rid of some, such as the family as a unit of production. The final ‘irreducible’ functions of the family are:
- The primary socialisation of children
- The stabilisation of adult personalities (‘warm bath theory’)
Give two criticisms of Parson (1951).
- Young and Willmott (1972): the pre-industrial family was also nuclear with children working with their parents
- Anderson (1980): the extended family was quite popular in early industrial society due to the benefits it provided (exchange theory) like childcare.
What is the Marxist perspective on the family?
All institutions in society exist to benefit the ruling class and maintain capitalism, the ‘benefits’ of the family are:
- Inheritance of property
- Ideological functions
- Unit of consumption
What did Marx call pre-capitalist families?
Marx argues that pre-capitalist families were ‘promiscuous hordes’ with no restrctions on sexual relationships as there was no private property to conserve.
What does Engels argue the main purpose of the monogamous nuclear family is?
Bourgeoise patriarchs had to make sure to ensure their legitimate heirs inherited the means of production and no proletariat had any chance of rising out of poverty.
Why does Engels’ perspective on the family appeal to feminists?
Engels calls the monogamous nuclear family a “world historical defeat of the female sex” as it reduces women to “a mere instrument for the production of children” and the creation of heirs.
What are the two ideological functions of the family to Marxists?
- It naturalises children to the idea of unchangeable hierarchy, preparing them to join the unmeritocratic subservient labour force.
- Zaretsky (1976): the family is a fake safe haven by pretending to be separate from capitalism.
How does the family serve as a ‘unit of consumption’?
Families act as a source of capitalist profit, enocuraging materialism and consumption:
- Advertisers urge families to ‘keep up with the Joneses’ by buying the latest products
- The media and peer groups target children who can use ‘pester power’ to persuade their parents to spend more (£227,000)
Give three criticisms of the Marxist perspective of the family.
- Marxists assume the nuclear family and ignore the existing family diversity
- Marxists ignore how the family is more oppressive for women than the W/C (wrong)
- Marxists ignore the real benefits of the family for its members and society
What is the wider feminist perspective on family?
The family subordinates women as a tool of a patriarchal society that seeks to keep women subservient.
What is the liberal feminist perspective on the family? Give evidence.
Although the family has been a major tool of oppression for women, such as with marrying off daughters for dowries, the family has become more equal (though there is still room to grow, through policy and cultural change).
- Sullivan (2000): men are doing more domestic labour and women less.
Give a criticism of the liberal feminist perspective of the family
Other feminists argue that Liberal feminists fail to adequately challenge the structural causes behind inequality in the family
- At our current rate, it will take 134 years to ameliorate gender inequality: 85,000 women are sexually assaulted every year
What is the Marxist feminist perspective on the family? Give evidence.
The oppression of women in the family exists to serve capitalism:
- Women reproduce the labour force
- Women are the ‘takers of shit’ (Ansley (1972))
- Women act as a reserve army of cheap labour, such as during WWII
Give a criticism of the Marxist feminist perspective of the family
Marxist Feminists ignore changes in society like women entering the workforce
- 72% of women are in work, they are no longer a reserve army of cheap labour; also, the gender pay gap is 1/4 pf what it was in 1970, likely due to the sex discrimination act
What is the radical feminist perspective on the family? Give evidence.
The family is one of the cornerstones of patriarchal society, with Firestone (1979) arguing that the dependence women have whilst pregnant being the root of their subordination
- Radfems like Greer (2002) and Whittig argue further than political lesbianism and into the creation of solely female or matrilocal households.
Give a criticism of the radical feminist perspective of the family
Somerville (2000): although not fully equal, women’s position has improved considerably and pitting men and women against eachother not only damages the fight against patriarchy, but both groups separately as well.
What is the intersectional feminist perspective on the family? Give evidence.
We cannot generalise the experience of the family for women, there are different characteristics that will affect a woman’s experience - white feminists see the family as a purely negative thing and neglect the security against racial oppression it provides black women. It also takes a nuanced approach to the effect of patriarchy on men - bell hooks in the ‘will to change’.
Give a criticism of the intersectional feminist perspective of the family
All women within a society are going to share certain experiences like risk of sexual assault (1/3) or low pay (82% in the US)
- Different ethnicities have different risks: black women are at 70% and Hispanic women are at 65% of the white man
What are the two Personal Life Perspective criticisims of other theories of the family?
- They assume the traditional nuclear family is the dominant family type
- They are all structuralists and ignore the agency of individuals in the family
What is the sociology of personal life? How does this affect their perspective on the family?
It is an interactionist approach that emphasizes the meanings that individuals hold and how it affects their actions and relationships. As such, they look at how the individual looks at the family, rather than focussing on predefined structures like ‘nuclear’ or ‘extended’.
Give two alternative family types that ‘the sociology of the family’ include.
- Relationships with dead relatives and how they affect relationships and identities
- Tipper (2011): children frequently see pets as ‘part of the family’
Nordqvist and Smart (2014) and donor-conceived children:
Donor-concieved children cause multiple changes in the way people view ‘family’ (parents often basing it off time and effort, rather than biology) but also many questions with no concrete answers, do they believe in ‘donor siblings’ or ‘donor grandparents’ and do they count as family? Will non-donor lesbian parents be treated as ‘real’ parents?
Give a criticism of the personal life perspective of the family.
By taking too broad a range of perspective, the personal life perspective fails to provide any pratical data to be used in social policy, which would have negative effects like not banning marital rape under the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
