FAMILIES & HOUSEHOLDS - FUNCTIONS OF THE FAMILY Flashcards
functionalism & the family
-functionalists argue that all institutions in society have important roles to play in the smooth and functional running of society and the family is no different
-they argue that the family has important functions both for society and for individuals
-however, there are debates between Functionalists over the number of functions that the family has in modern society
-some argue that other institutions have taken on many roles that the family once performed
-Functionalists think the nuclear family is the best family type as it is the most practical for reproduction
G.P. MURDOCK (1949)
->Murdock defined the family as follows: “the family is a social group characterised by common residence, economic cooperation, and reproduction. It includes adults of both sexes, at least 2 of whom maintain a socially approved sexual relationship, and one or more children (own or adopted) of the sexually cohabiting adults”
->from his own analysis, Murdock argued hat the family performs 4 basic functions: sexual, reproductive, economic, and educational
->these functions are essential for social life, since without them: sexual urges would be unregulated, without the reproductive function there would be no members of society, without the economic function life (shelter, food, essentials) would cease, and without education (socialisation) there would be no culture
TALCOTT PARSONS (1955)
->Parsons disagrees with Murdock, instead arguing that the family only performs 2 functions
->the family lost its functions during and after the Industrial Revolution, this change is gradual, as part of the “evolution” of society
->the family has 2 “basic and irreducible” functions
->1. the primary socialisation of children: similar to Murdock’s educational role of the family; families teach children norms and values - but specifically the norms and values of their family/community. Other institutions teach universal norms and values. He called this primary and secondary socialisation
->2. stabilisation of adult personalities: this prevents adults from behaving in disruptive or dysfunctional ways - encouraging conformity. The family provides emotional support in times of stress in order to avoid this. Parsons famously described this as the “warm bath theory”
->THE WARM BATH THEORY:
–>the family is a “haven in a heartless world”
–>family provides safety and protection, and remove the stress of everyday life
–>children give adults a sense of purpose and responsibility
–>males play the INSTRUMENTAL ROLE (providing protection and discipline)
–>females play the EXPRESSIVE ROLE (as the nurturing care-giver)
->overall, Parsons suggests that: yes, the family had become almost “functionless”, but it is still important, and society still depends on it to function
FLETCHER (1960s/70s)
->the family is still a “multifunctional unit”
->other institutions compliment the family, not replace it
->the state supports families to help them fulfil their essential functions
->growth in government intervention has increased the responsibilities of the family (eg. healthcare, education)
YOUNG AND WILMOTT (1973)
->conducted a study of families from the pre-industrial period up to the 1970s
->”the symmetrical family”’:
–>suggested a trend towards people living in small, privatised nuclear family groups
–>this was a move away from the traditional extended family
–>roles within the family become increasingly similar - husbands taking on a larger share of childcare and domestic duties
–>this was heavily criticised by Ann Oakley (feminist), who saw very few signs of “symmetry” in conjugal roles
CRITICISMS OF THE FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE:
->evidence shows that society is not “meritocratic” - certain social groups gain at the expense of others; status and power come from groups being in strong positions in society
->fairly outdated views of society and its institutions - the nuclear family
->Functionalism went “out of fashion” in the 1960s, as people moved towards more “conflict” based experiments
->1980s/90s - a new form of Functionalism emerged: the New Right
the New Right
->the New Right emphasised the importance of individual freedoms and choices (self reliance)
->they argued that the state should have less interference in people’s daily lives
->the “free market” should apply in all social areas, such as schools
->the New Right argued that the “cereal packet family” was the cornerstone of the family ( the CPF is the “idealised” nuclear family with married mother and father who take on traditional conjugal roles. Popularised by Margaret Thatcher, who placed importance on traditional values - especially the nuclear family)
->the New Right criticise women who go out to work, as family should come first
–>”i don’t think mothers have the same rights to go out to work as fathers” - Patrick Jenkin, 1979
“FAMILIES NEED FATHERS”
->the New Right believe that it is important for children to have a stable home, with married mother and father, and that ideally the wife should stay at home to look after the children
->Charles Murray argued that the breakdown of the nuclear family has led to a lack of male role models in the family
->they argue that:
–>families need a male breadwinner
–>”nuclear family is the best family”
–>male role models are needed for children
–>children from broken homes are more likely to have “emotional problems” and be more aggressive or badly behaved, and become young offenders
->but they do not consider:
–>divorce being easier is good because without it, many women would be trapped in unhappy or abusive relationships
–>the NR exaggerate the extent of co-habiting and single parent families - most children still live in nuclear families
–>it doesn’t take into account same sex or lone parent families
CHARLES MURRAY (1984)
->Murray is an American NR sociologist
->he argues that welfare policies have undermined the nuclear family and offered “perverse incentives” rewarding “irresponsible behaviour”
->he also says that women are “married to the state”
Marxist approaches to the family
KARL MARX (1818-1883)
->Marx did not speak extensively on the family itself, but identified it as an agent of social control
->SOCIAL CONTROL:
–>Marxists are particularly critical of the nuclear family as they believe it reproduces and maintains class inequality in 2 ways:
->1. the hierarchal nature of the nuclear family discourages workers to question the nature of capitalism
->2. parents teach their children that the route to happiness and status is consumerism so capitalism remains unquestioned
FRIEDRICH ENGELS (1820-95)
->Engels was one of the first writers to view the nuclear family critically
->in his book “the Origins of the Family, Private Property, and the State” (1884), Engels claimed that the family acted as a support mechanism for capitalism
->he believed that during the early stages of human evolution, the forces of production were communally owned and family as such did not exist
->he argued that, over time, more and more restrictions were placed on sexual relationships and the production of children
->the monogamous nuclear family developed with the emergence of private property, in particular, the private ownership of the FORCES OF PRODUCTION and the introduction of the state
->the state instituted laws to protect the system of private property an to enforce the rules of monogamous marriage
NEO-MARXISTS:
ELI ZARETSKY (1976)
->Zaretsky analysed more recent developments in the family from a Marxist perspective
->in the early 19th C. the family was a basic unit of production: eg. in early capitalist textile industry, the production of cloth took place in the home and involved all family members
->he sees the family as a major prop to the capitalist economy - the capitalist system is based upon the domestic labour of housewives who reproduce future generations of workers who are needed by capitalists
->he believes that the family has become a “vital unit of consumption” - the family consumes the products of capitalism and this allows the bourgeoisie to continue producing profit
LOUIS ALTHUSSER (1918-1990)
->Althusser suggested that “the family is part of:
->1. the IDIOLOGICAL STATE APPARATUS”: institutions that spread bourgeois ideology and ensure that the proletariat is in a state of FALSE CLASS CONSCIOUSNESS
->2. the REPRESSIVE STATE APPARATUS: coercive/physical/violent power to remove dissent and rebellions (eg. police and army)
->”the family passes on ruling class norms and values to the next generation”
->ideology allows capitalism to survive without having to resort to violence or force
->exploitation is explained as “natural” and a normal situation
CRITICISMS/EVALUATION OF MARXIST THEORY:
->Marxism ignores family diversity - not all families reflect the traditional nuclear family
->Marx is an economic determinist, and therefore regards families as being determined by the economic system
->the time of the emergence of the nuclear family is debated, some argue that nuclear families didn’t emerge with capitalism
->they ignore the positive aspects of the family
->it overlooks women’s exploited position in the family
feminisms and the family
->feminism is a belief in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes
->there are multiple branches of feminism (eg. marxist, radical, liberal) that all have different ideas
->however, all forms of feminism argue that conflict in society is essentially about power - where men have power and women don’t
->generally, feminism refers to a perspective that recognises and opposes the patriarchy (male dominance in society) and that argues for the rights of women
DUAL SYSTEM FEMINISM:
->Sylvia Walby (1990) suggested that there are 6 elements to patriarchy
->(it is dual system as it employs both marxist and radical ideas)
(marxist view)
1. PAID WORK: women are likely to be paid less
2. THE HOUSEHOLD: women are more likely to do the most housework and raise the children
3. THE STATE: women are much less likely to have access to formal power
(radical view)
4. VIOLENCE: women are much more likely to be abused
5. SEXUALITY: women’s sexuality is more likely to be treated negatively (eg. slut shaming)
6. CULTURE: women are misrepresented in media and pop culture
RADICAL FEMINISM:
->radical feminists believe the family is fundamentally patriarchal and helps to maintain male power and female oppression
->radical feminists have different responses to different areas of family life:
–>DOMESTIC LABOUR: women still do the majority of the housework and the childcare, from which men benefit the most (this is how women are exploited in the family); ONS 2016 found that women complete 60% more unpaid labour than men on avg.
–>EMOTIONAL LABOUR: wives provide emotional support for their partners and children with very little in return, as shown by Duncombe and Marsden’s “Triple Shift”
–>ECONOMIC DEPENDENCY: women tend to be financially dependent on their husbands, often returning to work part-time (if they return at all); “Women and the Economy” 2020 showed that 38% of women in work choose to work part-time compared to only 7% of men working part-time
–>MALE DOMINATION: men often hold the power and make the decisions in the family, usually shown through DV as a way to exercise male control over women; the ONS 2019 found that 1/3 of women will experience DV in her lifetime, and 2 women a week are killed by a current or ex partner (that is male)
GERMAINE GREER(2000):
->Greer is a radical feminist who argues that family life continues to disadvantage and oppress women
->she says that women are given 3 roles in their life: daughter, wife, mother, but these roles are neither satisfying nor fulfilling
->speaking on “women as wives”, Greer argued that there is a strong ideology that being a wife (or as she calls it - a “female consort”) is the most important female role
–>she uses wives of presidents/prime ministers as an example: “she must not only be seen at her husband’s side on all formal occasions… and never to appear less than dazzled by everything he does. The relationship is clearly unequal.”
MARXIST FEMINISM:
->Marxist feminists believe that women are exploited in the family because of the relationships between the family and capitalism
->traditional Marxist theory has either ignored women, or viewed women as experiencing the same inequalities as men
MARGARET BENSTON (1972)
->Benston states: “the amount of unpaid labour performed by women is very large and very profitable to those who own the means of production. To pay women, even at minimum wage scales, would involve a massive redistribution of wealth.”
->she argued that capitalism benefits from an army of women - an UNPAID WORK FORCE - who are compliant and willing to do as they’re told
FRAN ANSLEY (1972)
->Ansley provides opposition to Parsons’ “Warm Bath Theory”, translating it into a Marxist framework
->she sees the emotional support provided by the wife as a SAFETY VALVE for the frustration produced in the husbands by working in an unfair capitalist system
->rather than being turned against the system that produced it, the frustration is absorbed by the comforting wife - this way, the system is not threatened and capitalism remains stable
->Ansley referred to wives as the “takers of shit”
->”when wives play their traditional role as the takers of shit, they often absorb their husbands legitimate anger and frustration at their powerlessness… [allowing] the bosses [to] rest more secure” (1976)
LIBERAL FEMINISM:
->liberal feminists believe that men and women need to be freed from restrictive gender roles in the family, as these help to shape inequalities in the rest of society
->they believe there are 5 conditions that would create a new occupational scenario that brings equality:
1. the contraceptive revolution
2. the equal opportunities revolution
3. the expansion of white-collar occupations
4.the creation of jobs for secondary earners
5. the increasing importance of attitudes, values, and personal preference in lifestyle choice
KATHERINE HAKIM:
->Hakim conducted a study in 2000 to find out what choice women were more likely to make (sample = approx. 3500 ppts)
–>20% home centred/20% work centred/60% adaptive
EVALUATION OF FEMINISM:
->radical and Marxist feminism place a lot of emphasis on the nuclear family, ignoring family diversity
->these approaches also assume a degree of passivity with women, eg. some women might actively choose their social role as a wife/mother (eg. tradwives)
->they ignore the progress made by activists to ensure more equality, so perhaps a liberal approach is best
->however, the family is still not equal in many ways (eg. emotion work) so maybe more radical action is needed to ensure change
postmodernism and the family
->the postmodern family is characterised by 3 themes: diversity, variation, and instability
->women no longer aspire towards romantic love, marriage, and children, and the men’s role in the family is no longer as clear cut (due to the crisis of masculinity)
->premarital sex, serial monogamy, cohabitation, economic independence, same-sex relationships/marriage, and childlessness are more accepted as alternative family life
->there us no longer one dominant family type, which means it’s no longer appropriate to make generalisations about the family, as theorists like Marx and Parsons do
->the family is now much more about choice and negotiation
RAPOPORT AND RAPOPORT (1982)
->they identified 5 types of family diversity:
1. ORGANISATIONAL: refers to the way a family might organise itself in terms of roles that people perform
2. CULTURAL: families differ in terms of their beliefs and values, eg. different ethnic groups place greater emphasis on family and gender, etc
3. CLASS: availability of resources, quality of housing, leisure opportunities, etc, all have an impact on family life
4. LIFE COURSE: we do not live in the same family structure for the whole of our lives, eg. we may be born into a nuclear family, become a lone parent family, and then a reconstituted family
5. COHORT: there is change over time to what is the norm, eg/ grandparents may have many siblings, and later generations have far fewer. More recent generations are also more likely to divorce than their parents and grandparents.
