Family And Households Flashcards
Functionalist approach
- see family as a vital ‘organ’ to maintaining the ‘body’ of society their key function is to prepare the child to fit into adult society and to satisfy the ‘functional prerequisites’ e.g social order which enable society to survive
Murdock (1949)- functionalist view
Murdock argues that the family performs 4 essential functions to meet the needs of society and its members.
- the practicality of the nuclear family to fulfil these roles makes it universal.
Evaluation of Murdock (1949)
Conflict theorists question whether the role that families perform really benefit the whole of society or really just benefit the powerful groups within it e.g upper class. Feminists specifically argue that families exist largely to benefit men
Talcott parsons (1951) - functionalist view
Parsons also agrees that one of the families basic functions is to socialise the children into society’s norms and values. Parsons says the family is the institution that has the necessary emotional warmth and security to be the factory for human personality. He also suggests that the family mediates stressors external to the home that threaten to destabilise personalities
Parsons(1951) the division of labour
Male- instrumental role: the families breadwinner which leads to stress and anxiety
Female- expressive role: provide emotional support and warmth to their children and male partners. This relives the tension of the husbands instrumental role
Talcott parsons (1955) - functional fit theory
The functions that the family perform depend on the needs of society e.g pre- industrial society needed an extended family as society changed so did the type of family we need therefore parsons explains this as the reason extended families have largely disappeared from society and there are more privatised nuclear families today
Marxist approach to families
Similar to functionalists marxists take a structural perspective of the family. However emphasise that the family is designed to reproduce capitalism and sustain the key aspects of its framework. Social control is exerted though the family reproducing unequal relationships and preventing challenge to the dominance of the bourgeoisie who maintain ownership and drive profit
Fredrich Engels (1884)- marxist
As society became capitalist, wealth and property were acquired by men and monogamous families were created as a way to pass on private property to their heirs as proof of paternity showed lineage to their heirs. Women were subject to financial arrangements where they provided sex in return for economic security provided by men
Criticisms of Engels view of family
- no evidence to support his claims - based on speculation that people lived in promiscuous hordes
- He implied that once capitalism disappeared the patriarchal family will disappear but evidence from communist societies doesn’t support this claim
Zaretsky (1976) - capitalism the family and personal life
Emphasises the ideological role of family in propping up capitalism:
Children are socialised into beliefs which support the ideology of the ruling class e.g blind obedience. This is essential in making power relationships normative. In contrast to the functionalist view its transmitting values that favour one class over another. Family is essential for false ‘class conciousness’
Zaretsky - stabilisation of adult personality
Zaretsky agrees with Parsons that family provide an escape from oppression and exploitation at work
. However he draws attention to the families role in undermining capitalism and says that family as a haven is an illusion
Pester power
Companies build demand for their products through targeted advertising to children who request expensive products from their parents
Support for Zaretsky
In agreement with Zaretsky, Nikos Poulantzas maintains that the family is part of the ideological state apparatus which is used to control and create values which support capitalism. The family is nothing more than an ‘ideological conditioning device. Children learn to conform and become cooperative and exploited workers
Critisism of Zaretsky
- exaggerating the extent of which the family can escape from alienating work as he ignores the fact family can be a place of cruelty neglect and violence
Negative evaluation of the Marxist view of family
Marxists assume the nuclear family is dominant and ignores the wide and increasing variety of family structures in society today. The marxist perspective ignores family diversity in the capitalist society, the nuclear family is no longer the most common type of family. Family breakdown may even be better for capitalism as divorce is expensive and more money has to be spent on maintaining family relationships and later forming new families
Functionalist view on family policy
- Parsons advocated reinforcing the nuclear family through social policies e.g tax incentives for married people.
- alternatively some also suggest limited state involvement in the running of the family as long as family is functioning correctly
- traditional views are in opposition to some of the more progressive policies e.g same sex marrige
Marxist perspective on family policy
- critical that the state are trying to create social policies which benefit the elites in todays society e.g. childcare policies enable more people to work
- state can ‘police the family’ (Donzelot) by intervening when they think the family isn’t socialising children properly.
- state policies are based on ruling class ideologies and people who don’t conform face sanctions e.g. fines
Feminist view of family policies
- state reinforces patriarchal control through introducing policies aimed at women in the role of the primary caregiver e.g. child benefit given to mother first.
- liberal feminist: state policy can be used to change the role of women in society e.g. equal pay act.
- state policy has helped women leave violent relationships
Conservative family policies 1979-1997
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child support agency 1993 - ensured absent fathers paid child maintanence for the upbringing of their children
-section 28- 1988 prevented local governments promoting homosexuality and schools couldn’t teach ‘the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship’
-back to basics- john major would argue his traditional family views
New labour family policies 1997-2010
-working family and child tax credits
- paid paternity leave
- civil partnership act (2005)
- adoption and childrens act (2002)
- equal age of consent for same sex relationships
- repeal of section 28 (2003)
- sure start and education allowance
Coalition policies (2010-2015)
- shared parental leave
- same sex marriage (2013)
- crime and education policies targeted parents in anti social behaviours or withdrawing students from school during term time
- austerity policies e.g. 2 child limit for benefits
Conservative policies 2015-
- Universal credit - paid to one member of family to replace other forms of benefit
- closure of sure start centres left children and families vulnerable
- freeze on working age benefits further cuts to benefit cap to £23000 per year
Functionalists and family policy
See the gov. as serving interests of society as a whole. Fletcher (1969) argues social policies such as free compulsory schooling and free health care function to assist parents in successfully reer their children
New right and family policy
Murray belives the state should play a minimal role in peoples lives and some policies e.g. legislation for same sex marrige has damaged marrige and nuclear families by promoting deviant family types and lifestyles
