Family and Households Flashcards
Bott - domestic division of labour
segregated conjugal roles - couples spend time separately
joint conjugal roles - couples share domestic tasks and leisure time
Parsons - domestic division of labour
Men and women have biologically suited roles that are functionals for society
Women = expressive roles - homemaker
Men = instrumental roles - breadwinner
Willmott and young - domestic division of labour
There are now more symmetrical families as a result of increased joint conjugal roles
Couples - March of progress view
Couples have an equal share of housework and childcare
Couples - Dual Burden - feminist
Women now do paid work and domestic work
Triple shift - Duncombe and Marsden
Women not only carry the dual burden of paid and domestic work but also have to do the emotional work
Decision making - material explanation
Men have more power in decision making because they earn more
Decision making - cultural explanation
Gender role socialisation instils the view that men are the primary decision makers
Domestic abuse - Dobash and Dobash
Marriage and the nuclear family is the key institution of patriarchy and the main source of women’s oppression. Domestic violence is inevitable because it serves to preserve the power men have over women
study found that violent incidents could be set off by what a husband saw as a challenge to his authority
Domestic abuse - Ansley
Domestic violence is the product of capitalism - male workers are exploited at work and take their frustration out on their wives
Domestic abuse - Wilkinson
Domestic violence is the result of stress on the family caused by social inequality - explains why DV is more common is W class fam
Childhood - Aries
In the middle ages - childhood didnt exist. Children had same responsibilities as adults and were considered ECONOMIC ASSESTS.
As modern notion began to emerge, profound distinction between children and adults through clothes, laws, responsibilities
Childhood - Postman
In modern society - childhood is “disappearing” - printed word hierarchy no longer exists so children are learning about adult behaviour
Childhood - Shorter
In the middle ages the high death rate of children encouraged neglect against children
Childhood - March of Progress view
Childhood improved significantly - children now perceived as vulnerable and need taking care of. Introduction of laws such as banning child labour have improved experience of childhood
Toxic childhood - Palmer
Rapid technological and cultural changes have damaged children’s physical, emotional and intellectual development - result of intensive marketing to children, parents long working hours and testing in education
Age patriarchy - Gittens
Adult control and domination keeps children in a state of dependency and prevent them from being independent
control through clothes, space, time, money, violence
ORGANIC ANALOGY - functionalists
Society is made up of interdependent parts which work together to maintain the social system as a whole.
The family is one of these parts
Murdock functions of family - functionalist
- Socialisation of the young
- Satisfaction of the members economic needs
- Reproduction of the next generation
- Stable satisfaction of the sex drive
PARSONS FUNCTIONAL FIT - functionalist
Functions that the family perform depend on the type of society in which they are found
Pre industrial = extended family - function of production and consumption
Modern society = nuclear family - function of social and geographical movement
PARSONS IRREDUCIBLE FUNCTIONS - functionalist
- Primary socialisation of the young - equipping next generation with basic skills and society’s values
- Stabilisation of adult personalities - enabling adults to relax so they can return to the workplace and perform their roles effectively
ENGELS THEORY OF FAMILY - marxist
The family exists so men can pass their private property onto their biological offspring - notably a son
ZARETZKY THEORY OF FAMILY - marxist
There is an ideological function of the family called the “cult of private life” - belief that we can only gain fulfilment from family life which distracts attention from exploitation
POULANTZAS THEORY OF FAMILY - marxist
Nuclear families are brainwashed into thinking capitalism is fair which teaches lower generations how to conform and co-operate with the capitalist system
LIBERAL FEMINIST - theory of family
Take a march of progress view in suggesting gender inequality is gradually being overcome through reform and policy change which changes peoples attitudes towards socialisation and challenges stereotypes
MARXIST FEMINISTS - theory of families
Capitalism is the main form of womens oppression on the family - performs several functions for capitalism
- Reproducing the labour force
- Absorbing mens anger
- Reserve army of cheap labour
RADICAL FEMINISTS - theory of families
Family and marriage are the key institutions in a patriarchal society meaning that men benefit from the women’s unpaid domestic labour and sexual services as well as dominate them through violence or the threat of it
to overcome this - seperatism
DIFFERENCE FEMINISTS - theory of families
Not all women share the same experience of oppression - class, age and ethnicity can effect differently
NEW RIGHT - theory of families
Biologically based division of labour
Families should be self reliant - reliancy on state welfare leads to a dependency culture and undermines traditional gender roles. Produces a family breakdown and increase in lone parent families which results in social problems due to poor socialisation
SMART - personal life perspective on families
Interactionists believe that structural approaches assume that the traditional nuclear family is the dominant type of family - ignores increased diversity of families today
Birth rate definition and trends
number of live births per year per 1000
long term decline however 3 baby booms after each world war and in 1960’s
Reasons for decline in birth rate
- Changes in the positions of women - women in paid work, change in how they are viewed in family, wider access to abortion and contraception
- Fall in infant mortality rate - improved housing, sanitation, nutrition, hygiene, health
- Children are now economic liabilities - laws banning child labour and compulsory schooling mean children remain economically dependent for longer
- Child centredness - childhood is now socially constructed - fewer children but lavish more attention and resources on them
Impact of declining birth rate
Dependency ratio decreases - relationship between size of working population and non working
better public services
ageing population
Death rate definitions and trends
the number of deaths per 1000 per year
declining rate with fluctuation around world wards and 1918 flu epidemic
Reasons for decline in death rate
- Improved nutrition
- Medical improvements - medicine, vaccinations
- Public health improvements - clean water and air
- Social change - decline in manual labour
Reasons for an ageing population
- Increased life expectancy
- Low infant mortality rate
- Declining fertility
Impact of an ageing population
- Increased strain on public services
- More one person households
- Rising dependency ratio
- Ageism
PHILLIPSON (marxist) - AGEING POPULATION
the old are of no use to capitalism because they are no longer productive and are an economically dependent group
HUNT (postmodernist) - AGEING POPULATION
age no longer determines who we are - elderly become a market for body maintenance and rejuvenation goods and services like cosmetic surgery and anti ageing products - GREY POUND
Difference between immigration and emigration
Immigration = movement into a society
Emigration = movement out of a society
Reasons for migration
Push factors - unemployment and economic recession
Pull factors - higher wages and better opportunities
Reasons for changing family patterns
- Increasing divorce rates
- Decreasing marriage rates
- Changing partnerships
- Childbearing and childrearing
Reasons for increasing divorce rates
- Legal changes - divorce = easier to access, widening grounds
- Less stigma
- Higher expectations of marriage - FLETCHER says this leads to dissatisfaction
- Womens financial independence - less economically dependent on a man and can afford divorce
- Secularisation - decline in religious influence on society
- Feminism
- Modernity and individualisation
Reasons for decreasing marriage rates
- Changing attitudes
- Alternatives to marriage less stigmatised
- Womens economic independence
- Impact of feminism
- Rising divorce rates
PARSONS (FUNCTIONALIST) - family diversity
family diversity has increase - shift away from traditional nuclear family. More common for other family types to exist.
BELIEVE nuclear family is the only family type functional for society - performs 2 irreducible functions
THE NEW RIGHT - family diversity
nuclear family is the only natural family type - others (cohabiting, gay, lone) produce social problems
welfare benefits have encourages deviant family types
RAPOPORTS - family diversity
believe moved away from nuclear family into a range of different family types.
See diversity as a POSITIVE RESPONSE to peoples needs and wishes. 5 types of diversity
- Organisational diversity
- Cultural diversity
- Social class diversity
- Life stage diversity
- Generational diversity
CHESTER - family diversity
Has been some increase in diversity but nuclear family still remains dominant. Been an important change from the CONVENTIONAL family (segregated conjugal roles) to the NEO-CONVENTIONAL family - adopts a symmetrical family structure
people either part of nuclear fam or will be at some point
GIDDENS (POSTMODERNISM) - family diversity
believes that society has become disembedded from traditional family structures - held together by external forces leaving us free to choose how we live our lives - led to “PURE RELATIONSHIP” - one that exists solely to satisfy each partners needs - now people are free to define themselves - women have greater independence and contraception
BECK (POSTMODERNISM) - family diversity
states that equality and individualism have created the “NEGOTIATED FAMILY” which varied according to the members wants - dont conform to traditional norms - equal BUT LESS STABLE - “zombie family”
PERSONAL LIFE PERSPECTIVE - family diversity
SMART believe that we are not disembedded individuals but we make decisions about relationships - “CONNECTED THESIS”
FLETCHER (FUNCTIONALIST) - social policy
states that the introduction of health, education and housing policies in the years since the industrial revolution have gradually led to the development of the welfare state - supports family in performing functions more effectively.
DONZELOT - social policy
theorised “the policing of families” - social workers and doctors use their knowledge to control families. Surveillance is not targeted equally on all social classes - poor families seen as problems. Rejects functionalist view - thinks social policy is form of state control over family
MURRAY (NEW RIGHT) - social policy
state is providing overly generous welfare benefits - because these policies offer “PERVERSE INCENTIVES” - state rewards people for irresponsible or antisocial behaviour
LEONARD (FEMINISM) - social policy
argues that even where policies seem to support women, they still reinforce the patriarchal family and act as a form of social control over women eg maternity leave longer than paternity suggest women take care of child
DREW - gender regimes
- Familistic = policies that are based on the traditional gender divisions between males and females
- Individualistic = policies are based on the belief that husbands and wives should be treated the same - each partner has a separate entitlement to state benefits
What do Allan and Crow argue about marriage
less embedded within the economic system so people more likely to divorce than before
What do Cooke and Gash say about divorce
no evidence that working women are more likely to divorce - because working has now become accepted norm for married women
Beck and Giddens - increasing divorce
in modern society, traditional norms lose hold over individuals - relationships more fragile
GIDDENS - “pure relationship” - exists solely to satisfy each partners needs - personal fulfillment
Feminist view on high divorce rates
desirable because it shows women are breaking free from oppression of patriarchal nuclear family
New Right view on high divorce rates
undesriable - undermines marriage and traditional nuclear family which is vital to social stability
Postmodernist view on divorce
individuals now have freedom to choose to end a relationship when it no longer meets their needs - cause for diversity
Functionalist view on divorce
not a threat to marriage as a social institution because high rate of remarriage
What policies have helped same sex couples and how
2004 Civil Partnership Act - gave same sex couples similar legal rights to married couples
2014 - same sex marriage legalised
Ethnic differences in family patterns
Black Caribbean and Black African people have higher proportion of lone parent households - especially female headed
Mirza = not because if disorganisation because black women value independence
Asian families culture values elders so extended families common
Benson (NEW RIGHT) - marriage
couples are more stable when married bc requires deliberate commitment - rate of divorce lower than rate of breakups
Conservative gov policies (2)
Section 28 - banned promotion of homosexuality by local authorities
Child support agency - enforce maintenance payments by absent parents
New Labour policies
Longer maternity leave
Working families tax credit - tax relief on childcare costs
New deal - help lone parents return to work
Cheal - DV official stats
official stat understate true extent of DV because
- victims dont report
- police reluctant to follow up on reports
Cheal = state agencies not prepared to involve themselves in family life
Childhood - Jenks
disagrees w postman - not disappearing, just undergoing change as society moves from modernity to postmodernity
