Family and Households - Sociological theories

Question 1

Who are the Functionalists?

Answer 1

Murdock and Parsons

Question 2

What did Murdock find on his studies?

Answer 2

-family is vital in 250 societies
-family is universal
-nuclear family, mans works, woman domestic

Question 3

What are Murdock’s 4 family FUNCTIONS?

Answer 3

1= Economic
-man is ‘breadwinner’, woman has domestic role
-independent, self sufficient, financially stable.
2= Sexual Regulation
-stress relief, regulates sexual urges
-heterosexuality, monogamous (stops sexual freeforall)
-socialisation of gender appropriate roles.
3=Education
-primary socialisation
-learn norms and values to help consensus in society
4=Reproduction
-keeps family and human race going
-gender socialisation
-without= society would stagnate, strain on elderly.

Question 4

What are the criticisms on Murdock’s 4 functions.

Answer 4

1= outdated, both genders bring money in, welfare state, food banks for economic support.
2=outdated, fails to consider homosexual relationships, which has not led to a sexual freeforall.
3= replaced by media, nursery, norms and values have changed.
4=outdated, does not consider families who cannot or decide not to have children, neglects same sex couples.

Question 5

What is Parsons FUNCTIONAL FIT theory?

Answer 5

-functions of family must change to fit the needs of society.
-family exists to benefit society
-change between pre-industrial times to inducsstrial times (extended to nuclear, producers to consumers/geographically mobile)

Question 6

What are Parson’s 2 functions that are irreducible?

Answer 6

1= Agent of Primary Socialisation
2=Stabilisation of Adult Personalities

Question 7

Agent of Primary Socialisation

Answer 7

-family passes down shared culture, norms and vlaues.
-effective = both gender roles present.
-man= INSTRUMENTAL, financially supportive, discipline
-woman=EXPRESSIVE, nurturing, caring, emotional
-impact= maintain value consensus, smooth society

Question 8

Stabilisation of Adult Personalities

Answer 8

-SOAP
-family= where man can relax, release frustrations
-women and children help this.
-impact, man can work sufficiently (self-sufficient unit), positive role model for children
-family is like a ‘warm bath’

Question 9

How do Marxists see the family?

Answer 9

As benefiting capitalism.
It serves to SUPPORT,PROMOTE,MAINTAIN it.

Question 10

What are the two things that Zaretsky said?

Answer 10

1= ‘family props up capitalism.’
2= ‘nuclear family acted as a safe haven.’

Question 11

What did Ansley say?

Answer 11

‘Women are takers of shit.’
-women have to deal with men’s behaviour, getting what capitalism has caused.

Question 12

When thinking of marxism and the family, a house is used, what are the two parts?

Answer 12

1= Superstructure, maintains and legitimises base, institutions
2= Infrastructure, shapes the superstructure, economic base and capitalism.

Question 13

What are the Marxist 3 functions of the family?

Answer 13

1= Inheritance of Property
-fathers pass down property to appropriate heirs, monogamous marriage(stops promiscuous horde), nuclear family, women were ‘baby makers’.
2= Ideological Control
-controls mind/ideas, socialisation, capitalist norms and values passed down, home is ‘safe-haven’ (illusion), false class consciousness.
3= Unit of Consumption
-workers exploited with little pay, spend money on capitalist products, ‘pester power’ children can bribe parents who give in, media stigmatisation.

Question 14

What are some arguments against Marxist views on family?

Answer 14

-outdated, women choose not to have children, not babymakers.
-ignore free-will/love, people get married for love
-feminists, only based on class, ignores gender inequalities.
-too deterministic, people reject these functions
-ignores family diversity
-

Question 15

What are the 4 branches of feminism?

Answer 15

1= Liberal
2= Radical
3= Marxist
4= Difference

Question 16

What do liberal feminists think about the family?

Answer 16

-gender discrimination, society caused by mistaken biological differences.
-gender role socialisation, each gender behave differently.
-manipulation, parents encourage/discourage behaviour, due to child’s gender
-canalisation- way parents channel child’s interests into toys/activities.

Question 17

What did liberal feminist Ann Oakley say?

Answer 17

-people are trained to conform to social expectations.
-males = hegemonic masculinity
-females - hegemonic femininity

Question 18

What do radical feminists think about the family?

Answer 18

-nuclear family functions = benefit heterosexual man
-Delphy and Leonard, women support men, men to do support women.
-domestic violence, men believe they have more power than women.
-women should SEPARATENESS, live alone and create new culture.

Question 19

What did radical feminist Greer say?

Answer 19

-abolish monogamous nuclear family to get equality.
-political lesbianism

Question 20

What do marxist feminists believe about the family?

Answer 20

-patriarchy caused by capitalism.
-women expected to produce/bring up next generation of workers.
-housework/sexual services= man is fit and healthy
-women = reserve army of female labour.
-women do unpaid work, childcare

Question 21

What did marxist feminist Ansley say?

Answer 21

-‘women are takers of shit.’
-men frustrations (from being exploited), absorbed by family, wife, leads to domestic violence.

Question 22

What do difference feminists believe about the family?

Answer 22

-women = heterogenous, experience patriarchy differently.
-women not equally exploited in all family types
-lesbian women not exploited, patriarchy in family does not exist.
-social class, ethnicity, sexuality all impact experience

Question 23

What are some examples of difference feminism?

Answer 23

-working class = higher levels of abuse, stress of economic hardship
-black women = single parents (12 percent), matriarchal.

Question 24

Evaluation of liberal feminists?

Answer 24

-still relevant, discrimination still occurs.
-social attitudes have changed about family life, gradually overcoming inequalities (the march of progress)

Question 25

Evaluation of radical?

Answer 25

-harsh
-outdated, not accurate

Question 26

Evaluation of marxist?

Answer 26

-unrealistic solution of abolishing nuclear family
-outdated, 72% of women now employed

Question 27

Evaluation of difference?

Answer 27

-relevant to society
-unrealistic to create policies that benefit all different

Question 28

What family does New Rights love and why?

Answer 28

-TRADITIONAL NUCLEAR FAMILY
-best to socialise children correctly
-not reliant on welfare state, father contributes financially, and the state, being a good role model for children
-family should care for children

Question 29

What will the traditional nuclear family lead to according to New Right?

Answer 29

There will be a society filled with traditional core values, helping society to remain independent, self sufficient, and reducing the underclass.

Question 30

What two family types do New Rights not like?

Answer 30

1= single parent families
2=same sex families

Question 31

What do New Right say about single mothers?

Answer 31

‘single mothers breed delinquents’ (Dr Morgan)
-not taught correct norms and values without father.
‘single mothers are married to the state’ (Charles Murray)
-cannot provide a stable income, so have to use governments money.

Question 32

What do New Right say about same sex couples?

Answer 32

-unnatural
-cannot socialise children correctly, as both genders must be present, and gay parents ‘normalise being gay’.

Question 33

What do New Right ignore?

Answer 33

-family diversity
-women can discipline, be a positive role model and breadwinner
-feminism = genderblind and malestream perspective

Question 34

What do postmodernists believe about the family?

Answer 34

-society consists of more diverse family types.
-parents both work and look after children
-tech assists in primary socialisation
-children= more exposure to different cultures, taught mixture of norms and values
-people choose own identity.

Question 35

What do the RAPOPARTS say about about family diversity?

Answer 35

-diversity is the heart of family life
-argue that diversity is central importance in understanding today’s family life.

Question 36

What does Stacey say? (postmodernism)

Answer 36

-‘we are no longer controlled by traditional relationship norms.’
—> we now have a choice, society has changed.
-‘love is now conditional. The needs for both partners must be fulfilled. We no longer settle for mediocre relationships.’
—> confluent love,relationships are a choice, not a necessity.

Question 37

What does postmodernist MORGAN say?

Answer 37

-pointless to make generalisations like Functionalists and Marxists.
-a family is any arrangement that people choose to call their family.