Family: people, stats etc Flashcards
Functionalist view
Murdock 1949: 4 functions of the family
Pardons 1950: functional fit theory, irreducible functions
New right view
Murray: welfare encourages single mothers to have children they couldn’t afford
Conservative government: section 28, maintenance payments, easier divorce
New labour: parenting orders, maternity leave, civil partnership
Marxist view
Althusser: family is an ideological state apparatus
Zartesky: family is an escape from oppression and exploitation
Engels: women are prostitutes, children for economic security
MFEM: women are doubly exploited
Feminist view
LFEM: laws to ensure equality
RFEM: family is a patriarchal institution
Germaine Greer: argues for creation of all female households
MFEM: women doubly exploited
Hakim: women’s inequalities is a result of their own choices
2/3 of divorces are initiated by women
Modernism, post modernism and family life
Parsons: functional fit theory
Modernists: structurally isolate nuclear family is the best
New right: society is threatened
Chester: neo conventional (dual earner families)
The rapaports: multicultural society reflects freedom of choice
Post modernist/ Cheal: chaotic post modern stage
Judith Stacy: Silicon Valley California = divorce extended family
Modernism, Post Modernism and family life
Parsons 1950: functional fit theory
MOD: agrees with the new right
NR: society is threatened
Chester: increased family diversity, neo-conventional family (dual earner)
The Rapaports: we live in a multicultural society with family diversity reflecting choice
PMOD/ Cheal: we are in a chaotic post modern stage
Judith Stacy: Silicon Valley California, found the divorce extended family
State Policies
F: smooth running of society
Donzelot: does not contribute to the march of progress - policing of families
NR: undermine traditional family life
Charles Murray (NR): welfare for single mothers discourages the father to take responsibility
FEM: will justify the return to patriarchy e.g maternity leave
Personal life and changing life course
PMOD: we live in chaotic post modern society
NR: want return to tradition
Rapaports: 5 types of family diversity
Giddens and Beck: Individualisation thesis
Beck: we are in a risk society that has lead to negotiated families
Giddens: contraception changed the meaning of sex. Confluent love leads to insecurity, homosexuals are pioneers
criticisms of individualisation and pure relationships
Smart: individualisation thesis exaggerates the changing situation, people do retain traditional values. connectedness thesis
Chester: does not regard family diversity as significant
Divorce
1/4 in 1974 V 2/4 in 2012 end in divorce
teen marriages 2X as likely
highest in first 5-7 years and 10-14 years and more common in WC
Parsons: marriage in more about love than money as women can support themselves, high rate of remarriage, structural differentiation means marriage is less practical
Gibson: marriage is no longer a spiritral union
child centeredness
Sue Palmer: Toxic childhood
Womack 2011: uk children are unhappiest, 1/3 of 16 year olds live apart from biological fathers
UNICEF: teen pregnancy is highest in Europe, 10% of UK children have mental health issues
DOFE: 4 types of child abuse, children bellow 10years are responsible for 3,000 crimes per year like arson and criminal damage
Nature of childhood
Sub-Saharan Africa 28% of children aged 5-17 work
UNICEF: 1/10 girls experience sexual violence
Aries: the social construction of childhood is linked to industrialisation
Postman: childhood is disappearing
Jenks: childhood is not disappearing because post chaotic times are unstable and parents cling to the child
Changing patterns of migration
1930s>1945 jewish refugees fleeing Nazis
1950s encouraged by the British government to rebuild the economy, called people from former British colonies
2004 Eastern Europeans joined the EU
In 2013, 15% were returning British Citizens, 40% were from the EU, 15% were from new common wealth, 10% from old commonwealth
Immigration and Politics
UKIP: growing fear and mistrust of immigrants
British National Party and NEO-Nazism: immigrants undermine wages and weaken national security
Castles: assimilation is counterproductive and a breading ground for extremism
