Family Theory Flashcards
Functionalism - Murdock - Functions of the Family - 4
• Sexual –> Stable satisfaction of sex drive with same partner - prevents social disruption
• Reproductive –> Reproducing next generation
• Educational –> Socialising young into shared norms + values
• Economic –> Meeting economic needs
Functionalism - Evaluating Murdock
• Marxists –> Family exists to meet needs of capitalism not indiv members
• Feminism –> Family serve men’s needs at expense of women - maintains patriarchy
Functionalism - Parsons - Functional Fit Theory
• Family function depends on location + time
Functional Fit Theory = each family type played a specific role in function of soc
• Pre-industrial soc –> most live in same village - extended family met needs
• Industrial soc –> Soc evolving with technology - nuclear family meets mobility needs
Functionalism - Parsons - Loss of Functions
• Extended family was multi-functional
• Nuclear family lost these functions + has new ones
- Primaru socialisation of children
- Stabilises adult personalities - Release tension from work
Marxism - Function of Family - Engles - Inheritance of Property
• Fanily exist so bourgeoisie can pass on private property
- ensures wealth + property/businesses stays within their class
• Monogamous nuclear family maintains this system–> brings women’s sexuality under men’s control + women become instrument to produce children
Marxism - Function of Family - Zaretsky - Ideological
• Family spreads capitalist ideology –> unconsciously learn capitalism I’d fair + natural
• Family structures reflect capitalisms hierarchy–> Parents have power over children (learn to be subservient ready for work)
• Presents illusion of respite from capitalism –> Families can’t meet members needs
Marxism - Function of Family - A Unit of Consumption
• Family is a source of profit for bourgeoisie
- Creates comp between families (neighbours)
- children targeted for products by media–> pester power
- Children lack latest are bullied
Marxism - Criticisms
• Assume NF is dominant
• Focuses too much on class conflict - gender?
• Ignores positive functions of family
New Right - Traditional Values - Social Conservatism, Family values + local gov act
• Wanted to return to traditional values - social conservatism:
- Victorian values - hard work ethic, personal improvements, religion
- Family Values - Promote NF - best, natural model
• Local Gov Act –> Schools can’t teach/promote homosexuality
New Right - Decline of Family
• Increase in divorce rate
- Average marriage lasts 12 years
• Child born out of wedlock
- 48.1%
• Leads to unsocialised children + decaying morals
New Right - Who’s to blame? - Murray
• Single parents –> Soc too dependent on welfare state
• The New Rabble –> Long term unemployed, welfare dep, single mums (extremely dangerous, can’t socialise, lack male role model = young boy crime)
New Right - Who can resolve the situation?
• The New Victorians –> Respectable mc who marry, socialise properly, work + pay taxes
New Right - Criticisms - Feminists + Marxists
• Decline of NF is exaggerated
- Even with increasing divorce, most marry + have kids or remarry
• Feminists –> gender roles are socially determined not biological
- expect women to be housewives = oppressive
• Marxists –> Single parents aren’t welfare dependent
Feminism - Liberal - Young + Willmott
• Fight for equal rights + opportunities within legal systems
- laws can change attitudes to women’s role in family
- gender equality only won through legal reforms
• March of Progress –> change will cone gradually
- men do more domestic work
- children socialised with equal aspirations
Feminism - Liveral Criticism - Marxist/Radical Feminists
• Marxist/Radical Feminists –>
- Law doesn’t change soc attitudes
• Equal Pay Act not always followed (actors)
- Don’t address causes
Feninism - Marxist Feminists - women cause capitalism survival
• Capitalism is to blame for women’s weaker role in family
• Women perform key functions for capitalism to survive:
- Reproduce labour force –> socialise to accept capitalism
- Absorb anger (Ainsley)
- Source of Cheap Labour –> employed when short staffed + sacked when not needed
Feminism - Marxist Feminist Criticism- Postmodern
• Postmodern –>
- women have more choice over family types
- women can assert themselves in their relationships
Feminists - Radical Feminists
• All soc founded on patriarchy
- men are source of womens exploitation
- Family + marriage are patriarchal
• Men benefit from unpaid domestic work + sexual services
• Women can be dominated through violence
• Girls socialised to accept male dominance
Feminism - Radical Criticism - Liberal
• Liberal –>
- fail to recognise women’s positions have improved
- women have better access to divorce, jobs + fertility control
Feminism - Difference
• Other approaches generalise women’s experience of family
- Not all women in NF
- Neglect family as a pos experience –> black families can be source of support + resistance to racism
Feminism - Postmodern
• Other Feminists are out of date
• Women have more choice over relationships + identity
• Women have option to resist oppression
Interactionism - Personal Life Perspective
• Structuralist theories ignore increase in diversity (NF no longer most dom)
• Looks beyond traditional family relationships
- focuses on wider relationships individuals see as significant
Interactionism - Smart - Constructing meaning
• Focuses on how individuals families construct meaning: emotional responses, family culture
• Example - donee conception children
Interactionist - Evaluations
• Helps us understand how people shape family
- doesn’t rely on imposed definitions
• Too broad
- ignores strength of conventional family structures
• Agrees with Functionalism
- Intimate relationships perform important functions (belonging + relatedness)
- BUT recognises relatedness isn’t always positive
