Personal life theory of the family

Question 1

What do Personal life theorists e.g. smart criticise Marx, fems, funcs for?

Answer 1

1. Assuming traditional nuclear families are dominant type- ignores diversity of families today, lone parent step etc
2. These are all structural theories- assume members of families are passive puppets e.g. serving needs of cap and men, ignore how much choice we have
   THUS, We must focus on the meaning families associate with their relationships, not functions

Question 2

What is Personal life’s ‘bottom up approach of the family?

Answer 2

they explore meanings individuals hold with the family e.g relationships with friends, fictive kin, gay and lesbian chosen families, dead relatives, pets (Tipper- children’s views of the family often include pets as members)