Perspectives Flashcards
Functionalist - SEER
Sexual - reduces sexual conflict, monogamy
Economic - unit of consumption. Work for money. Buy stuff.
Educational - primary socialisation
Reproductive - ensures societies existence
Functionalist
SEER - what sociologist?
Murdock
Universal functions only the nuclear family can do
Functionalist
Parsons - equal but different
Socio-biological
-Men instrumental
-Women expressive
Functionalist
Parsons - specialised institutions
Specialised institutions such as school carries out functions
However nuclear families have 2 family functions still
1. Primary socialisation
2. Provide calm environment for male workers (warm bath theory)
Functionalist
Warm bath theory
Who made it?
Parsons
Functionalist
Criticism of Functionalist
•feminist - functionalist view is patriarchal
•interactionalism - functionalism top down, doesn’t acknowledge kid influence on parents
•dated and conservative
Functionalist
Consensus or conflict?
Consensus
New right
Why is the nuclear family important?
•under attack - government social policies encouraging alternative lifestyles
- 2014 new right criticised gov for legalising gay marriage
•Murray - welfare benefits encourage underclass
New right
Murray - welfare benefits encourage underclass . How does he suggest this can be stopped?
Tax breaks and rewards for married couples
New right
Boys raised by single mums have issues with ___ and ____
Health
Education
New right
Criticisms of new right
•feminists - new right oppresses women
•chambers - creates unnecessary moral panic to justify welfare cuts
•focus on a ‘golden age’ of family that never existed - ignores abuse
•marriage and nuclear families most popular still - marriage benefits exist
•little evidence ‘problem families’ exist as part of an underclass
New right
Conflict or Consensus
Consensus
Marxist
Disagrees with functionalist
Society and family do not both function
Only society functions (capitalism)
Economic function
Marxist
Sociologist Engels
Nuclear family made to ensure wealth inherited by children and oppresses women to baby makers
Marxist
Kids socialised into Long shadow of work
Sociologist?
Bowles and Gintis
Marxist
The nuclear family is an ‘Ideological conditioning device’
Socialised brainwashed into obedience to accept low status / conform to proletariat
Ties into long shadow of work
Marxist
Criticisms
•Interpretivist - working class can reject bougiose / nuclear family
• class focused. Ignores gender, ethnicity
•kids can reject socialisation
Marxist
Conflict or consensus
Conflict
Feminist
Radical feminist beliefs
Deep rooted patriarchy
Regardless if husband loves wife or not, contribute very little and exploit
Feminist
Radical feminist
How do men control family members
Domestic abuse
Feminist
Criticisms of radical feminists
•withdrawing and fully rejecting men unrealistic
•Based off of middle class white women, not other women
•outdated. Women now have influence
-can choose to be housewives
Feminist
Marxist feminist
Women’s labour exploited in two ways
1. Reproduce / raise future workers
2. Unpaid labour force (domestic)
Who’s point does this expand off of?
Engles (Marxist)
Feminist
Marxist feminist
Criticisms of Marxist feminists
Neglect economic and educational freedom for women
Feminist
Liberal feminist
Key traits of liberal feminists
Acknowledge achievements
Somerville - criticises radical and Marxist
Feminism
Conflict or consensus?
Mainly conflict
Liberal arguably consensus
Postmodernist
Why is marriage/nuclear families undermined?
The option to choose new types of families. Not linear anymore
Eg. Pregnancy ≠ marriage
Postmodernist
Family or individual centred?
How does this effect the family?
Individual.
Individualism effects family by making it ever changing. No perfect family
Postmodernist
Criticisms of postmodernism
•individualism overlooks family consensus eg monogamy still common
•nuclear family dominates still
•exaggerates choice - sexism, racism, class
Postmodernist
Conflict or consensus?
Consensus
Individualism
