Perspectives on the family

Question 1

Summary of The functionalist perspective on family

Answer 1

Functionalists believe that society is based on a value consensus- a set of shared norms and values nto which society socialises its members. Enabiling the sustainment of society’s needs.
Society is a system made up of sub systems that are dependent on eachother. (Human body analogy)

Question 2

How does Murdock define the Nuclear family?

Answer 2

“The family is a social group characterised by common residence, economic cooperation and reproduction. It includes adults of both sexes at least two of whom maintain a socially approved seual relationship. And one or more children, own or adopted of the sexually cohabiting adults. 1949

Question 3

What does Murdock argue about the family

Answer 3

FUNCTIONALIST

The family performs four essential functions to meet society’s needs.
* Reproduction of the next generation, without society cannot continue
* **Stable satisfaction of the sex drive **with the same partner preventing social disruption
* Socialisation of the young into society’s shared norms and values
* **Meeting members’ economic needs **such as food and shelter.

Question 4

What are criticisms of Murdock’s theory on The family

Answer 4

• Some argue that the four essential functions can also be performed by families other than nucleur e.g ick tribe in africa, polyamorous
• Feminists see the family as serving the needs of the patriarchy and oppressing men
• Marxists see the family as meeting the needs of capitalism and not those of family members or society as a whole

Question 5

What does Parsons believe about the family?

Answer 5

FUNCTIONALIST 1955-functional fit theory

Believes that the functions that the family performs will depend on the society in which it is found. Parsons distinguishes two different family types

The nucleur family:Just parents and their dependent children
**The extended family **of three generations living under the same roof.
He argues that the nucleur family fits the needs of the modern industrial society and the extended family fits the needs of the pre industrial society. Society has become more industrial and so its needs fit more with nucleur family.

• Geographically mobile workplace, originally people worked in the same villages often had farms. It is easier for the pat two generation nucleur family to move and suits the modern industry georgaphically mobile workforce
• Socially mobile workforce, evolving technology requires a skilled tech competent workforce. Adult sons leave home and marry forming their own nucleur family and become structurally isolated from its extended kin less duty to help eachother.
  *

When society industrialises there is a loss of functions as aresult family must perform two functions

Primary socialisation of children:To equid with basic skills and society’s values to begin intergreation into society.
The stabilisation of adult personalities:Family can release tensions and relax members enabiling them to return to the workplace ready to meet its demands.

Warm bath theory

Question 6

Summary of The Marxist perspective on family

Answer 6

Marxist sociologists see capitalist society as based on an unequal conflict between two social classes, the capitalist class (bougeroise) who own means of production and the working class whose labour the capitalists exploit for profit.

Marxists believe that the functions of the family are performed purely for the benefit of capitalist society.

Question 7

What does Fletcher believe about the family?

Answer 7

FUNCTIONALIST 1988
agrees that the family has become alot more specialised and has lost several functions in a modern industrial society, claims that non essential secondary functios famillies once performed are now carried out more effectively by the welfare state.

• Stable satisfaction of sexuality
• reproduction
• rearing of children

Question 8

What do Marxists belive about inheritance of property and family?

Answer 8

MARXIST

marxists argue that the key factor determining the shape of all social institutions in the mode of productiona nd who owns and controls society’s productive forces. In modern society it is the capitalist class. As the mode of production evolves so does the family.

Question 9

What does Engels believe about the family

Answer 9

MARXIST-the origin of family 1884
* Family emerged with the invention of private property as a class of men emerged who were able to control the means of production
* Monogamy became essential because of inheritance of private property men had to be certain paterinity to ensure inheritance
* rise of monogamous nucelur family lead to a ‘world historical defeat to the womean sex’ as it brought womens sexuality under male control.

Only with the overthrowal of capitalism will women achieve liberation from patriarchal control

Question 10

What do Marxists believe about the family performing ideologial functions?

Answer 10

Family supports capitalism in many ways

• socialising children into the idea that heirachy and inequality is inevitable e.g paternal power over children prepares for working life
• Family as a unit of consumption buys the goods and services provided by capitalism
• Womens domestic work is unpaid benefiting capitalism
• Changing trends e.g clothing encourage parents to constantly buy for their children

Eli Zaretsky (1976) the family also performs a function of providing n apparent ‘haven’ from the harsh exploitative world of capitalism. This is largely an illusion of false conciousness and the family cannot meet member’s needs

Question 11

Criticisms of the Marxist perspective on Families.

Answer 11

• Assume that the nucleur family is dominant in capitalist society, ignoring the wide variety of family strictures in society today.
• Feminists argue that marxists emphasis on class and capitalism underestimates the importance of gender inequalities within the family.
• Functionalists argue that marxists ignore the benefits of the family

Question 12

Summary of Feminist views on family

Answer 12

Feminists see the family as perpetuating patriarchy. Libereal, radical and marxist feminits differ over the cause of women’s subordination and the solution to it.

Question 13

What do liberal feminists believe about the family?

Answer 13

• Concerned with campaigning against sex discrimination and equal rights for women.
• They argue that women’s oppression is being gradually overcome through changes in attitudes and changes in law e.g sex discrimmination act 1975
• hold a much more march of progress approach
• believe gender equality has not yet been achieved in the family it is a gradual process

Question 14

Criticisms of liberal feminist approach on family

Answer 14

fail to challenge the underlying causes of women’s oppression and for believing that changes in the law and attitudes will be enough to achieve equality. Radical and marxist feminists argue that far reaching changes to deep rooted social strictures are needed

Question 15

What do Marxist feminists believe about the family?

Answer 15

Main cause of womens opression in the family is not the men but capitalism. Women’s oppression performs severeal functions for capitalism.

• Women reproduce the labour force through their unpaid domestic labour by socialising next generation of workers and servicing the current one
• Women absorb angerthat would otherwise be directed at capitalism. Fran Ansley describes wives as takers of shit who soak up anger about expolitative work from husbands.
• Women are a reserve army for cheap labour can be taken on when extra workers are needed they can be let go and returned to unpaid domestic labour

Question 16

What do Radical feminists believe about the family

Answer 16

Argue that all societies have been founded on patriarchy-rule by men. Men are the enemy and source of women exploitation and oppression. The family and marriage are key institutions in patriarchal society through men benefiting from womens unpaid domestic work and sexual services.

Family is the root of womens oppression and needs to be abolished through separatism (women live independently from men)

argue for political lesbianism the idea that heterosexual relationships are oppressive because they involve sleeping with the enemy. Germaine Greer argye for creation of all female households

Question 17

Criticisms of Radical feminism

Answer 17

Libereal feminists such as jenny sommerville believe they fail to recognise that women’s position has improved with better acsess to divorce, job oppurtunities, control over fertility and the choice in cohabition or marraige. However she does recognise more needs to be done.

Question 18

What do difference feminists believe about the family

Answer 18

We cannot make genrealisations about women’s experiences. Every women experiences different things with class, age,ethnicity, as factors

For example by regarding the family purely negatively white feminists neglect black women’s experience of racial oppression they may feel positively about the family as a source of support against racism.

Question 19

Criticisms of Difference feminism

Answer 19

Neglects the fact that all women share many of the same experiences like sexual assualt and violence. Doesn’t focus on an alramingly universal problem of the societal oppresion of women.

Question 20

Strengths and Weaknesses of Feminist view on the family

Answer 20

Strengths:They have achieved huge steps in terms of legalisation which protects rights of women across the globe. Provide a healthy antidote to functionalist views that downplay the ngative aspects of familylife. Gives a voice ot oprpressed members of society.

Weaknesses:Changes in law don’t change attitudes. When family is actively discouraged it can lead to many problems in community and in communist countries it led to problems. Heterosexual attraction makes the idea of separatism put forward by radicals unrealistic. Libereal and radical feminists tend ot genrealise about women’s experiences without recognising differences

Question 21

What is the personal life perspective on family

Answer 21

Strongly influenced by interactionalist ideas and argues that ot understand famillies , we must start from the individuals concerned’s point of view and the meanings they give to their relationships.

Contrast feminist, functionalist and marxist ‘top up’ structuralist approach with a ‘top down approach’
Emphasises the meanings that individual family members hold and hows these shape actions and relationships. By focusing on meanings the range of relationships are raised which may not be conventually considered ‘family’

Question 22

What does carol smart believe about the family

Answer 22

PERSONAL LIFE
developed different types of relationships which are not conventional but may also peovide a sense of belonging and identity.

• Relationships with friends
• fictive kin c,lose friends treated as relative
  Gay and lesbian ‘chosen famillies’ made up ofsupport network of close friends etc
• Relationships with dead
• Relationships with pets (Becky tipper study showed most children considered pets apart of family)
• Relationship with God

Question 23

Describe Nordquist and Smart’s Donor concieved children study

Answer 23

PERSONAL LIFE
Found that the issue of blood and genes raised a range of feelings some parents emphasised importance of socia relationships over genetic ones in forming family bonds. Recognises that relativedness is not always positive (domestic abuse)

Question 24

Criticisms of Personal life perspective on family

Answer 24

Too broad a view, by including a wide range of relationshipswe ignore what is special about relationships based on blood or marraige.

Question 25

What do post modernists believe about the family?

Answer 25

• Society is rapdily changing and is full of uncertainties, individuals are no longer constrained by social structures like family, social class or religioin due to an increase in choice.
• Post modernists take note of the breaking down of traditional old divisions of famillies all sorts of groups claim to be families.
• Traditional structural theories (Functionalist, marxist, feminist) assume the mian family is the nucelur family but today there is changing in roles relationships and diversity
• Famillies vary too much to make genrealisations
• Individual choice is prioritised over traditional famillies values (choose family)
• Globalisation and geographical mobility means famillies are more spread out making them more diverse

Question 26

What does Sociologist Giddens believe about the family

Answer 26

POST MODERN
* We are living in a late modernity era where there is more choice and change. (choice of identity)
* Family diversity is a reflection of increased oppoetunities to change, create and experiment.
* Relationships in famillies are sustained through ‘confluent love’-deep emotional intimacy in which partners reveal and sustain eachothers needs.

Late modenrity:contemporary period charecterised by chocie and change

Question 27

What are Criticisms of Giddens

Answer 27

He may have exaggerated peoples ability to choose and make changes. E.g lone parents did not set out to be lone parents.

Class
age
gender
ethnicity
race/religion
all factor in

Question 28

What does Judith Stacey believe about the family

Answer 28

POST MODERNIST
Sees family diversity as an oppurtunity to develop family forms which suit particular needs.
“I use the term post modern family to signal the contested, ambivalent and undecided characters of our contemporary family cultures.

Silicon valley research: focused on two working class extended kin networks in silicon valley and covered the way in which these famillies has become adaptable in response to social changes.

Pam and dotty gained an education studied for a degree one remarried.
Showed how two working class women developed their family life to take account of changes in their circumstances in a rapidly changing enviroment

Question 29

Describe Foucault’s perspective on the family

Answer 29

POST MODERNIST
family excersises ideological control through surveillance ‘the state keeping an eye on you’ to describe how the state can excersise social control over peop;e through criminal justice system mass media and education system.

Foucault found that this surveillance was often internalised as people come to accept norms of behavior as their own and police their own behavior (self surveillance)

Henderson et al applied this to the family and mother hood through parent guilt and pressure to comply to norms e.g quality time

Question 30

Criticisms of Foucault

Answer 30

Criticses insitutions that can also be beneficial like the education system.
Ignores oppression
over empahsis on choice to self survelliance

Question 31

What is the new right perspective on family

Answer 31

1908s new right thinkers argued that the goverment was undermining the family. Nucleur family seen as natural and based on fundamental biological differences between genders.

Decline of traditional family and growth of family diversity is the cause of social problems like higher deviancy rates and declining moral standards.
It is important for children to have a stable home with married parents and stay at home mum

The introduction to the welfare state led to a culture of dependency leading to lone parents leading to crime and a fatehrless society.

Murray work must be the centre of life for young men and must learn to become ‘real fathers’

Increase in diveristy leads to breakdown of trad family values, over generous welfare states, increased sexual permissiveness and fragmented family

Question 32

Criticisms of the new right

Answer 32

Blames victims for problems that are not their own making.
Harsh to say other families are inferior than nucleur families when abuse and trauma still occurs in nucleur families.
Idealised view of the past values and norms are changing.