Perspectives on the family. Flashcards
What are the roles of the family according to Murdoch?
Functionalist
Murdoch (1949); argues the family performs 4 essential functions to meet the need of society;
- Stable satisfaction of the sex drive;
- with the same partner, preventing the social dispute
caused by a sexual ‘free for all’
- with the same partner, preventing the social dispute
- Reproduction of the next generation;
- without this, society wouldn’t continue
- Socialisation of the young;
- into societies shared norms and values
- Meeting it members economic needs;
- such as food and shelter.
What are the roles of the family according to Parsons?
Functionalist
- The primary socialisation of children;
- to equip them with basics skills and society’s values to
enable them to cooperate with others and begin to
integrate them into society.
- to equip them with basics skills and society’s values to
- Stablisation of adult personality;
- the family is a place of relaxation and release for adults, enabling them to return to the workplace refreshed and ready to meet it’s demands. This is functional for the efficiency of the economy.
Outline Parson’s ‘functional fit’ theory.
Due to industrialisation, the family had to adapt from the extended family to the nuclear family in order to meet two needs;
- Geographically mobile workforce;
- industries constantly rise and decline in different parts
of the country based on demands and requires people
to move in order to meet these demands.
- industries constantly rise and decline in different parts
- Socially mobile workforce;
- In a modern industrial society, science and technology
are constantly evolving and requires a skilled competent
workforce - it’s essential that talented/skilled workers
are rewarded with promotion even if they are poorer. - An individual achieves their status/wealth by their own
efforts rather than it be ascribed.
- In a modern industrial society, science and technology
Define the Marxist perspective on family?
The family unit reinforces capitalism in three ways;
- Being a ‘unit of consumption’;
- Capitalism exploits the labour of working class, making
profit from their labour.
- Capitalism exploits the labour of working class, making
- ‘Ideological functions’
- the family perform key ideological functions for
capitalism.
- the family perform key ideological functions for
- ‘Inheritance of property’;
- The bourgeoisie are at an advantage as they inherit
private property, the means of production and money,
meaning wealth stays within the family.
- The bourgeoisie are at an advantage as they inherit
How does the family support capitalism by being a ‘unit of consumption’?
- It also supports capitalism as it’s an important market
for the sale of consumer goods. It’s urged to;–> ‘Keep up with the Jones’’ - by consuming all the
latest products.–> ‘Pester Power’ - children are encouraged to use
pester power to persuade their parents to buy the
products advertisers target children with.
What ideological functions do the family perform to support capitalism?
- By socialisng children into the ideal that hierarchy and inequality are inevitable. Parental (especially paternal) power accustoms children to the idea that there will always be someone in charge.
- The family also performs to offer an apparent ‘haven’ from the harsh working class exploitation in a capitalist society. (warm bath theory)
How did ‘inheritance of property’ control women in the family?
The establishment of private property arguable brought ‘female sexuality’ under control as the monogamous nuclear family became essential as men had to be certain of the paternity of their children in order to ensure their legitimate heirs inherit from them.
What is the overall feminist perspective on the family?
They argue that the family oppresses women and is one of the key contributing factors of gender inequality.
What is the liberal feminist perspective on the role of the family.
- Women’s oppression is being gradually overcome through changes in law such as Equal Pay Act 1970 and Sex Discrimination Act 1975.
- We are making a move towards equality, but full equality hasn’t been achieved and will depend on further legislation and changes in social attitudes from both sexes.
what is the Marxist feminist perspective on the role of family?
The main cause of women’s oppression in the family is the result of capitalism. Women’s oppression forms several functions for capitalism;
- Women reproduce the labour force;
- through their unpaid domestic labour, by socialising
the next generation of workers and maintaining and
servicing the current one.
- through their unpaid domestic labour, by socialising
- Women absorb anger;
- that would otherwise be directed at capitalism - Fran
Ansley (1972) describes wives as ‘takers of shit’ who
soak up the frustration of husbands.
- that would otherwise be directed at capitalism - Fran
- Women are a reserve army of cheap labour;
- that cab be taken on when extra workers are needed.
When no longer needed, employers can ‘let them go’
to return to their primary role of unpaid domestic
labour in the home.
- that cab be taken on when extra workers are needed.
What is the radical feminist perspective on the family?
All societies have been founded on patriarchy the key division in society is between men and women. They believe;
- Men are the enemy;
- they are the main source of all women’s oppression
and exploitation.
- they are the main source of all women’s oppression
- The family and marriage are the key institutions in
patriarchal society;
- men benefit from women’s unpaid domestic labour ad fro their sexual services. They dominate women through domestic and sexual violence or threat of it.
The patriarchal society needs to be overturned - in particular the family which they argue is the root of women’s oppression.
What is the perspective of difference feminists?
All other feminist perspectives assume that most women live in conventional nuclear families and that they share a similar experience of family life.
Difference feminists argue that we can’t generalise women’s experiences.
Women of different sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, class ect all have a different experience of the family than one another.
What is the New Right perspective on the family?
The family is a private sphere which should be untouched by the state, however this is not the case.
There is only one correct family type - the nuclear family. This is the most natural type based n the fundamental biological differences between men and women.
Any deviation from this family type (family diversity) is opposed by the NR and they argue it creates instability and welfare dependency.
Why do the New Right oppose cohabitation?
The NR oppose cohabiting as they argue it causes instability and is one of the main causes of lone parent families due to family/relationship breakdown.
Harry Benson (2006) - Analysed data on the parents of 15,000 babies --> in the first 3 years, 20% of cohabiting couples experience family breakdown vs 6% of married couples.
Benson (2011)
- Found the rate of divorce was much lower among married couples than the breakdown of cohabiting couples.
What do the New Right believe causes family breakdown and the instability that comes with it as a result.
The NR regard laws and policies surrounding access to divorce, gay marriage and the welfare state as main contributing factors.
They argue such things produce an ‘underclass’ who are’ ‘welfare dependant’ and reliant on the welfare state.
