Sociological approaches of the family- Paper 2 Flashcards
Family Types-
The Nayar-
Communes-
The Kibbutz-
Lone parent-
Same sex-
Empty nest-
Dual career-
Bean Pole-
cereal packet-
symmetric-
matrifocal-
Foster care-
-Women have multiplier sexual partners, her brother is responsible form looking after them.
-Children and adults work and live together.
-Children where kept separate from parents brought up by metapelets.
-One parent usually a mother becoming more common.
-Mostly lesbian couples gay couples may have surrogate mother.
-Families were the children have all left home.
-Both parents work.
-Elongated structure very few children to reproduce.
-‘Perfect family’ Mother in expressive roll and father in an instrumental role
-Both parents in the house do equal roles
-Family headed by a man
-Children looked after by authorities
Parson
(functionalist)
Functional fit- families preform functions depending on the needs of society. pre-industrial- family was necular+next of kin, self sufficient, educated children, males and females did similar roles, children and aderly did house work. industrial society- nuclear family formed, more geographically mobile, business now provide food/ cloths.
functions of the family- socializing children teaching them the norms and values, stabilization of parents. Family types chaged becuse they now needed to be georgrphically mobileand socilally mobile (By moving away from family pople can move up the socila lader)
Warm bath theory- when a man comes home from work the family provides stress relief and relaxation. Ensure they furthers emotional needs are met, so he continues to economically support the family.
George murdock
(functionalist)
Pros
based his results on a sample of 250. He said each contained a basic nuclear family. he said it was universal. The 4 functions of the family- stabilisation of the sex drive, reproduction, socialisation of the young, meet the families economic needs.
Pros- when it was proposed there was evidence to support murdocks family types. Parson and murdock both identified functins of the family. Parson provided a logical time line for the change of the family and why.
willmott and young
(functionalist)
Agreed with parson that the nuclear family best fitted the needs of the industrial society. They came up with the systematic family where the family divides all responsibilities equally between partners. It happened gradually not with speed.
Anderson
(functionalist)
Used historical records shoed pre-industral family’s where often extended. Thy was a very of family types. After the industrial revulsion extended family’s became more popular this allowed families in poverty to have unemployed members that could stay home and look after the sick
peter laslett
(functionalist)
Used historical parish records. prior industrial revolution extended families were more popular. to complicated to say there was one family structure. in upper classes there were more extended families. in lower classes due to mortality rates nuclear families were more common.
Criticised for he data he used no qualitative date of what life was list at the time. His data question the ideas parson made on the family in the pre-industrial times.
Margret thatcher
(new rights)
Political rather than social perspective. Family is head of all social policies. emerged in 1980s. She was a conservative politician who said poor behaviour in children was due to poor families. the break down in family structured led to single parent families headed by women these families relied on welfare payments witch critics say created a work shy class.
Charles murry
(new rights)
under class- pole with lack of skills, employment and income led to the sitting outside of society. They had no intention of woking lived in un-kept houses and were drunken. Children were ill-schooled and ill-behaved. school drop outs, children born out of wed lock, and violent criminals were due to singles headed female families.
evaluation of the new rights
Pros-Emphasised on individual freedom. Limiting government intervention. It is critical of the nanny state a system where the government takes control of finances. when people should do it themselves. As it encourages a culture of dependance (a system of social welfare that encourages people to stay on benefits rather than work.)
Cons- Feminists would say it restricts women at home. over idealises the nuclear family distracts from the dark side of family life. portrays divorce in a negative way and blames different family types for being responsible for a range of social problems.
carl marx
(Marxist)
described the concept of promiscuous hordes and primitive communism. See society as made of tow main classes bourgeoisie (the ruling class own the mean if production make more profit known as the capitalist class) Proletariat (are the working class work for the ruling class paid less then they deserved exploited to make more profit) Oppose functionalist views reject that the nuclear family has an important function family benefits functionalism and contributes to the inequality between classes.
Eli Zaretsky
(Marxist)
Family helps create a false class conscious in the working class. the expressive role of the wife providing support, security and comfort help the man get distracted fro the exploration he faces as work.
Althuser
(Marxist)
ideological state approach- it teaches vales that are ideal for capitalism to children this means they respect and are obedient to authority and hard working this keeps them a submissive work force required fro capitalism. also family is a consumer of goods the media can show adverts of new products that families feel the need to have to keep to with the latest consumer trends. by purchasing new items enables capitalists to continue making profit.
Radical feminists
(feminist)
men are the enemies and marriage is the key to partially in society. Family need to be abolished and women need to head/ lead. Greer- Argues that metrical house holds are the alternative to heterosexual families.
Pros-challenging gender norms by challenging traditional gender roles creates a diversity of identities and expressions creating a more inclusive society of the is accept for men and women to do
cons- some argue it alienate men and placing strong emphasis on patriarchy being the source of oppression. making the as the ‘bad one’ stops dialogue between the gender to find solutions to problems.
Marxist feminists
(feminist)
Oppression causes by capitalism. Women produce a working force. Social classes are the main cause for inequality. Ansley- said women were the takers of shit. women absorbe the anger other wise directed at capitalism. Men are frustrated by exploitation women become the vicim like domestic violence.
pros- show how gender rolls in family benefits a capitalist society rather than being innate like functionalist say
cons- saying that the functions that the nuclear family preform only benefit the ruling class, men. This can be criticise as women who chose to do the expressive role because they enjoy it rather than as it benefits society. It is out dated based at time where the nuclear family was prominent women stayed at hoe and man works. may families no long fit into this category. family are more divers often being duel career.
Evaluation for marxism
Pros- It gives an economic analysts marxist theories provide analysis of economic structure particularly in capitalist society It shows the relationship of production, class struggles and the role capitalism has to hap social relations.
Cons- in counterpart society family is more diverse and there is a variety of structures and living arrangements. Marxism assume men are the bread winners and women stay at home. this is less common so its harder to see if the females expressive role helps extract from the mans exploration. maxist claim that family creates a false class contuses thesis hard to test.
