sociological perspective on the theories of the family's Flashcards
what are the 3 functionalist perspectives
-Murdock
-organic analogy
-parsons
what dose Murdock state
The nuclear family performs four essential functions:
Socialization of the young
Satisfaction of the member’s economic needs
Reproduction of the next generation
Stable satisfaction of the sex drive
what dose the organic analogy state to reflect functionalist view
The human body is made up of different parts that function together to meet its needs and maintain it.
Functionalists believe society does the same, in which it is made up of interdependent parts (eg. the education system, the government, religion etc) that work together to maintain the social system as a whole.
what is parsons theory
the functional fit
The functions that the family perform depend on the type of society in which they are found:
Pre-industrial society - extended family - had the function of production and consumption which need to be replaced
Modern society - nuclear family - have the function of social and geographical mobility which meet the needs of Morden society as people move for work and are rewarded for their efforts with promotion that help have movement in class systems
what functions dose the nuclear family have according to parsons
The nuclear family has two irreducible functions:
Primary socialization of the young - equipping the next generation with basic skills and society’s values.
Stabilization of adult personalities - enabling adults to relax so they can return to the workplace and perform their roles effectively (warm bath theory)
this allows nuclear family to be the most stable family and the best fit for society
what are the criticism of the functionalist view
assume the nuclear family is the only main family but family diversity tells us other wise so the theroy has become outdated as individuals have the capacity to choose their family arrangements
family functions are over romantic such as the warm both theory this ennobles hem to ignore the dark side of the family as feminist See the family as serving the needs of men and oppressing the woman
Marxist - Argue that it meets the needs of capitalism and not those of family members or society as a whole
what is Marxism general view
Marxist see all society’s institutions such as the education system, media help maintain class inequality and capitalism
who are the 3 Marxist that show how capitalism is maintained in our society
engels - private property
zaretsky - ideological function -haven
poulantza- co operate
engels view
The family exists so men can pass their private property onto their biological offspring, notably a son this maintains capitalism as monogamy became essential as men had to be certain that was their child allowing legitimate heirs inherited from them
what is units of consumption
Another way of maintaining capitalism is through pester power where the media target children who persuade their parents to spend more as children who lack the latest gadget are mocked
zaretsky
states that there is an ideological function of the family called the ‘cult of private life’ - this performs installs the belief that we can only gain fulfilment from family life as it offers a haven from world of capitalism outside, but Zaretsky says this is an illusion which distracts attention from exploitation happing
poulantza
Nuclear families are brainwashed into thinking capitalism is fair, which teaches lower generations how to conform and co-operate with the capitalist system
what are the critisms of the Marxist view
Feminists argue that Marxist emphasis on class and capitalism underestimates the importance of gender inequality within the family as family primarily serves the men and not capitalism
Functionalists argue that Marxist ignore the real benefits that the family provides for its members
ignore family diversity same as functionalist
what are the 3 types of feminism
-liberal
-Marxist
-radical feminism
liberal feminist view on the theories of the family
Liberal feminists take a march of progress view in suggesting gender inequality is GRADUALLY being overcome through reform and policy change such as sex discrimination acts which changes people’s attitudes towards socialization and challenges stereotypes.
For example, the new man is becoming more widespread as men are doing more domestic tasks
evaluation for liberal feminist
other feminist argue that they fail to Challange the underlying cause of women’s oppression and for believing change in law and attitudes is enough to bring equality as Marxist/radical that changes to deep rooted social structures are needed
Marxism feminism
Capitalism is the main form of women’s oppression in the family and this performs several functions for capitalism:
Reproducing the labour force - women socialize the next generation of workers.
Absorbing men’s anger - wives soak up their husband’s frustration from being exploited at work.
A reserve army of cheap labour - when not needed, women workers can return to their domestic role.
radical feminism
The family and marriage are the key institutions in a patriarchal society, meaning that men benefit from the women’s unpaid domestic labour and sexual services, as well as dominate them through violence or the threat of it.
Radical feminists also believe the patriarchal system needs to be overturned, and the only way to achieve this is through separatism, meaning women need to organize themselves to live independently to men.
what are the critism of the radical feminist
most women want to spend time with their man and marry + children together as not all men are oppressive
Radical feminist fail to recognize that women’s position has improved – access to divorce and better job opportunities as they have more choice to marry or cohabit
what is the personal life perspective
shares the bottom up approach it emphasizes the meaning that individual family members hold the power to shape their actions and relationships with one another
what dose the perosnal life perspective state
By focusing on people’s meanings the personal life perspective draws our attention to a range of other personal relationships that are important to people which may not be conventionally defined as family such as :
-Relationship with friends
-relationships with dead relatives
- relationships with pets
-gay and lesbian chosen families
what is the evaluation for the personal life perspective
negative: By including a wide range of different kinds of personal relationships we ignore what is special about relationships that are based on blood or marriage
positive: it acknowledges the dark side of the family eg. abuse as relatedness is not always a good thing
