Sociologist Theories for families Flashcards
Who was the founder of functionalism
Emile Durkheim
What does functionalism rest on the idea of
That society is based on social and stability, value consensus and equilibrium
What did Durkheim and Parsons make a comparison between
Society and the human body
What does social solidarity mean
A sense of integration and belonging in society (no-one will feel excluded in society)
What does value consensus mean
Shared agreement on what is important in society e.g. beliefs and values
What does equilibrium mean
Social stability, a balance in society
What does functionalism emphasise
Integration and harmony between the different parts of society
What are functionalists interested in (2)
1) the contribution that the family makes to survive
2) how the family fits with other social institutions so that society functions efficiently
What are the 5 functions of the family- Murdock’s views
1) sexual
2) reproduction
3) socialisation
4) economic
5) emotional
What are the criticisms of Murdock’s views (2)
- critics claim that other non-nuclear family structures are just as capable of fulfilling these functions
- question his ‘rose-tinted’ consensus assumption that all nuclear families carry out these functions- not all NFs may be financially independent
what does Durkheim argue about society
that all parts of society are functionally interconnected and that families are linked to other parts of the social system
what is Parson’s functional fit theory (idea of the family)
- the structure and functions of a given type of family will ‘fit’ the needs of society in which it is found
- he says that when a society changes from pre-industrial to a modern industrial to a modern industrial one the family changes on 2 levels
a) it structure changes from extended to nuclear
b) it loses many of its functions
a) structural changes
- what did the family change from the past the now
- why did the family change to this type of family
- extended to nuclear
- changed to nuclear family because the emerging industrial society has different needs from pre-industrial society and the family adapted to meet these needs
a) structural changes
what did parsons see the industrial society as having what 2 essential needs
1) a geographically mobile workforce- it easier for a nuclear family to move around than an extended family
2) a socially mobile workforce- tensions occur between the older and younger generation as the younger generation may be achieving high status
b) functional changes
what does Parsons believe that society went through a process of
a process of specialisation and structural differentiation
what is the process of specialisation and structural differentiation
- when institutions begin to specialise in fewer functions.
- Traditional family roles and jobs have now been passed on to specialist organisations who carry out this function instead e.g. the NHS provide care but in the past the family did
what 2 functions does parsons believe all families follow
1) the primary socialization of children
2) stabilization of adult personalities
what is the primary socialization of children
-children absorb societies norms and values from their parents
what is stabilization of adult personalities
-adults need emotional security which is best achieved through the marital relationship and parenting roles
by what 2 ways can adult personalities be stabilized
- through marital roles- marriage should have clearly defined gender roles
- parenting roles-allow parents to indulge in ‘childish’ behaviours
what is good about the functionalist view on the family (2)
- childish behaviours allows parents to become stress-free
- identifies how families contribute to society
what are the problems with the functionalist view on the family (4)
- only believes that nuclear family can perform the 5 functions- however not all NFs can perform all functions and other family types may be able to perform all functions
- don’t look at the changes in family types
- not all parents may be able to indulge in childish behaviours
- doesn’t look at how some extended families still exist
why do feminists criticise the functionalist view on the family
-because they believe that couples should have clearly defined gender roles e.g. the male being the breadwinner, this doesn’t contribute to equality
why do marxists critique the family
- because it functions to serve the needs of capitalism
- and capitalism creates unhappy and unequal family relationships
how do families encourage and reproduce hierarchical and un-equal relationships (3)
- children are socialised to accept authority, obedience and power
- they become well practiced in subordination and become subservient
- children accept hierarchy
what does Zaretsky believe
-that a capitalist society leads to making people feel upset and down after a hard day at work
what does the family do- believed by Zaretsky
-they act as a safety valve to absorb all of the anger and sadness from their family after a hard day at work
what is bad about Zaretsky’s idea that the family acts as a safetyy valve
- the family will continue to absorb the sadness from their loved ones
- however, they will never be able t stop capitalism from hurting their feelings because they would still have to go to work to earn money for the family
how does the family reproduce labour power
- the family provides the next generation of workers
- they look after their kids and nurture them so that they can return to work the next day in a healthy state
how is the family a unit of consumption
-the family is persuaded to keep up wit the latest trends and to buy things from the capitalist society in order to stop the capitalist economy from ticking over
what are kids used as in order to persuade parents to buy them the lasted things
they are used as a pester power
what is the citicism with the unit of consumption idea
- not everyone is able to afford everything-some people might get into debt
- some people may be stigmatized for not having anything
what is the criticism with families acting like a safety valve
-families may have to absorb all the hatred and anger from their loved ones, however it doesn’t solve the real problem of capitalism and so capitalism will continue to function
what book was published in 1883 on marxism and private property
‘the origin of the family, private property and the state’
what did Engles write his book on
-the first marxist account of the origins of the rich nuclear family (breadwinner, house maker) taking an evolutionary approach
what changes did Engles link to changes in the family
economic changes had led to changes in the family
why was paternity not an important issue before private property emerged
- everything was shared
- women had kids with any man so no men really knew who their kids were
- relationships were promiscuous
what gender was power shifted from when private property emerged
-from women to men which led to the creation of a patriarchal system
what led to a monogamous relationship rather than a promiscuous one
-men needed to know who was their blood child in order to pass their wealth down
generally, do feminists support the idea of a family
-no they take a critical view on the family as they believe it oppresses women
what do liberal feminists focus on
-they focus on campaigning against sex discrimination and for equal rights and opportunities for both MEN and WOMEN
what do liberal feminists believe that the 2 most effective ways of promoting gender equality are
1) changing people’s attitudes and behaviours through socialisation and
2) passing legislation to outlaw discrimination
what do marxist feminists believe has caused women’s oppression
capitalism
marxist feminist- why do they believe women suffer because of capitalism (reproduce next generation of workers)
-women reproduce the labour force though their unpaid domestic labour, by socialising the next generation of workers with the values required by capitalists and maintaining the current one
marxist feminists- what do women act as towards their husbands and family members
-they act as a safety valve and absorb anger that is caused by capitalism
marxt feminism- what does Ansley say that wives are
‘takers of shit’- because they soak up the anger and frustration that their husbands have felt after being exploited at work
marxist feminism- what does Benson argue that the nuclear family acts as
- a stabilising force within the capitalist society because the male wage is the family wage and the husband cannot withdraw his labour- therefore people will continued to be exploited
marxist feminist- women are a reserve army of …
-women are a reserve army of cheap labour that can be exploited depending of the economy
marxist feminism- when does Mitchell say that full gender equality can be achieved in the labour market
-if women are freed from their domestic responsibilities
what do radical feminists argue that causes women’s oppression
patriarchy
what do radical feminists see men as
-the enemy and the source of women’s oppression
what do RFs see the family and marriage as
-they see the family and marriage as key patriarchal institutes
what do RFs say that men benefit from
women’s unpaid domestic labour and sexual services
RFS- how do men dominate women
through domestic violence or the threat of it
RFS
-what do Dobash and Dobash say about domestic violence
-it is an inevitable feature of patriarchal society arguing it serves to preserve the power that men have over women
RFS- what do sociologists believe that the family is for most women and children
-they believe that it is the most violent group for most women and kids
RFS- what does Pahl say about domestic violence
-it is in denial and it is never reported to police etc
RFS- why are the police and courts reluctant to help women suffering from domestic violence (2)
- because these institutes were male dominated also
- they believe the public should never interfere in family affairs
RFS- what do rfs encourage women to do
- they encourage separatism
- encourage women to be political lesbians
how does difference feminism differ to MF, RF, and LF
-they take into account that all families have different types of lives and not all families may live in a nuclear family
weaknesses of the RF approach
- encourages separatism, however, some women may find it hard to get out of a relationship
- see all men as the ‘enemy’ however, not all men are bad
weakness of the marxist feminist approach (2)
- not all women are takers of shit
- more women work now as well as men and so they may not reproduce
why are liberal feminists criticized
-because they encourage gender equality, however some families/ people may be traditional and so may not believe what LFs believe
what approach is the new right
a conservative approach
what type of family do the new right have a preference for
the nuclear family with clearly defined gender roles e.g. the male being the breadwinner
what do the new right see family diversity as
-a product of family breakdown which leads to a lack of discipline, educational failure, crime and dependency culture
which type of families are the new right mostly critical about
-single parent families
why are the new right critical about single parent families (3)
- children are denied a male role model- affecting mainly boys (leading to discipline problems)
- they become dependent on benefits
- they are dysfunctional and lack moral responsibility e.g kids outside of marriage
what do postmodernists emphasise
-emphasise family diversity
why do PMs believe that family diversity is important (2)
- it gives individuals greater freedom to plot their own life courses
- and to choose the type of family they want
PM- what does Stacey say about family diversity- who has it benefited the most (2)
- she says it has benefited women
- it has enabled them to free themselves from patriarchal oppression
according to PMs, why do we have greater family diversity today
-due to individualism and the fact that more people have freedom now- people are choosing when to marry, have kids, work etc
PMs- instead of referring to the ‘family’ what does Morgan like to refer to the family as (2)
- our rights, responsibilities and obligations within the family
- family practices what families do e.g. parenting, love one another
PMs- what thesis do Giddens and Beck develop
-the individualisation thesis
PMs- what does the individualisation thesis argue about (2)
- that in the past, people’s lives were defined by fixed roles that largely prevented people from choosing their own life courses
- today, individuals have fewer expectations and fixed roles to follow
PMS- what biography do people follow now according to Beck
-a ‘do-it-yourself’ biography whereas, in the past it was a ‘standard biography’
PMS- what s a pure relationship according to Giddens
-a relationship that exists solely to satisfy each partner’s needs and is no longer held together by norms, religion and laws
PMS- what does Giddens recognise about pure relationships
-that they become less stable- if couples want to split they are more likely to as they are not together by law or religion etc
PMS- what society does Beck say we now live in
a risk society- where tradition has less influence on people’s lives and they have more choice
PMS- what does Beck mean by the term ‘negotiated family’
- in the past there used to be a traditional patriarchal family however, this has been undermined by greater gender equality and individualism
- as a result, contemporary families are less likely to conform to any norm
PMS- what does Beck say that is bad about the negotiated family
-it is more equal however, less stable
PMS- what type of biography is lined to a negotiated family
the do it yourself biography- people have more choice to leave a relationship or marriage etc
PMS- what does Beck mean that the family is a ‘zombie category’ (2)
- it appears to be alive, but in reality it is dead
- people want it to be a place of security in an unsecure world, however the family cannot provide this because of its instability
PLP- why do Smart and May disagree with the individualisation thesis:
(choice)
-they believe that the IT thesis exaggerates how much choice people have about family relationships, traditional norms still prevail and impact on many people
PLP- why do Smart and May disagree with the individualisation thesis:
(free floating people)
-they claim that PMS wrongly see people as dis-embedded, free floating independent people and ignore the fact that decisions and choices about person relationships are made within a social context
PLP- why do Smart and May disagree with the individualisation thesis:
(structural factors)
-the thesis ignores the importance of structural factors such as social class inequalities, patriarchal gender norms and ethnic and religious traditions which limit and shape relationship choices
PLP- what does May compare Gidden’s and Beck’s view on the IT to
- ‘an idealised version of a white middle class man’
- they ignore the fact that not everyone has the same ability as upper class people to exercise choice about relationships
PLP- what is Smart’s idea of the ‘connectedness thesis’ (2)
- she argues that our choices are always made within a web of connectedness
- we live within networks of existing relationships and these strongly influence our range of options and choices in relationships
PLP- what is good about the connectedness thesis- what does it look at
-it emphasises the continuing importance of structural factors such as patriarchy and class inequality in restricting people’s choices and shaping their lives
PLP- what approach does the PLP share
-the bottom up approach of interactionalism
what does the interactionism approach emphasise
-it emphasises the meanings that individual family members hold and how these shape their actions and relationships
what does the interactionism approach say that any type of family should feel
-a sense of identity, belonging or relatedness
what do interactionists appreciate
- that family can be anyone and not just by blood
- you can call anyone your family
why have interactionists been criticised
-they have ignored the importance of relationships based on blood and marriage
