Sociologists Flashcards
Who are the Rapoports?
They explored the issue diversity.
They reviewed existing literature (secondary data).
They argue that Britain is undergoing a process of change. Their research showed there is a greater freedom and a wider range of family than the traditional family.
What did the Rapoports find?
There are five ways a family can differ:
Cultural - lifestyle and beliefs
Life course - stage in life (newly weds)
Organisational - how the domestic division of labour is shared
Generational (Cohort) - the period of time
Social Class - resources and relationships
Who is Parsons?
Functionalist
He said there were 4 functions of the family: Economic, Sexual, Reproductive and Educational.
He said the two vital functions are:
Primary socialisation - the nuclear family is an agent of socialisation.
Stabilisation of adult personalities - By living in a family, adults have emotional support for each other and they can act out the childish element of their personality.
Who is Zaretsky?
Marxist
He claims that the family has now changed so that work and the home have become separate spheres.
Unit of production - families used to work and provide for themselves from their own home eg growing their own vegetables.
Zaretsky says that families are now:
Unit of consumption - they buy and consume products from and are detached from their work factories, offices and with no connection to their products.
Who is Oakley?
Feminist She focuses on what she calls the conventional family (nuclear family). She says that despite the nuclear family statistically no longer being the norm, it still holds great power. In a conventional family there are still traditional gender roles. Oakley's research shows that traditional gender roles tend to remain within working class families, whereas middle class families are more likely to explore different ways of living.
Who are Delphy and Leonard?
Feminists
They are radical feminists who used existing research to argue that the family is patriarchal and hierarchal.
