Sociologists (families and households)

Question 1

George Murdock (Functionalism)

Answer 1

What He Did: Studied the role of the family and claimed that the nuclear family is universal, performing four essential functions: sexual, reproductive, economic, and educational.

Key Contribution: Argued that the family is essential for maintaining social order.

Question 2

Talcott Parsons (Functionalism)

Answer 2

What He Did: Explained the division of labour in families instrumental roles (father as breadwinner) and expressive roles (mother as caregiver).

Key Contribution: Believed families help in primary socialisation and stabilising adult personalities.

Question 3

Friedrich Engels (Marxism)

Answer 3

What He Did: Argued that the nuclear family developed to maintain the inheritance of private property, reinforcing capitalism.

Key Contribution: Believed that the family structure supports capitalism by controlling women’s sexuality and reproduction.

Question 4

Eli Zaretsky (Marxism)

Answer 4

What He Did: Focused on the family as a unit of consumption in capitalist society, where families purchase goods that sustain the economy.

Key Contribution: Argued that the family provides emotional support, which makes workers more accepting of exploitation in the workplace.

Question 5

Ann Oakley (Feminism)

Answer 5

What She Did: Criticised traditional gender roles in the family and highlighted the unequal division of labour.

Key Contribution: Concept of the dual burden—women are expected to perform both paid work and unpaid housework.

Question 6

Charles Murray (New Right)

Answer 6

What He Did: Argued that welfare dependency leads to family breakdown and social issues like crime.

Key Contribution: Believed that single-parent families (especially in working-class communities) cause societal problems.

Question 7

Geoffrey Gursheny (Ethnicity & Families)

Answer 7

What He Did: Focused on how ethnic minorities maintain different family structures compared to the mainstream.

Key Contribution: Argued that extended families are more common in ethnic minority communities, influenced by cultural practices.

Question 8

Peter Wilmott & Michael Young (Sociology of Families)

Answer 8

What They Did: Studied the changing roles within families and found that families have become more symmetrical, with shared domestic responsibilities.

Key Contribution: Developed the idea of the symmetrical family, where roles between men and women have become more equal.