sociology - families and households (paper 2)

Question 1

Parsons 2 irreducible functions of the family

Answer 1

primary socialisation of the young stabilisation of adult personalities (warm bath theory).

Question 2

Parsons instrumental and expressive roles (based on biology)

Answer 2

The instrumental role - the man meets the financial needs of the family, making him the breadwinner.
The expressive role - the woman catering to the emotional needs of the family.
New right thinkers agree that these roles are based on biology.

Question 3

March of progress view of the family

Answer 3

Argues that men now take a bigger share of household responsibilities, rather than expecting women to do all the housework as well as caring for the children.
Women are now able to earn a wage and can even be the sole breadwinner instead of the man.

Question 4

Bott - conjugal roles

Answer 4

Segregated conjugal roles - household tasks that are completed by either the man or the woman, such as the woman completing housework or childcare, and the man fixing broken items within the home. They spend leisure time separately.
Joint conjugal roles - domestic responsibilities that are shared equally between both partners, irrespective of gender, They spend leisure time together.

Question 5

Young and Wilmott - Bethnal Green study

Answer 5

Study in Bethnal Green, a working-class area in East London, in the mid 1950’s. Found that most families had segregated conjugal roles within the home, and men spent most of their leisure time in pubs with their friends. However, when they repeated this study in the 1970’s, it was predominantly symmetrical families. This was especially common in younger, more affluent and geographically isolated couples.
It was argued that this change was due to changes in the position of women, increased geographical mobility, new technology and higher standards of living.

Question 5

Young and Wilmott - symmetrical family

Answer 5

Argue that as there is less emphasis on which roles should be fulfilled by which gender, there is the potential for a symmetrical family. The symmetrical family refers to dividing responsibilities equally between both partners.

Question 6

Feminist view of the symmetrical family

Answer 6

Reject the march of progress view and argue that women are still unequal in the family.
Argue that women still do most of the housework and childcare, and this stems from the fact that society is patriarchal. Oakley carried out a study on housework in 1974 and found some evidence of husbands helping at home, but there was no trend towards symmetry.
Found that only 15% of men had a high level of participation in housework and only 25% in childcare, as well as husbands only doing the pleasurable aspects of childcare, which left women with more time for housework.

Question 6

March of progress view of the symmetrical family

Answer 6

Argues that the symmetrical family meant family life would improve for all family members, and that it has become more equal and democratic over time.

Question 7

Parsons - functional fit theory

Answer 7

Believed that family structures change along with society and that each type of family is created to ‘fit’ society at the time.

Question 8

Parsons - Warm bath theory

Answer 8

Men come home from a hard day at work and relax into his family like a warm bath, which takes away the stress.

Question 9

Weaknesses of the functionalist theories of the family

Answer 9

Doesn’t consider dysfunctional families that don’t meet its member’s needs.