The Functions Of Families and Households.

Question 1

What is a family ?

Answer 1

A social institution that is bound together by blood ties, kinship and marriage. There are two types ( broader and narrower) with narrower being the most used definition.

Question 2

What is a household ?

Answer 2

A group of people who live together regardless of whether or not they have any kinship ties.

Question 3

What do functionalists believe are the functions of families and households ?

Answer 3

They argue / believe that all institutions in society have a role to play in the running of society. The idea that families have important roles / functions for individuals and society.

Question 4

What are the four functions of the family according to functionalists ?

Answer 4

Education, economic, reproductive and sexual.

Question 5

What does educational values provide within the functions of the family ?

Answer 5

norms and values of society (primary socialisation).

Question 6

What does economic values provide within the function of the family ?

Answer 6

pooling together resources and ensuring they have what they need.

Question 7

What does reproductive values provide within the function of the family ?

Answer 7

produces the next generation in society.

Question 8

What does sexual values provide within the function of the family ?

Answer 8

ensures that adults sexual relationships are controlled and stable.

Question 9

Who came up with the four functions of the family. (Functionalists)

Answer 9

George Murdock (1949)

Question 10

What did Talcott Parsons (1951) believe ?

Answer 10

He believed that the state could provide education and perform economic functions but the family still had two crucial functions.

Question 11

According to Talcott Parsons what were the two functions of the family ?

Answer 11

Primary socialisation, stabilisation of adult personalities.

Question 12

What was the role of primary socialisation within the family ?

Answer 12

Families taught children the social norms and values, but that children were specifically taught the norms and values of their families / communities. (primary socialisation). Whilst education, media etc taught students universal norms and values (secondary socialisation).

Question 13

What is the role of stabilisation of adult personalities within the family ?

Answer 13

Families helped to prevent adults from behaving in a negative and dysfunctional way, encouraging them to conform social norms and in doing so providing emotional support to the family members. This also links into the warm bath theory.

Question 14

What is the warm bath theory ?

Answer 14

The idea / belief that the man would come home from a hard day at work and could relax into his family letting go of his stress and worry and feeling refreshed for the next day at work.

Question 15

What is a criticism of functionalists views on the functions of the family and households ?

Answer 15

Conflict theorists like Marxists and Feminists believe that functionalists paint too much of a rosy / idealistic picture of family life and that in fact there are positive and negative sides of families with stress being caused as well as relieved.

Question 16

What do conflict theorists question about the roles of families ?

Answer 16

Whether they actually benefit society as a whole or just powerful groups within it.

Question 17

What are Marxist - Feminists perspective about the warm bath theory ?

Answer 17

That women are in fact the ‘takers of shit’ and that when men come home from work their stress is relieved by dumping it on their wives.

Question 18

What is believed by some about functionalists theories on the functions of families and households ?

Answer 18

That they are outdated and that all families are traditional nuclear families.

Question 19

What are Marxists views on the functions of families and households ?

Answer 19

They argue / believe that families perform roles for capitalism and for the bourgeoisie.

Question 20

What is a similarity between Functionalist and Marxist views on the functions of families and households ?

Answer 20

They both think / believe that families perform important roles within society.

Question 21

What is a difference between Functionalist and Marxist views on the functions of families and households ?

Answer 21

Marxists disagree with the way that society is run / constituted, instead of seeing a consensual society they see one that benefits capitalism and bourgeoisie.

Question 22

What did Engels (1884) believe ?

Answer 22

That the family performed a clear economic function for capitalism, ensuring that wealth remained with the bourgeoisie. He believed that family relations facilitate inheritance and that the family is all about blood lines and proof of parentage.

Question 23

What did Zaretsky (1976) believe.

Answer 23

He believed that the family gave proletarian men something that they could control, a space where they could be the ‘boss’. This benefited capitalism and prepared working class members of society as they were used to being powerless and exploited. (this ties in with the Marxist - Feminist Fran Ansley’s theory of ‘takers of shit’).

Question 24

What do the New Right believe about the functions of families and households ?

Answer 24

They argue / believe that the nuclear family, also described as the cereal packet family as they are presented as the ideal norm and is used for advertisement is the bedrock of society.

Question 25

What did the New Right believe about this specific family form (nuclear families) ?

Answer 25

That it was crucial for society to function properly but that certain government actions have undermined this type of family.

Question 26

What did Charles Murray (1998) believe ?

Answer 26

He believed / argued that welfare policies have undermined the nuclear family and given perverse incentives (incentives that result in undersired consiquences) for people to start single parent families with the help and support of the welfare state, creating a dependency culture where an underclass of people live off of benefits with no aspirations.

Question 27

What do the sociologists think about this New Right view on the functions of families and the household ?

Answer 27

A lot o sociologists disagree with this view as it is blaming people for their own poverty and many see it is a political view rather than a sociological one, as well as a justification for capitalist and bourgeois politics, trying to cut public spending on welfare and reducing taxes for the wealthy.

Question 28

What do feminists believe about the functions of the families and households ?

Answer 28

Feminists such as Ann Oakley agree with Marxists and Functionalists that the family is a conservative institution that preserves social order. HOWEVER, they DISAGREE with Functionalists and AGREE with Marxists that in doing so only benefits the powerful in society (men). They argue / believe that families preserve, support and embed patriarchy.

Question 29

What do liberal feminists believe ?

Answer 29

Focus on striving for equality, they recognise that most battles for legal equality have been won but that there is still a clear inequality between sexes and a need to change cultural values in society. They believe that it is possible to have family life and gender equality.

Question 30

What do radical feminists believe ?

Answer 30

Believe that changing the law will never be enough and argue that men will always oppress women and the family is a vehicle for this oppression therefore women need to find alternative ways of living not subject to male oppression. Believe that girls are socialised to believe that oppression and inequality are normal.

Question 31

What do Marxist feminists believe ?

Answer 31

Believe that families help to preserve both capitalism and patriarchy and they both work hand in hand. Capitalist system gets the benefit of unpaid female work and that as long as they are fed, looked after and kept happy ensure they keep working hard and making profit for their bosses.