The Functions Of Families and Households. (family) Flashcards
What is a family ?
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.
What is a household ?
A group of people who live together regardless of whether or not they have any kinship ties.
What do functionalists believe are the functions of families and households ?
To socialise children, provides emotional support.
What are the four functions of the family according to functionalists ?
Education, economic, reproductive and sexual.
What does educational values provide within the functions of the family ?
norms and values of society (primary socialisation).
What does economic values provide within the function of the family ?
pooling together resources and ensuring they have what they need.
What does reproductive values provide within the function of the family ?
produces the next generation in society.
What does sexual values provide within the function of the family ?
ensures that adults sexual relationships are controlled and stable.
Who came up with the four functions of the family. (Functionalists)
George Murdock (1949)
What did Talcott Parsons (1951) believe ?
He believed that the state could provide education and perform economic functions but the family still had two crucial functions.
According to Talcott Parsons what were the two functions of the family ?
Primary socialisation, stabilisation of adult personalities.
What is the role of primary socialisation within the family ?
Families taught children the social norms and values, but that children were specifically taught the norms and values of their families / communities. (primary socialisation).
What is the role of stabilisation of adult personalities within the family ?
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.
What is the warm bath theory ?
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.
What is a criticism of functionalists views on the functions of the family and households ?
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.
What do conflict theorists question about the roles of families ?
Whether they actually benefit society as a whole or just powerful groups within it.
What are Marxist - Feminists perspective about the warm bath theory ?
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.
What is believed by some about functionalists theories on the functions of families and households ?
That they are outdated and that all families are traditional nuclear families.
What are Marxists views on the functions of families and households ?
They argue / believe that families perform roles for capitalism and for the bourgeoisie.
What is a similarity between Functionalist and Marxist views on the functions of families and households ?
They both think / believe that families perform important roles within society.
What is a difference between Functionalist and Marxist views on the functions of families and households within society ?
Marxists disagree with the way that society is run / constituted, instead of seeing a consensual society (general agreement) they see one that benefits capitalism and bourgeoisie.
What did Engels (1884) believe ?
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.
What did Zaretsky (1976) believe.
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’).
What do the New Right believe about the functions of families and households ?
They argue / believe that the nuclear family, also described as the cereal packet family are presented as the ideal norm and is used for advertisement is the bedrock of society.
