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families and households > the role of family in society > Flashcards

the role of family in society Flashcards

1
Q

what is a household?

A

a group of people who live together who may or may not have family kinship or ties

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2
Q

how many households were there in 2010 in Great Britain?

A

25.3 million

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3
Q

what is a family?

A

a type of household where the people living together are related

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4
Q

what are the 5 main types of family?

A
  1. nuclear family
  2. traditional extended family
  3. attenuated extended family
  4. lone-parent families
  5. reconstituted families
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5
Q

what is a nuclear family?

A

2 generations living together (parents and dependent children)

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6
Q

what is a traditional extended family?

A

3 or more generations of the same family living together, with frequent contact between grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, cousins etc

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7
Q

what is an attenuated extended family?

A

nuclear families that live apart from their extended family, but keep in regular contact, e.g., via phone or email

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8
Q

what is a lone-parent family?

A

a single parent and their dependent children

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9
Q

what is a reconstituted family?

A

new stepfamilies created when parts of 2 previous families are brought together

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10
Q

what do functionalists emphasise?

A

the positive role of the family

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11
Q

what do functionalists see every institution as essential to?

A

the smooth running of society

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12
Q

what did Murdock (1949) conclude?

A

the family is so useful to society that it is inevitable and universal

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13
Q

what did Murock (1949) argue the 4 functions of the family are?

A
  1. sexual
  2. reproductive
  3. economic
  4. educational
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14
Q

what does sexual mean?

A

provides a stable sexual relationship for adults, and controls the sexual relationship with its members

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15
Q

what does reproductive mean?

A

provides new members of society

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16
Q

what does economic mean?

A

the family pools resources and provides for all its members

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17
Q

what does educational mean?

A

the family teaches children the norms and values of society, which keeps the values of society going

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18
Q

what did Parsons argue the 2 basic and vital functions of the family are?

A
  1. the primary socialisation of children
  2. the stabilisation of adult personalities
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19
Q

what is the primary socialisation of children?

A

the process by which children learn and accept the values and norms of society

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20
Q

what is the stabilisation of adult personalities?

A

the family stabilises adult personalities through the emotional relationship between the parents

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21
Q

what does the emotional relationship give?

A

the support and security needed to cope in wider society

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22
Q

what has the functionalist perspective been criticised for?

A

idealising the family, focusing on the good bits and blanking out the bad bits. Morgan (1975) points out that Murdock makes no reference to alternative households to the family, or to problems in family relationships

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23
Q

what do marxists see the family as meeting the needs of?

A

the capitalist system

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24
Q

what do marxists argue the family benefits?

A

the minority in power (the bourgeoisie) and the economy

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25
Q

what do marxists argue the family disadvantages?

A

the working class majority (the proletariat)

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26
Q

what does Engels (1884) say the family has?

A

an economic function of keeping wealth within the bourgeoisie by passing it on to the next generation as inheritance

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27
Q

what did Zaretsky (1976) argue?

A

the proletariat can have control in the family. when a working man gets home they can relieve their frustration about their low status which helps them to accept their exploitation as workers and work harder

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28
Q

what is the womans role in a capitalist society?

A

‘housewife’ of the family

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29
Q

what does this role mean?

A

workers are cared for and healthy which makes them more productive

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30
Q

what kind of unit is the family household?

A

a unit of consumption with the desire to buy the goods produced by capitalist industry

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31
Q

how does the bourgeoisie get the profit of the family?

A

the family buys the goods for more than they cost

32
Q

what is the marxist view criticised for?

A

being too negative

33
Q

2 criticisms of the marxist view of the family

A
  1. ignores other factors such as gender and ethnicity
  2. assumes that the worker is male, and that women are housewives
34
Q

what do feminists believe the family does?

A

exploits and oppresses women

35
Q

what do feminists believe the family helps to maintain?

A

the existing social order

36
Q

what do feminists call the existing social order?

A

patriarchy

37
Q

what is patriarchy?

A

systems, ideologies and cultural practices which make sure that men have power

38
Q

how does socialisation make women oppressed?

A

they’re socialised to be dependent on men and to put themselves in second place to men

39
Q

what has a central role in this socialisation?

A

the family, male and female roles and expectations are formed in the family and then carried on into wider society

40
Q

what do feminists say there is an ideology about?

A

men and women’s roles in the family

41
Q

what is an ideology?

A

a set of an ideas about the way things are and the way things should be

42
Q

what are the 3 main strands of feminism?

A
  1. marxist feminism
  2. radical feminism
  3. liberal feminism
43
Q

what is the distinction between the three theories?

A

what they see as the root cause of patriarchy

44
Q

what do marxist feminists see as the root cause of patriarchy?

A

the capitalist system

45
Q

what do radical feminists see as the root cause of patriarchy?

A

the power dominance of men

46
Q

what do liberal feminists see as the root cause of patriarchy?

A

cultural attitudes and laws that allow discrimination

47
Q

what do marxist feminists see as essential to the success of capitalism?

A

the exploitation of women

48
Q

what do marxist feminists say the family produces and cares for?

A

the next generation of workers for society at almost no cost to the capitalist system

49
Q

how is the family cost-free according to marxist feminists?

A

because society accepts that housework should be unpaid. men are paid for work outside the home, but women aren’t paid for work inside the home

50
Q

what do radical feminists see the exploitation of women as being down to?

A

the domination of men in society

51
Q

what do Delphy and Leonard (1972) see the family as?

A

a patriarchal institution in which women do most of the work and men get most of the benefit

52
Q

what do liberal feminists emphasise?

A

cultural norms and values

53
Q

why do liberal feminists see the family as sexist?

A

it supports mainstream culture which is sexist

54
Q

what do liberal feminists put pressure on?

A

institutions such as the legal system and government

55
Q

why do liberal feminists put pressure on these institutions?

A

to change laws and social policies which discriminate against women as they believe social change is possible

56
Q

2 criticisms of the feminist theory

A
  1. portrays women as too passive. it plays down the ability of individual women to make changes and improve their situation
  2. doesn’t consider the household in society which doesn’t feature a man and woman partnership e.g., lesbian and gay relationships and lone-parent households
57
Q

what does the new right believe is the bedrock of society?

A

the nuclear family

58
Q

what is the new right based on the idea of?

A

that the nuclear family and its values and best for society

59
Q

what does Charles Murray argue is under threat?

A

the traditional family

60
Q

what does Murray (1989) say is too high?

A

welfare benefits

61
Q

what does Murray say high welfare benefits creates?

A

a culture of dependency

62
Q

what is a culture of dependency?

A

where an individual finds it easy and acceptable to take benefits rather than work

63
Q

what are new right theorists concerned about giving welfare benefits to?

A

single mothers

64
Q

what do new right theorists think its a bad idea to have children brought up in?

A

families where adults aren’t working

65
Q

what do new right theorists believe have led to a breakdown in traditional values?

A

the increase in lone-parent and reconstituted families and easier access to divorce

66
Q

what do new right theorists think a breakdown in traditional values causes?

A

social problems such as crime to increase

67
Q

how have politicians made use of the new right theory?

A

to make it harder for people to get benefits

68
Q

what has new right theory been criticised for?

A

blaming the victim for their problems

69
Q

what do postmodernists say is a good thing?

A

diversity in family structures

70
Q

why do postmodernists say there’s a wider range of living options?

A

because of social and cultural changes

71
Q

why does Stacey (1990) argue there will never be one dominant family type in Western culture?

A

there’s such a diversity of family types, relationships and lifestyles

72
Q

what does Stacey (1990) describe family structures in Western society as?

A

varied and flexible

73
Q

what does this flexible living allow people to do?

A

experience lots of different types of family in their lifetime

74
Q

why do postmodernists see this diversity and flexibility as positive?

A

because individuals can choose from several options depending on what suits their personal needs and lifestyle

75
Q

what is does O’Brien and Jones (1996) conclude that questions postmodern theory?

A

there was less variety than Stacey reported, and that most indivuals actually experiences only one or two different types of family in their lifetime

76
Q

what are cultural norms and values reinforced by?

A

the family and by other institutions in society

families and households (6 decks)

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