the role of family in society Flashcards
what is a household?
a group of people who live together who may or may not have family kinship or ties
how many households were there in 2010 in Great Britain?
25.3 million
what is a family?
a type of household where the people living together are related
what are the 5 main types of family?
- nuclear family
- traditional extended family
- attenuated extended family
- lone-parent families
- reconstituted families
what is a nuclear family?
2 generations living together (parents and dependent children)
what is a traditional extended family?
3 or more generations of the same family living together, with frequent contact between grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, cousins etc
what is an attenuated extended family?
nuclear families that live apart from their extended family, but keep in regular contact, e.g., via phone or email
what is a lone-parent family?
a single parent and their dependent children
what is a reconstituted family?
new stepfamilies created when parts of 2 previous families are brought together
what do functionalists emphasise?
the positive role of the family
what do functionalists see every institution as essential to?
the smooth running of society
what did Murdock (1949) conclude?
the family is so useful to society that it is inevitable and universal
what did Murock (1949) argue the 4 functions of the family are?
- sexual
- reproductive
- economic
- educational
what does sexual mean?
provides a stable sexual relationship for adults, and controls the sexual relationship with its members
what does reproductive mean?
provides new members of society
what does economic mean?
the family pools resources and provides for all its members
what does educational mean?
the family teaches children the norms and values of society, which keeps the values of society going
what did Parsons argue the 2 basic and vital functions of the family are?
- the primary socialisation of children
- the stabilisation of adult personalities
what is the primary socialisation of children?
the process by which children learn and accept the values and norms of society
what is the stabilisation of adult personalities?
the family stabilises adult personalities through the emotional relationship between the parents
what does the emotional relationship give?
the support and security needed to cope in wider society
what has the functionalist perspective been criticised for?
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
what do marxists see the family as meeting the needs of?
the capitalist system
what do marxists argue the family benefits?
the minority in power (the bourgeoisie) and the economy
what do marxists argue the family disadvantages?
the working class majority (the proletariat)
what does Engels (1884) say the family has?
an economic function of keeping wealth within the bourgeoisie by passing it on to the next generation as inheritance
what did Zaretsky (1976) argue?
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
what is the womans role in a capitalist society?
‘housewife’ of the family
what does this role mean?
workers are cared for and healthy which makes them more productive
what kind of unit is the family household?
a unit of consumption with the desire to buy the goods produced by capitalist industry
how does the bourgeoisie get the profit of the family?
the family buys the goods for more than they cost
what is the marxist view criticised for?
being too negative
2 criticisms of the marxist view of the family
- ignores other factors such as gender and ethnicity
- assumes that the worker is male, and that women are housewives
what do feminists believe the family does?
exploits and oppresses women
what do feminists believe the family helps to maintain?
the existing social order
what do feminists call the existing social order?
patriarchy
what is patriarchy?
systems, ideologies and cultural practices which make sure that men have power
how does socialisation make women oppressed?
they’re socialised to be dependent on men and to put themselves in second place to men
what has a central role in this socialisation?
the family, male and female roles and expectations are formed in the family and then carried on into wider society
what do feminists say there is an ideology about?
men and women’s roles in the family
what is an ideology?
a set of an ideas about the way things are and the way things should be
what are the 3 main strands of feminism?
- marxist feminism
- radical feminism
- liberal feminism
what is the distinction between the three theories?
what they see as the root cause of patriarchy
what do marxist feminists see as the root cause of patriarchy?
the capitalist system
what do radical feminists see as the root cause of patriarchy?
the power dominance of men
what do liberal feminists see as the root cause of patriarchy?
cultural attitudes and laws that allow discrimination
what do marxist feminists see as essential to the success of capitalism?
the exploitation of women
what do marxist feminists say the family produces and cares for?
the next generation of workers for society at almost no cost to the capitalist system
how is the family cost-free according to marxist feminists?
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
what do radical feminists see the exploitation of women as being down to?
the domination of men in society
what do Delphy and Leonard (1972) see the family as?
a patriarchal institution in which women do most of the work and men get most of the benefit
what do liberal feminists emphasise?
cultural norms and values
why do liberal feminists see the family as sexist?
it supports mainstream culture which is sexist
what do liberal feminists put pressure on?
institutions such as the legal system and government
why do liberal feminists put pressure on these institutions?
to change laws and social policies which discriminate against women as they believe social change is possible
2 criticisms of the feminist theory
- portrays women as too passive. it plays down the ability of individual women to make changes and improve their situation
- 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
what does the new right believe is the bedrock of society?
the nuclear family
what is the new right based on the idea of?
that the nuclear family and its values and best for society
what does Charles Murray argue is under threat?
the traditional family
what does Murray (1989) say is too high?
welfare benefits
what does Murray say high welfare benefits creates?
a culture of dependency
what is a culture of dependency?
where an individual finds it easy and acceptable to take benefits rather than work
what are new right theorists concerned about giving welfare benefits to?
single mothers
what do new right theorists think its a bad idea to have children brought up in?
families where adults aren’t working
what do new right theorists believe have led to a breakdown in traditional values?
the increase in lone-parent and reconstituted families and easier access to divorce
what do new right theorists think a breakdown in traditional values causes?
social problems such as crime to increase
how have politicians made use of the new right theory?
to make it harder for people to get benefits
what has new right theory been criticised for?
blaming the victim for their problems
what do postmodernists say is a good thing?
diversity in family structures
why do postmodernists say there’s a wider range of living options?
because of social and cultural changes
why does Stacey (1990) argue there will never be one dominant family type in Western culture?
there’s such a diversity of family types, relationships and lifestyles
what does Stacey (1990) describe family structures in Western society as?
varied and flexible
what does this flexible living allow people to do?
experience lots of different types of family in their lifetime
why do postmodernists see this diversity and flexibility as positive?
because individuals can choose from several options depending on what suits their personal needs and lifestyle
what is does O’Brien and Jones (1996) conclude that questions postmodern theory?
there was less variety than Stacey reported, and that most indivuals actually experiences only one or two different types of family in their lifetime
what are cultural norms and values reinforced by?
the family and by other institutions in society
