theoretical perspectives on the family

Question 1

What do functionalists believe about society?

Answer 1

Organic analogy - Society is made up of interdependent parts bound together through a value consensus that maintains social stability/order

Question 2

Truth or false - do functionalists view the family as a basic building block of society?

Answer 2

True

Question 3

What are Murdock’s (1949) four functions of the family?

Answer 3

Stable satisfaction of the sex drive - (prevent sexual free for all)

Reproduction of the next generation of people

Socialisation - norms and values

Meeting its members’ economic means (food and shelter)

Question 4

Why does Parsons promote the idea of a nuclear family?

Answer 4

Best family type for a geographically and socially mobile workforce in a modern society

Question 5

What is a geographically mobile workforce?

Answer 5

Modern era - industrialisation has led to career opps being in different places - smaller family = easier to move

Question 6

What is a socially mobile workforce?

Answer 6

Modern society - meritocratic and achieved status - prevent jealousy and conflict within the family (breakdown of social order) - sons have to move out to create their own nuclear family

Question 7

What is structural differentiation?

Answer 7

Family has lost some of its functions e.g. providing healthcare and education now been transferred to the state

Question 8

What are the remaining functions of the family?

Answer 8

1. Primary socialisation
2. Stabilisation of adult personalities (family = place where members can relax and return to the workforce refreshed) (warm bath theory)

Question 9

What are criticisms of Parson’s functional fit theory?

Answer 9

Laslett (1972) - English households in the 16th-19th century were almost always nuclear (late childbearing and short life expectancy)

Young and Wilmott - ‘mum-centred’ w/c extended family - mothers and married daughters financially, practically and emotionally depended on one another

Question 10

What do Marxists view the family as benefitting?

Answer 10

Capitalism

Question 11

What are the three functions of the family according to Marxists?

Answer 11

1. Inheriting private property - modern society - monogamous, patriarchal nuclear families to assure the wealth is being passed down to the right heir (change from promiscuous horde) - overthrow of capitalism will liberate women since patriarchal families will no longer need to exist to facilitate capitalism.
2. Ideological functions - reproduce and legitimise ruling-class dominance - parental control over children - hierarchy and inequality = natural
   Zaretsky (1976) - family = haven from exploitation and have a private life - doesn’t meet the needs of female members

Unit of consumption (profit) - advertisers ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ and being constant consumers of latest products; pester power; children being mocked or stigmatised for their clothes

Question 12

Criticisms of Marxist view

Answer 12

Feminists - ignored female oppression under capitalism - patriarchy>capitalism

• Ignored family diversity in recent years e.g. stepfamilies and lone-parent households - nuclear family is not the dominant family type anymore
• Functionalists - Marxism ignores the benefits the family provides for its members

Question 13

What do feminists believe about the family?

Answer 13

That it oppresses women

Question 14

Which of the feminists are the most optimistic about women’s position in the family?

Answer 14

Liberal feminists - Charlotte Perkins Gilman - believe there is gradual moves to greater equality but needs to have more legislation reforms and changes in socialisation

Question 15

What do liberal feminists believe is needed for gender equality to be achieved in society and the family?

Answer 15

Anti-sex discrimination laws against women and changes in the attitudes and socialisation of each of the sexes

Question 16

Critiques of liberal feminism

Answer 16

Radical feminists - (Walby) ignores the structural issues needed to be challenged in order to achieve gender equality

Question 17

What do Marxists feminists believe about the family?

Answer 17

Capitalism oppresses women, not men

Question 18

What are three functions of the family according to Marxist feminists?

Answer 18

1. Reproduce the labour force
2. Women absorb anger (Ansley (1972) - takers of shit)
3. Reserve army of labour (Sheila Rowbotham) - can be let go and return to their primary job of unpaid domestic labour

Question 19

Do radical feminists believe that society is patriarchal?

Answer 19

YES!

Question 20

What are the two key divisions between men and women in the family?

Answer 20

1. Men are the enemy and are key source of oppressing and exploiting women
2. The family and marriage are key institutions in maintaining a patriarchal society - men benefit from women’s domestic unpaid labour and dominate women through domestic violence

Question 21

What do radical feminists believe is the solution to the patriarchy and abolishment of the family?

Answer 21

Separatism - women living independently from men and political lesbianism

Question 22

What does Greer (2000) argue for?

Answer 22

All-female (matrilocal) households as alternatives to the heterosexual family

Question 23

State two critiques of Greer’s solution to patriarchy

Answer 23

Somerville (2000) radical feminists do not acknowledge that women’s position in society has improved e.g. higher divorce rates, changes in employment

Separatism won’t work due to heterosexual attraction

Question 24

What is difference feminism?

Answer 24

Intersectionality - bell hooks, Angela Davis

Question 25

What is an example of difference feminism?

Answer 25

Family - white feminists = agent of patriarchy vs difference, black feminists = source of support and resistance against racism

Question 26

What is a critique to difference feminism?

Answer 26

Ignores the fact that all women share similar experiences e.g. domestic abuse

Question 27

What are the differences between the personal life perspective and structural theories?

Answer 27

1. The latter assumes that the nuclear family is the only family type and ignores the growth of others
2. The former takes a bottom up approach vs the latter’s top down approach - Meanings behind actions and relationships form families vs society’s views on what the conventional family is determines forms families

Question 28

What are examples of the personal life perspective view of the family? (Nordqvist and Smart)

Answer 28

Pets (Tipper (2009) - children viewing pets as part of the family)

Fictive kin - ‘aunties’ or ‘uncles’

Friends - consider family

Gay and lesbian chosen families - ex-partners, support systems

Question 29

What did Nordqvist and Smart’s (2014) study on donor-conceived children reveal?

Answer 29

Family goes beyond blood ties - Erin - time and effort makes the mother not the “cell that starts it off”

Question 30

What are the issues that can arise out of family ties and donor conceived children?

Answer 30

1. Differences in appearances between egg child and non-genetic parent
2. Who counts as family? e.g. donor’s parents = child’s grandparent?
3. Lesbian relationships - genetically related parent is treated like the ‘real’ second parent (inequality between parents

Question 31

Critiques of personal life perspective

Answer 31

Good - Understands how the family is a construct that goes beyond family ties and acknowledges different family types that arise out of it e.g. lone-parent households

Structural theories (especially functionalism) ignores how being related is not always positive e.g. child abuse

Questioned - too broad - lose what is special about relationships based on blood or marriage