Theoretical views on family Flashcards
Murdock - nuclear family
•the family performs four essential functions to meet the needs of society and its members reproduction, economic, sexual and education.
•the practical ability of the nuclear family to fulfil these roles makes it universal
•therefore the family takes the same form and role in every society
evaluation against murdock
feminist critique = implies women’s main roles is burying of children but most families rely on women’s economic contributions. women play less of a role in the socialisation of children (nurseries)
Talcott parsons - basic functions
• the primary socialisation of children - society would not exist if new generations were not socialised into accepting society’s norms and values. it is internalised and therefore people act unconsciously towards these. Family has the necessary emotional warmth and security to be the ‘factory’ for human personality.
• the stabilisation of human personalities - the family mediates stressors external to the home that threaten to destabilize personalities. ’sexual division of labour’ means men and women have distinct roles:
Men - ‘instrumental role’ as family breadwinner which leads to stress
Women - ‘expressive role’ providing warmth, emotional support and security to children and their male partners.
evaluations against parsons
Interpretivists criticises functionalists for viewing children as ‘empy vessels’ or “blank slates’ that are filled up by parents with culture, values and so on. They argue that socialisation is in fact a two-way process in which children can also influence the behaviour of parents.
the functionalist approach to family
•functionalists see the family as a vital organ to maintaining the “body” of society
•the family must work efficiently with other institutions to bring about integration and consensus to society
•the functions of the family concern preparation of children to fit into adult society and satisfying the basic needs which enable society to survive
•this places primary socialisation at a premium
Marxist approach to family
•like functionalists marxists adopt a structural perspective on the family
•they do not regard the nuclear family as a functionally necessary institution
•the family has to be seen within the context of a capitalist society and a conflict between social classes with opposing interests
•they emphasis aspects of the family that are designed to reproduce capitalism and sustain key aspects of its framework.social control is exerted through the family, reproducing unequal relationships and preventing challenge to the dominance of the bourgeoisie, who can then maintain ownership and the drive for profit
Engles
•As societies developed and became capitalist, wealth and property were acquired by men
• nuclear family developed as a means of passing on private property to heirs.
• Monogamy provided proof of paternity - lineage could be secured.
• Women were subject to financial arrangements: provided sex and heirs for the economic security from her husband, leading to the oppression of women (promiscuous hordes)
Criticism of Engles
•He implied once capitalism disappears patriarchal family will disappear - evidence from communist societies does not support this prediction. eg. Chinas one-child policy produced consequences beyond reducing population growth.
Zaretsky - capitalism, the family & personal life
emphasises the ideological role of the family in propping up capitalism:
- socialisation of children - socialised into beliefs that support the ideology of the ruling class such as blind obedience, respect for authority and acceptance of hierarchies (false consciousness)
- stabilisation of adult personality - have a psychological function providing an escape from oppression and exploitation at work, a private place where people can enjoy personal life, be valued as individuals and have some measure of control over their lives.
- the nuclear family as a unit of consumption
criticisms of Zaretsky
• some feminist sociologists, such as Delphi & Leonard argue that it is the patriarchy - a male-dominated social system - that benefits from family life, rather than capitalism
feminist approach to the family
All types of feminists agree that women are exploited in some way in society and in particular within the family.
•Like Marxism, feminism is a conflict’ approach to sociological theory.
• the family serves the interests of patriarchy.
• see the family as a prime site of female oppression. Having adverse effects on their power, career and health.
• Family life is very different for women and is a source of male control over women.
• Feminists see previous views of the family as ‘malestream’ (Abbott and Wallace).
sharpe - change in attitudes
- Sharpe interviewed young girls about their ambitions in the 1970s, their priorities were to get married and have a family,
- She then repeated this in the 1990s and found their priorities were to get a career and have a family later on in life.
Criticism of Sharpe - Oakley
•Oakley argues some parents are using gender role socialisation to teach their children that males are dominant and women are subordinate, surveys of parents suggest that a significant number still stereotype school subjects and careers.
Dobash and Dobash - patriarchy and physical violence
•Despite the ideology of the ‘cereal packet family’, the family can be a hostile and dangerous place.
•Dobash and Dobash (1992) argue male violence in the family is the means by which women’s subordinate role is enforced. Power through control over your partner’s actions, thoughts and emotions is about showing women who is in charge.
Support of Dobash and Dobash
It is estimated that ¼ women and 1/6 men will suffer some form of domestic violence at some point in their relationship.
