Theories And The Family

Question 1

What is a household
What is a family
What is kinship

Answer 1

Household- A group of people who live together who may or may not have family or kinship ties.

Family- a type of household where the people living together are related.

Kinship- related by birth or blood

Question 2

What are the different types of families

Answer 2

Nuclear
Reconstructed
Single parent
Extended family

Question 3

1. Functionalist perspective on the family
   What do they believe

Question 4

1. Functionalist perspective on the family
   What does Murdock believe and what are his functions of the nuclear family

Answer 4

Believes there is some sort of nuclear family in every society, so argues it is essential as it provides the following functions

1- education- primary socialisation of social norms and values
2- sexual- stable satisfaction of the sex drive with the same partner, prevents social disruptions caused by sexual free for all
3- economic- meets its members economic needs eg food and shelter
4- reproduction- reproduces the next generation

Question 5

1. Functionalist perspective on the family
   Critism of Murdock

Answer 5

❌- nuclear family is not universal - polyandry family- consist of multiple husbands and polyamorous relationships
-lone parent families, homosexual families, foster/ adopted families

❌- Marxists and feminists reject this rose tinted view that the family meets the needs of individuals and wider society.
Feminists- family serves and favours men so therefore oppresses women
Marxists- meets the needs of capitalism

Question 6

1. Functionalist perspective on the family
   What does Parsons believe the two functions of the family are

Answer 6

1- The primary socialisation of children- teach basic skills as the norms and values of society to enable them to fit in and integrate into society

2- the stabilisation of adult personalities- family is a place where adults can relax and release tensions enabling them to return back to work feeling refrshed to perform their roles efficiently.

Question 7

1. Functionalist perspective on the family
   What does Parsons functional fit theory suggest

Answer 7

As society changes the type of family changes to fit with society

That the nuclear family (married heterosexual couple with bio kids)is best suited for modern/ industrial society
And extended family (3 generations in 1 house) was best suited for traditional society

Question 8

1. Functionalist perspective on the family
   Why does the nuclear family most suit industrial society
   Loss of functions

Answer 8

1- loss of functions- we now have institutions that perform many of the functions the family use to have to perform
eg school means children do not need to be taught at home and they’re not in the house as much so dont need constant looking after, allowing parents to go to work. School also helps with secondary socialisation of kids So there is no need for grandparents to be home, to teach and care for kids.
Health care- mean families no longer need to care and look after the elderly as there are care home and free health care so there is no need for grandparents to live in the same house.

So the nuclear family specialise in only two functions- primary socialisation and stabilisation of adult personalties.

Question 9

1. Functionalist perspective on the family
   Other reasons why the nuclear family are most suited to industrial society

Answer 9

1- geographically Mobil workforce- workers move to where their job is and it’s easier for the nuclear family to move than an extended family.
traditional society - no transport so couldn’t move just stayed and looked after extended family. They’re more suited to the needs of the modern industry.

2- socially mobile workforce- in traditional society- status is ascribed and the father of sons would have a higher status
However in industrial society status is earned from your own hard work and ability- so status is achieved
Eg now sons of labourers can become doctors through their own efforts and ability they wouldn’t just work under the fathers.
So once they’re married they move out, this encourages social mobility, which is most achievable with the nuclear family.

Question 10

1. Functionalist perspective on the family
   Criticisms of Parsons

Answer 10

Young and Willmot- the extended family may not have been dominant in traditional society as life expectancy was much lower so it was usually unlikely fit grandparents to be alive that long.

Question 11

1. Functionalist perspective on the family
   Cristisms of Marxism

Answer 11

❌- has a rose-tinted view of the family that ignores conflict and that parents aren’t always loving and supportive there is abuse and neglect.
❌Feminists- Ignores oppression of women, domestic violence.

❌- plenty of children resist their parents control and rebel it ignores the fact kids can choose their own personality and they’re not just pumped full of culture with no say.

Question 12

2. Marxist perspective of the family
   What do the believe

Answer 12

They see the nuclear family contributing to the maintenance of society’s structure including social inequality and the maintenance of capitalism.

The function of the family is to serve the interests of the ruling class.

Question 13

2. Marxist perspective of the family
   What are the three functions of the family

Answer 13

1- inheritance of property
2-ideological function
3-unit of consumption

Question 14

2. Marxist perspective of the family
   What does inheritance of property mean and who speaks about it

Question 15

2. Marxist perspective of the family
   What is ideological function and who talks about it

Answer 15

Althusser
The family act as an ideological conditioning device by promoting the values and ways of acting according to capitalism that ensures the maintenance of it.

1- socialising them to believe hierarchy and inequality is normal- that there will always be someone in authority that they must obey and its just natural and inevitable. This prepares them for work to obey their future boss.
This promotion of inequality from the family keeps workers from releasing their true place in society and that they’re exploited by the capitalist system, which prevents an overthrow of capitalism. This is called false consciousness.

2-providing a safe heaven for workers- work is harsh, exploitive and alienating. The nuclear family provides a safe heaven for workers that Allows workers to go home relax, release tension and provides comfort so they’re ready for work the next day. Their family also gives the workers a purpose for working to provide for their family
-by promoting consumption eg keeping up with trends which keep capitalism alive.
-fami

Question 16

2. Marxist perspective of the family
   The family as a unit of consumption

Answer 16

The family consume the products produced by capitalist companies which helps the upper class make profit maintaining their position in society and reproducing capitalist society. This is done in the following ways:

1- family must keep up with the trends to be as good as the people around them eg neighbours and peers ‘keeping up with the Jones’s.’ along with advertisements influencing parents in this way.

2-pester power- the media companies target kids in their advertisement who then persuade their parents to buy more expensive items.

Question 17

2. Marxist perspective of the family
   Evaluation of Marxism

Answer 17

❌- too deterministic- not all families are high consumer families that want to keep up with the trends and not all children accept authority in societies system.

❌- ignores benefits of a stable nuclear family- they provide kids with the basic material needs such as food shelter clothing and are responsible for children’s primary socialisation.

❌- ignores family diversity- nuclear family is in decline and there’s an increase in alternative family structures.

Question 18

Gh

Question 19

3- Feminist perspective on the family

Question 20

3- Feminist perspective on the family
Liberal feminists perspective and evaluation

Answer 20

Sommerville-
They believe in a March of Progress view of the family that the family is becoming more equal although more progress still has to be made.
They campaign for equal rights and opportunities for women and believe change and progression are brought about by changing people’s attitudes in order to change laws. Progression such as
- women have more choices about whether to marry, go to work and whether they want to divorce.
-there is also now greater equality within marriages and greater sharing of paid and unpaid work.

❌- too optimistic women still do the majority of housework and child labour (still primary carers in 90% of families)

❌- women still oppressed in families eg more likely to be victims of domestic abuse 1/4 women.

Question 21

3- Feminist perspective on the family
Radical feminists perspective on the family

Answer 21

Believe all relationships between men and women are patriarchal and that men are the cause of women’s exploitation and oppression.
- critic liberal feminists that paid work has not liberated women but instead added a dual burden and the triple shift. Of emotional work, child care and domestic work. (Paid and unpaid work)
-they believe single women are happier than married women show in the increasing numbers of divorce and single parent households. Men need marriage more than women as it benefits them more, shown as men’s psychological well-being is higher than single men.
-liberal feminists ignore the dark side of the family with domestic abuse.
-advocate for separatism and political lesbianism- as they see being with men as sleeping with the enemy.

Question 22

3- Feminist perspective on the family
Evaluation of radical feminism

Answer 22

❌- exaggerate the exploitation of women within the family and fail to acknowledge progress within the family and increasing equality between men and women.

✅- highlight the extent and Importance of domestic abuse faced by women
❌however ignores abuse faced by men in the family, who often don’t report it.

❌- separatism and political lesbianism is unluckily.

Question 23

3- Feminist perspective on the family
- Marxists feminists perspective on family

Answer 23

Main cause of suppression in the family is capitalism
The family benefits the capitalist system and in doing so exploits women.
Functions women perform for capitalism
1- cheap labour- childcare is unpaid allowing husband to work and maintain capitalism and the capitalist class only have to pay one.
2-anlsey- women are the takers of shit- women absorb their husband’s frustration from work so men are ready for the next day. They have no control or authority at work so assert their dominance at home can lead to domestic violence.
3- reproduce the workforce- women also socialise their children to be good workers by teaching them hierarchy is normal and there is always someone above them they’ll have to obey. Women can be taken on when extra workers are needed and let go when no longer needed.

Question 24

3- Feminist perspective on the family
- Marxists feminists- evaluation

Answer 24

-❌ too deterministic assumes all women take shit from their husbands and ignore that some women may have positive experiences of being wives and mothers
❌liberal feminists - doesn’t acknowledge progress
❌- ignores other family types

Question 25

3- Feminist perspective on the family
- Marxists feminists- exam Q
Examine the ways in which the familial ideology is harmful, patriarchal and anti-social.
And what is the familial ideology

Answer 25

The familial ideology is the idea that the traditional family is the best and most desirable form.

Question 26

Y

Question 27

3- Feminist perspective on the family
-difference feminists’ perspectives on the family

Answer 27

Women are not a single unified group who are exploited equally.
It recognises that there is increasing family diversity and women are not equally exploited in all family types.
Eg women in lone parent families and lesbian families can’t be exploited by men
Black feminists argue white feminists neglect Black women’s experience of racial oppression and that black families are a positive source of support and resistance against oppression.

Question 28

3- Feminist perspective on the family
-difference feminists’ evaluation

Answer 28

❌However other feminists say, they neglects the fact that women still share many experiences toI eg domestic violence, low pay and sexual assault.

Question 29

4. New right perspective on the family

Answer 29

They promote a familial ideology (ideas about the ‘ideal family’)
This is the ideal traditional nuclear family, married heterosexual parents, biological kids, male breadwinner and female housewife.

They believe the nuclear family is the best for social stability as it provides emotional security for children and socializes them into the moral values and norms of society.
They argue changes to the dominant family like lone parent, same-sex parent, cohabitation, step families undermine social stability and lead to antisocial behaviour, lack of dislipim in schools, educational underachieving, alchol and drug abuse, crime and dependency on welfare state.

Question 30

4. New right perspective on the family
   Statistics that show the importance of the nulcar family

Answer 30

-Children from broken homes are almost 5x times more likely to develop emotional problems
-people whose mum and dad split are 3x more likely to become aggressive or badly behaved
-Lone-parent families are more than 2x as likely to live in poverty as two-parent families.
-Children from broken homes are 9x more likely to become young offenders.

Question 31

4. New right perspective on the family
   What does Murray say about welfare state and the family

Answer 31

Murray- Argues that the welfare state has led to a dependency culture where an underclass of people live off benefits and have no aspiration to work for a living.
He says this encourages single women to have kids they could otherwise not afford, knowing the state will support them.
He argues that teenage girls see pregnancy and single parenthood as a route to financial support and housing.

Question 32

4. New right perspective on the family
   New rights perspective on lone parent families

Answer 32

See it as broken/ fractured family type
Argue kids from female-headed families lack self-discipline and can be emotionally disturbed

In families where fathers are still involved kids are more successful in gaining qualifications, less likely to get in trouble with the police, and less likely to have unstable adult relationships
Lone parent kids
-grow up in poorer houses
-experince behavioural problems
-fewer qualification
-pregnant at younger ages.
-more depressive symptoms

Question 33

4. New right perspective on the family
   Evaluation of new right perspective on the family

Answer 33

❌- single parenthood may be preferable over domestic abuse, and many women remarry and form a new type of nuclear family where the father is present

❌- too deterministic that lone-parent families can’t raise kids adequately but ignore that majority of one parent families bring up their kids successfully to be well adjusted law abiding citizens.