Theories of Family Flashcards
Functionalism
Functionalists believe that the family is essential for socialising its members. It teaches children the norms and values of society, which enables them to meet society’s needs.
Murdock (1949)
(Functionalism)
He argued there are 4 main functions of the family:
- Sexual
- Reproduction
- Socialisation
- Economic
Parsons
(Functionalism)
He argued that the family plays 2 key roles:
- Primary Socialisation
- Personality Stabalisation
As society changed, the ‘type’ of family required to help society function changed.
Modern families have lost the ability to fulfill all of the functions of a family.
Parsons’ Society Types
(Functionalism)
- Modern Industrial Society, where the nuclear family is the dominant family type.
- Traditional Pre-industrial Society, where the extended family is the dominant family type.
Parsons’ Geographically Mobile Workforce
It is easier for a 2-generational nuclear family to move than a 3-generational extended family to move. Therefore, the nuclear family is better fitted to the need that the modern industry has for a geographically mobile workforce.
Parsons’ Socially Mobile Workforce
It is essential that talented people are able to take on the most important jobs , regardless of their backgrounds. In today’s modern society, an individual’s status is achieved by their own efforts and ability. As a result, the nuclear family is better equipped to meet the needs of an industrial society.
Parsons’ Loss of Functions
If society deindustrialises, the family loses many of it’s functions. The modern nuclear family comes to specialise in performing 2 essential or ‘irreducible’ functions. The first of these is the primary socialisation of children. This means that the family is equipping children with the basic skills and society’s values, to enable them to cooperate with others and begin to integrate them into society. The second of these functions is the stabalisation of adult personalities. Parsons argues that the family is a place where adults can release tension and relax, enabling them to return to the workplace refreshed and ready to meet demands.
Criticisms of Murdock
(Functionalism)
He argues the sheer practicality of the nuclear family as a way of meeting these 4 needs explains why it is universal.
Some argue that these functions of the family could be performed equally as well by other institutions, or by non-nuclear family structures.
Marxists and Feminists reject his ‘rose-tinted’ harmonious view that the family meets the needs of both wider society and all the different members of the family.
Marxist Perspective on Family
Marxists argue there are 2 social classes:
- Bourgeoisie (Rich)
- Proletariat (Poor)
They also argue that the nuclear family supports capitalism in 3 ways:
1. Ensuring wealth is passed down
2. Ensuring there is a pool of labour who are socialised
3. Ensuring there is a pool of people prepared to consume products
Ensuring Wealth is Passed Down
(Marxism)
Engels argued:
In the early classless society, there was no family, but instead a ‘promiscuous horde’ or ‘tribe’, where there were no restrictions on sexual relationships. Monogamy became essential because of the inheritance of property. This is because men had to be certain of the paternity of their children to ensure their legitimate heirs inherited from them. Engels argued that the rise of the monogamous nuclear family represented a ‘world historical defeat of the female sex’, as it brought women’s sexuality under male control and turned her into a ‘male instrument for the production of children’.
Ensuring there is a pool of labour who are socialised into accepting that inequality, hierarchy and obedience are natural
(Marxism)
For the Proletariat: Obedience at Home to Create Obedient Workers
- doing chores for a small reward
- discipline for not following instructions
- reward for following instructions; although not for every action
For the Bourgeoisie: Leader
- giving responsibilities to gain confidence
- giving compliments to boost ego
- feel responsibility for family success
Eli Zaretsky (1976)
(Marxism)
He argued that the family is a prop to the capitalist system. The unpaid work of housewives support future generations of workers; they feed and clothe them. He also said that the family consumes products produced by the Bourgeoisie to make profits, and that the family supports workers by providing refuge from the stresses of work.
Ensuring there is a pool of people prepared to consume products which produce profits for the rich
Families must keep up with the material goods/services acquired by their neighbours and peers.
Evaluation of the Marxist Perspective
It is too deterministic; it assumes people passively accept socialisation, and that the future is pre-determined.
It ignores family diversity in a capitalist society.
Feminists argue that the Marxist focus on class ignores the inequalities between men and women, which is the real source of female oppression.
Marxism ignores the benefits of the nuclear family.
Feminism
- argues family is based on patriarchy
- aims to reduce patriarchy and improve equality
Forms of Feminism
- Liberal
A general, slow movement towards equality. - Radical
Extreme change; women to have more power than men.
How do feminist criticise the nuclear family?
- It socialises boys and girls into gender roles that limit both of them (canalisation)
- It socialises boys and girls into ideas of superiority and inferiority that go on to impact the life choices of women.
What is the Personal Life Perspective (PLP)?
It criticises the other theories for:
1. assuming the traditional nuclear family is the dominant family type
2. being too structured and ignoring individual choice (free will)
3. they’re all top-down approaches (top influences bottom)
PLP
The PLP argues that individuals have a choice regarding the family they form, which may not conform to the normal. Therefore, they have to study these choices.
What interactions are the PLP interested in?
- relationships with friends
- fictive kin e.g. ‘Auntie’
- gay and lesbian ‘chosen families’
- relationships with dead relatives through memories
- relationships with pets
Donor-conceived children
(PLP)
Key questions raised:
- how do you describe the role of a parent?
- do donor related siblings ‘count’ as members of the family?
- who are the ‘real’ parents?
Evaluation of the PLP
The PLP helps us understand how people themselves construct and define their relationships as ‘family’, rather than imposing traditional sociological definitions of family. However, it can be accused of taking too broad a view, and critics argue that by including a wide range of different kinds of personal relationships, we ignore what is special about relationships that are based on blood or marriage.
