Theories Of The Family Flashcards
- The Functionalist perspective of the family
Functionalists believe that society is based on a value consensus, a set of shared norms and values, in which society socialises its members. This enables them to operate harmoniously to meet societies needs and achieve shared goals. They often compare society to the body, all different subsystems working together to create a working human.
Murdock (1949)
Argues that the family performs four essential functions to meet the needs of society and its members: stable satisfaction of relationships with one partner, reproduction of the next generation, socialisation of the young and meeting it’s members economic needs.
Criticisms of Murdock
- He argues that the nuclear family is the most important type of family as they can perform all of these functions.
- Other Sociologists argue that these functions can be performed equally well by other institutions and are not all the most important functions.
- Marxists and feminists have rejected his ideas as they believe his ideas are ‘rose tinged’ as he disregards any bad aspects about family
Parsons (1955) ‘functional fit’ theory
- He believed that the functions the family will perform depends on the society they are in
- The functions families have to perform will affect its shape or structure
- He distinguishes between two structures, the nuclear family and the extended family
- He argued that whatever structure of the family it will fit the needs of their society
- He also argues that nuclear family fits the purpose of industrial society and extended family fits the functions of pre industrialisation
- Parsons sees industrial family as having two essential needs: geographically mobile workforce and a socially mobile workforce
A geographically mobile workforce
In traditional pre industrial society people spent their lives living in one place and working on a farm whereas in today’s society people are getting jobs all over the world. Parsons argues that it’s easier for a small compact nuclear family to move away than it is is for a three generation extended family. Therefore it is better fitted.
A socially mobile workforce
- In modern society a persons status is achieved by working hard and their own efforts (not fixed at birth).
- Parsons argues that in the extended family adult sons live at home with their fathers however at work they could have a higher role than their father
- This could cause tension and conflict
- Therefore it is better for the son to move out and start his own family but still keeping in touch with his parents etc.
- The nuclear family therefore encourages this and allows individuals to make it to the top on their own
Loss of functions
- Pre industrial families was a multi functional unit. It was a good unit of production in which family members worked together but also a unit of consumption e.g. feeding and clothing
- Parsons argues that when family changes its structure it will lose functions
- The family loses its unit of production as everyone has different jobs and only becomes a unit of consumption
- It also loses some unit of consumption to schools and health services
- Parsons argues that the modern nuclear family provides only two things: the primary socialisation of children and the stabilisation of adult personalities (family is a place where adults can relax)= warm bath theory
- The Marxist perspective on the family
Marxist sociologists see society as dominated by capitalism and benefiting capitalism. They believe there is a u equal conflict between two classes: the capitalist class (who owns means of production) and working class (whose labour the capitalists exploit for profit). They also see all society’s institutions benefitting capitalism and one of these is the family, they see the family as benefitting capitalism through:
Inheritance of property
- Marxists argue that they key factor determining the shape of social institutions and the family is the ‘mode of production’. That is who owns and controls society’s productive forces
- In modern society it is the capitalist class that owns this
- Marx called early communism ‘primitive communism’, this was when there was no private property and instead all members of society owned means of production communally
- At this stage of society there was no family, Frederick Engels called it a ‘promiscuous horde’ where there was no restrictions in sexual relationships
Private property
- As forces of production developed, society’s wealth increased. With this came private property and the emergence of the class of men who were able to secure the means of production
- This brought along the ‘patriarchal monogamous nuclear family’
- Engels’s believed monogamy became essential in the inheritance of private property because men had to be certain of the paternity of their children in order to ensure they had legitimate heirs to their property.
- He believed this also defeated the female sex as they became ‘a mere instrument for the production of children’.
Ideological functions
- Marxists also argue that the family today performs key ideological functions for capitalism. One way the family does this is by socialising their children into the idea that hierarchy and inequality are inevitable
- Parental (often paternal) power over children accustoms them to the idea that there has to always be someone in charge (usually a man) and this prepares them for working life in which they will accept orders from their capitalist employees
A unit of consumption
- Capitalism exploits the labour of the workers, making a profit by selling products of their labour for more than it pays them to produce them.
- The family plays a large role in generating these profits for capitalists as it is an important market for the sale of consumer goods: advertises urge families to ‘keep up with the Jones’ by buying the latest products, target children who use pester power to persuade their parents to spend more, children who do not have the latest clothes or gadgets are mocked or stigmatised.
Criticisms of Marxist perspective
- They assume that the nuclear family is dominant in capitalist society, ignores other family types
- Feminists argue that they focus on class and capitalism rather than gender inequalities in the family
- Functionalists argue that Marxists only look at the negatives of the family rather than seeing the benefits it can have
- Feminist perspective on the family
Similarly to Marxists, Feminist’s criticise the family. They believe that it oppresses women. They focus on issues such as the unequal division of domestic labour and domestic violence against women. They believe gender inequality was created by society. There are 4 main types of feminism:
Liberal feminism
- Campaign against sex discrimination and for equal rights and opportunities for women e.g. pay and employment
- They believe that women’s oppression is gradually being overcome through changing peoples attitudes and changes in the law such as the ‘SEX DISCRIMINATION ACT 1975’
- They believe we are moving towards greater equality in the family but we are no where near full equality and changes still need to occur
- For example, studies suggest men are now doing more domestic labour and socialisation of children is much more equal such as aspirations
- However, some feminists criticise the liberal feminists’ approach to tackling inequality as ineffective and that just changes in the law will not bring about change
