Theories Of The Family

Question 1

What are the 4 functions that the family performs to meet the needs of society, according to Murdock?

Answer 1

• stable satisfaction of the sec drive with the same partner
• socialising the young
• meeting economic needs
• reproduction of the next generation

Question 2

What are criticisms of Murdock’s ideas about the family?

Answer 2

x Murdock argues that the nuclear family is the best one to perform functions for society but sociologists argue that they could be performed equally well by other institutions
x Feminists say the family serves the needs of men and oppresses women
x Marxists say the family meets the needs of capitalism

Question 3

Explain Parsons’ ‘functional fit’ theory

Answer 3

The structure and functions of a given family type will fit the needs of the society in which it is found. The nuclear family fits the needs of industrial family while the extended family fits the needs of pre-industrial society

Question 4

What are the two essential needs of industrial society according to Parsons?

Answer 4

1. A geographically mobile workforce
   Industries emerge and decline which means people have to live to where the jobs are; the nuclear family is better at this
2. A socially mobile workforce
   Status is achieved rather than ascribed which makes social mobility possible. The nuclear family encourages this by allowing children to have achieved status in the home rather than living under their father’s ascribed status as head of the house.

Question 5

What is loss of functions according to Parsons?

Answer 5

When society industrialises, the family loses many of its functions to other specialised (structural differentiation). Because of this the nuclear family comes to specialise in performing only two functions:
- primary socialisation of children
- the stabilisation of adult personalities

Question 6

Evaluate functionalist ideas about the family

Answer 6

x Young & Wilmott: pre industrial families are nuclear, not extended
x Anderson’s study showed that in the 19th century, the pros of an extended family outweighed the cons

Question 7

Explain inheritance of property as a function the family performs for capitalism

Answer 7

The mode of production shapes all social institutions and is owned and controlled by the capitalist class. As the MOP developed, private property emerged which brought about the patriarchal monogamous nuclear family
- Engels: monogamy became essential because men wanted to make sure that their legitimate heirs inherited their property. This brought women under the control of men.

Question 8

Explain how the family performs ideological functions for capitalism

Answer 8

The family socialises children into the idea that hierarchy and inequality are inevitable
Zaretsky: the family offers a safe haven away from the exploitation of capitalism. However this is an illusion because the family cannot meet its members’ needs.

Question 9

How does the family acts as a unit of consumption?

Answer 9

The family plays a role in generating profits for capitalism. Eg adverts are targeted at children who can convince their parents to buy the latest items.

Question 10

What are the criticisms of the Marxist perspective on the family?

Answer 10

• they assume the nuclear family is dominant which ignores other family structures
• feminists say the emphasis on class ignores the gender inequalities within the family
• functionalists say Marxists ignore the real benefits of the family

Question 11

Explain the liberal feminist view of the family

Answer 11

LFs campaign for equal rights for women and against sex discrimination. They believe that:
- women’s oppression is being gradually overcome
- full equality will depend on more reforms and changes to attitudes
They believe progress has been made:
- studies show men are doing more domestic labour
- the way parents socialise their sons and daughters is more equal

Question 12

What are the criticisms of the liberal feminism view of the family?

Answer 12

• LFs don’t challenge the underlying causes of women’s oppression
• Changes in attitudes and laws isn’t enough to bring about equality

Question 13

Explain the Marxist feminist view on the family

Answer 13

MFs say women’s oppression performs functions for capitalism:
- women reproduce the labour force
- women absorb anger from their husbands (Ansley)
- women are a reserve army of cheap labour

MFs say the family should be abolished at the same time a revolution overthrows capitalism

Question 14

Explain the radical feminist view of the family

Answer 14

RFs believe that all societies are founded on patriarchy. They believe that:
- men are the enemy
- family and marriage are the key institutions in patriarchal society

They believe that the family needs to be abolished through separatism. They argue for political lesbianism and see hetero relationships as oppressive.
Greer argues for the creation of all-female households

Question 15

What are Sommerville’s criticisms of radical feminism?

Answer 15

• RFs fail to see the great improvements in the position of women
• Hetero attraction makes it unlikely that separatism would work

Question 16

Explain the difference feminism view of the family

Answer 16

DFS argue that we can’t generalise about women’s experiences as they all have different experiences of the family. eg labelling the family negatively ignored how black feminists view the family positively.

Question 17

What is a critique of the difference feminism view of the family?

Answer 17

Difference feminism neglects the fact that all women share many of the same experiences such as risk of domestic violence and low pay.

Question 18

Explain the personal life perspective of families

Answer 18

Argues that other perspectives have 2 weaknesses:
- assuming that the nuclear family is dominant
- they are all structural theories
This perspective takes a bottom up, interactionist approach. They believe that there are other personal relationships even though they aren’t tied by blood including friends, pets etc
Nordqvist & Smart say some parents emphasise the importance of social relationships over genetic ones in forming family bonds.

Question 19

What is a critique of the personal life perspective of the family?

Answer 19

It takes a too broad view. By including a wide range of different kinds of persona relationships we ignore what is special about relationships based on blood or marriage.