Theories of the Family

Question 1

According to Murdock, what are the functions of the family?

Answer 1

1. Stabilisation of the sex-drive
2. Reproduction
3. Primary socialisation of the children
4. Meeting the members’ economic needs such as food and shelter

Without these functions there would be anomie

Question 2

How can we analyse Murdock?

AO3

Answer 2

NOT RELEVANT TODAY:
- Welfare State and other institutions can now perform these functions such as socialisation and meeting economic needs
- Due to changing social attitudes, extramarital sex has become normalised - the sex drive can be satisfied outside of marriage

Question 3

What are the criticisms of Murdock?

AO3

Answer 3

• Feminists - this definition of family benfits men more than women
• Not universal - anthropological research shows that some cultures don’t appear to have ‘families’ like the Nayar Tribe who live in concubines
• Marxists - family meets the needs of capitalism and doesn’t benefits its members

Question 4

According to Parsons, what are the functions of the family?

Answer 4

Due to structural diffrentiation the extended family is no longer needed as the family only needs to fulfill 2 functions:
1. Primary socialisation of children into early norms and values and gender roles
2. The stabilisation of adult personalities.
Mother = expressive role - nurturing, socialising, domestic, caring.
Father = intrumental role - breadwinner
These roles stabilise the family allowing the warm bath theory

Question 5

How can we analyse Parsons?

Answer 5

• Working class families still benefit from living in an extended family for financial reasons - current cost of living crisis
• Ethnic minority families, especially when migrating, benefit from living in an extended family - solace against racism
• Not relevant - Instrumental and expressive gender roles are very old-fashioned and no longer relevant to modern families

Question 6

What are the criticisms of the Functionalist view?

AO3

Answer 6

1. Downplays conflict within the family e.g. domestic abuse, neglect, child abuse
2. Feminists - ignores the exploitation of women within the family - stabilisation of adult personnalities cannot be true as patriarchal division of labour doesn’t benefit women
3. Too deterministic - assumes children accept society’s norms and values transmitted by family - ignores individuality

Question 7

What is a function of the family according to Engels?

Answer 7

Inheritence:
- The key factor shaping all social instituions in the means of production - those who own it want to pass it on to their children to keep their wealth within the family

Question 8

How can we analyse Engels?

Answer 8

• 28% of wealth in the UK is inherited - still relevant today

Question 9

How can we evaluate Engels?

Answer 9

• Not universal - Berlin has a huge rent culture so nothing is inherited

Question 10

What is a function of the family according to Althusser?

Answer 10

Ideology:
- The family is an ideological state apparatus which maintains false class consciousness and teaches values that uphold capitalism
- Values = discipline, meritocratic ideals, encourage education, respecting authority, maintaining order/ routines

Question 11

How can we analyse Althusser?

AO3

Answer 11

• Foucalt - Surveillance in the Family: the state monitor the family and pressure them to conform to social norms of what a family and good parenting is like e.g. CPS, the media, etc. Parents internalise this and families exercise self-surveillance and police their own behaviour
• Henderson - the media present ideas of ideal family - is internalised and scrutiny is risked if not conforming. Sanctions and monitoring from organisation such as social services also do this.

Question 12

How can we evaluate Althusser?

AO3

Answer 12

• Ignores that other social institutions can perform ideological functions e.g. education
• Families can be a source of change - parents may instill radicalist/socialist norms and values to their children

Question 13

What is a function of the family according to Zaretsky?

Answer 13

Safe Haven:
- Family provides a safe haven from the harsh exploitative world of capitalism
- You can take out your anger/emotion at home rather than at work
- This prevents a revolution from happening as anger is never directed towards capitalist society

Question 14

How can we analyse Zarestky?

AO3

Answer 14

Similar to Parsons’ Warm Bath Theory - both Marxists and Functionalists agree that the family provides a space where pent up fustration can be released

Question 15

How can we evaluate Zaretsky?

AO3

Answer 15

• Ignores how this safe haven can benefit ethnic minority families providing a safe haven against racism they may face
• Ignores how this safe haven negatively effects women - this pent up fustration is typically released through domestic violence - Ansley - ‘takers of shit’

Question 16

What is a function of the family according to Lawton?

Answer 16

Consumption:
- Children possess pester power meaning they can badger their parents into buying products e.g. toys, school supplies, clothes
- Advertisers urge families to buy the latest products and ‘keep up with the Joneses’

Question 17

How can we analyse Lawton?

AO3

Answer 17

Especially relevant today given the use of social media to promote goods to children and families and companies purposefully advertising at times where families are all together e.g. Superbowl

Question 18

How can we evaluate Lawton?

AO3

Answer 18

Not longer due to the decline in birth rate and increase in voluntary childlessness (Hakim) - no children to have pester power

Question 19

What are the functions of the family according to Oakley?

AO1

Answer 19

Gender Socialisation:
- Canalisation: channeling gender identity into children via primary socialisation e.g. toys, clothing, language - ‘boys will be boys’
- Manipulation: parents reinforce ‘appropriate’ gender identity

Question 20

How can we analyse Oakley?

AO3

Answer 20

Rise in gender neutral parenting and allowing children to choose their own gender identity

Question 21

What is Wilkinson’s view of gender and family?

AO1 or Eval of Oakley

Answer 21

Over the last 50 years women have had more oppotunity to work due to:
1. Feminisation of the workforce: values literacy and communicative skills which in turn increases women’s attractiveness to employers as their skills are needed
2. Gender Quake: shift in gender expectations - women now feel like they can choose work

Question 22

How can we analyse Wilkinson?

AO3

Answer 22

• Gender Pay Gap still exists
• Eurocentric - gender quake has not happened in all cultures

Question 23

How can we evaluate Wilkinson?

AO3

Answer 23

Myth of the March of Progress: low take-up e.g. joint maternity, few are eligible, working class and ethnic minority women are still often restricted to the home and their daughters are socialised to think this is their place

Question 24

What are the functions of family according to Marxist Feminists?

AO1

Answer 24

1. Women reproduce the labour force: state encourages women to have children who go on to become workers
2. Women absorb anger: most likely to be victims of domestic violence. Ansley -‘takers of shit’
3. Women are a reserve army of cheap labour: e.g. WW1 women took on male jobs as men went off to war, were pushed out of these jobs after the war. Benston - ‘women are the slaves of wage slaves’

Question 25

How can we analyse the Marxist Feminist view?

AO3

Answer 25

• In line with Marxist view of the family - women absorbing anger allows the family to be a safe haven for male workers - Delphy and Leonard safety valve to prevent revolution
• Nursery is now free from 1 years old to help working mothers but only introduced due to labour shortage caused by Brexit - reserve army of cheap labour

Question 26

How can we evaluate the marxist feminist view?

AO3

Answer 26

• Ignores family diversity - women are breadwinners in matrifocal families
• Some women choose to be housewives and find this fulfilling

Question 27

What is the radical feminist view of the family?

AO1

Answer 27

Heterosexual relationships are inherently oppressive as such women should practice:
- Political lesbianism: being in a relationship with a man is sleeping with the enemy
- Separatism: living independently from men
- Matrifocal households - Greer: all female household can be alternative for the heterosexual family

Question 28

How can we evaluate the radical feminist view?

AO3

Answer 28

Sommerville: ignores the march of progress - women now have more freedom in negotiating their roles e.g. better jobs, access to divorce, control over fertility

Question 29

How does the New Right view the family?

AO1

Answer 29

Families should include 2 features:
1. A biological division of labour: men are naturally inclined to work whereas women are naturally better at housework
2. Families should be self-reliant: the family are a private sector the state should not intervene in

Question 30

What is the difference feminist view of families?

AO1

Answer 30

• Amos and Parmar: ethnicity has a massive impact on level of oppression within the family - we cannot generalise women’s experiences
• Dallod and Sapsford black families are less patriarchal as they are more likely to be matriarchal

Question 31

How does Murray view policies on the family?

Answer 31

• Families should be independent and self reliant with the state interfering as little as possible
• Social policies reward antisocial behaviour by offering perverse incentives
• e.g. council housing, welfare state
• This breeds a dependency culture that encourages behaviour of teen pregnancy and absent fathers

Question 32

How can we evaluate the New Right?

Answer 32

• Ignores that there are still many policies that support the traditional nuclear family e.g. maternity leave being longer than paternity leave
• Feminism: the idea that the nuclear family is natural and not a social construct is wrong - Anne Oakley argues gender socialisation persuades girls that their main responsibilities lie in the home
• Marxism: underclass aren’t a product of welfare state but unfair capitalist society
• Functionalism: support that nuclear family is best and most functional - expressive and instrumental role (Parsons)
• Beck and Giddens: individualisation thesis - people now make decisions with their own interests in mind rather than duty to the family - the welfare state further enables this