theories of the family Flashcards
what is functionalism?
see society base on a value consensus- shares set of norms and values. Shared culture enables members of society to co-operate harmoniously to meet society’s needs and to achieve the common goal.
the organic analogy of functionalism
functionalists see society as being like a biological organism
- the body is made up of different parts that function together to meet its needs and maintain it
- society is a system made up of different but interdependent parts or sub-systems, such as institutions like the edu system, religion, the state etc.
- the function of any part is contribution to maintain the social system
what do functionalists believe are the functions of the family?
the family plays a vital role in maintaining the social system and meeting the needs of other sub-systems e.g. the economy.
they take a positive view of the family, seeing it as performing beneficial functions for society and its individual members
Murdock’s four functions of the nuclear family
- stable satisfaction of the sex drive (keeping with same marital partner to prevent social disruption caused by a sexual ‘free-for-all’)
- reproduction of the next generation (without whom society would cease to exist)
- socialisation of the young (enabling new members to integrate into society with the necessary norms and values)
- satisfaction of members’ economic needs (providing food and shelter. pre-industrial families had the family as a unit of production, modern societies have the family as a unit of consumption)
how does Murdock justify these functions of the family?
helps to maintain social stability through practicality, explaining why it is universal- found in all human societies
Parsons’ ‘functional fit’ theory
argues that the kinds and range of functions that the family performs depend on the type of society in which it is found, determining what kind of structure the family will have:
- three-generational extended family, found in pre-industrial society
- two-generational nuclear family, found in modern industrial society
why was the extended family functional in pre-industrial society?
multi-functional, as a unit of both production and consumption e.g. members worked the land together, and performed other functions such as welfare or religious
why is the nuclear family functional in modern industrial society?
- geographical mobility (industries spring up and decline in different places, and is easier for the compact, two-generational family to move where the jobs are)
- social mobility (status in industrial society is achieved, not ascribed, adult sons can now achieve a higher status than their fathers. Breaking away to set up own nuclear family unit removes the status conflict possible if they stayed)
what are the two irreducible functions of the nuclear family?
- primary socialisation (equipping the next generation with basic skills and society’s values)
- stabilisation of adult personalities (enabling adults to relax and release tensions so that they can return to the workplace and perform their roles efficiently)
what are segregated gender roles within the family?
Parsons-distinguishes between the male instrumental (breadwinning) role and the female expressive (nurturing) role. He sees the gender division of labour within the family as biologically based e.g. women give birth so are more suited to the expressive role
what is the New Right perspective
political view which has significant influence on government policy.
what is the New Right view on functions of the family
conservative view of the family:
- biologically based division of labour (see division of labour as biologically determined. similarly believe that a nuclear family with segregated conjugal roles is the best place in which to socialise children)
- families should be self-reliant (reliance on state welfares leads to a dependency culture, undermining traditional gender roles and producing family breakdown and lone-parent families. lack of male role models for boys results in social problems and delinquency)
what is Marxism?
a conflict view of society, seeing modern capitalist societies as being divided into two classes (the bourgeoisie who own the means of production, the WC who own only their labour forced to sell to capitalists in return for wages which are exploited)
What is the Marxist view on functions of the family
sees all institutions in capitalist society as contributing to the maintenance of exploitation. The family seen as an oppressive institution that performs several important capitalist functions:
- passing on wealth
- ideological functions
- unit of consumption
Marxist view of passing on wealth
Engels- argues that, as private property became more important, men who controlled it needed to ensure they could pass it to their own sons and this led to monogamous marriage, but also meant the woman becoming the private property of her husband, who controlled her sexuality to ensure he was father of her child
Marxist view of ideological functions
Zaretsky- argues there is a ‘cult of private life’ (belief e can only gain fulfilment from family life) which distracts attention from the exploitation
Marxist view of the unit of consumption
capitalism needs consumers to buy its products. The family as an important market for consumer goods and therefore enables capitalists to make profits
what is feminism
a conflict view that sees the family as oppressing women. Different types of feminists:
- liberal feminists
- Marxists feminists
- Radical feminists
- Difference feminists
how do liberal feminists see the function of the family?
argue that gender inequality is gradually being overcome through legal reforms and policy changes (equal pay), challenging stereotypes, and changing people’s attitudes and socialisation. They agree with the march of progress view
how do Marxist feminists see the function of the family?
argue that capitalism is the main cause of women’s oppression in the family, and this performs several functions for capitalism:
- reducing the labour force (women socialise the next generation of workers and service the current one for free)
- absorbing men’s anger (otherwise would be directed at capitalism. wives soak up their husband’s frustration that comes from being exploited at work)
- a reserve army of cheap labour (when not needed, women workers return to their domestic role)
they argue that men’s oppression in the family is linked to exploitation of the WC, therefore the family must be abolished at the same time as capitalism
how do radical feminists see the function of the family?
argue that patriarchy the main cause of women’s oppression, and the family and marriage are key patriarchal institutions
- men benefit from women’s unpaid domestic labour and sexual services
- men dominate women through violence or the threat of it
they believe the patriarchal system must be overturned and family abolished. Some radical feminists believe in ‘political lesbianism’ and complete separatism from men
how does difference feminism see the function of the family?
argue that not all women share the same experiences of oppression- women of different ethnicities, class backgrounds etc. may have different experiences of the family.
e.g. by regarding the family solely as a source of oppression, white feminists neglect black women’s experiences of racism. Many black feminists view the black family positively as a source of support in a racist society.
what is the personal life perspective?
takes a ‘bottom up’ approach meaning that, to understand families we must look at the meanings individual family members give to their relationships. This contrasts with functionalism, Marxism and feminism which all take a ‘top down’ structural approach.
the focus on people’s meanings draws attention to a range of other personal relationships that are important to people, though not conventionally defined as (blood or marriage) family. these include all kinds of relationships that individuals see as significant and that give them a sense of relatedness e.g. relationships with same-sex ‘chosen families’, fictive kin, friends, dead relatives, even pets
how does the personal life perspective relate to donor-conceived children
relationships identified raise questions about what counts as family from the viewpoint of individuals involved.
Nordqvist and Smart- research on donor-conceived children found that parents often emphasised the importance of social relationships over genetic ones in defining ‘family’
- where couples knew their donor, they had to resolve questions about whether he or she counted as family
- lesbian couples were concerned the sperm donor might be treated as the ‘real’ second parent
