Theories of the Family Flashcards
What are the four functions of the family George Murdock (1949) argues?
- Stable satisfaction of the sex drive
- Reproduction of the next generation
- Socialisation of the young
- Meeting its members economic needs
Criticism of Murdock
Marxist & feminists would argue that Murdock’s harmonious, consensus view of the family is ‘rose tinted’. Fails to consider exploitation & conflict.
What does Marxist argue the family performs?
That the family exists to serve the needs of capitalism
What does feminist argue the functions of the family?
That the family exists to serve the needs of patriarchy
What did parsons believe?
That the functions the family performs will depend upon the kind of society in which it’s found
Parsons identified 2 types of family structures; what are they?
- The nuclear family ( parents & dependent children)
- The extended family ( 3 generations living together under one roof)
The family will ‘fit’ which society as parsons identifies
Pre- industrial: extended family
Modern industrial: nuclear family
What does geographically mobile workforce show?
The compact nuclear family is ideal for moving around for work, is not rooted to farmland
What does a socially mobile workforce show?
Individuals acquire their status based on their achievement ( meritocracy), rather than being ascribed. The nuclear family prevents potential conflicts in the family
What are 2 essential functions the nuclear family specialises in?
- Primary socialisation of children
- The stabilisation of adult personalities
What does the primary socialisation of children mean?
To equip them with the basic skills & society’s values, to enable them to cooperate with others & begin to integrate them into society.
What does the stabilisation of adult personalities mean?
Adults can relax, support each other & release tensions within the family allowing them to return to the workplace refreshed.
Criticisms of the functionalist view
Functionalists tend to ignore the ‘dark side’ of the family- male dominance, child abuse, conflict between partners, etc.
One function of the family that Marxist argue?
Inheritance of property
Ideological functions
Children are socialised in to hierarchy, leading them to believe that subordination to power is legitimate
What does Eli zaretsky show
The home also acts as a ‘haven’ from the exploitation of capitalism- a place where suffering of the worker is soothed
How does the family further show ideological functions
It is practice for living under capitalism: causes the bourgeois power to appear ‘natural’ & unchanging.
The family is a unit of consumption
How?
Capitalism exploits the labour of workers, selling what they produce for more than they pay the workers to produce these goods.
What is Eli zaretsky’s argument on the unit of consumption
Media targets children who pester their parents.
Children who lack the latest gadgets are stigmatised by their peers.
Criticism of the Marxist view
Marxist tend to assume the nuclear family is dominant in capitalist society, which ignores family diversity
What are liberal feminist concerns on the family?
Concerned with campaigning against sex discrimination & for equal rights/ opportunities for women
How does women reproduce the labour force through their unpaid domestic labour according to Marxist feminist?
By maintaining their husbands & socialising the next generation of workers
What’s does ansley (1972) argue?
Argues that the emotional support provided by wives acts as a safety valve for the husbands frustration at working within the capitalist system
What does feeley (1972) argue?
Argues the family is an authoritarian unit dominated by the husband. It teaches children to give in to parental authority & accept their place within a capitalist society.
