Theories Of The Family Flashcards
What are Murdocks views on the family?
Theories of Family
Functionalist
The family performs 4 essential functions
1) sexual (stability and satisfaction)
2) Reproduction (next generation)
3) Socialisation (value consensus)
4) Economic (economic needs)
Nuclear family is needed to meet all of these needs
Critiques of Murdocks views of the family
Very outdated views
Same sex families can also do all of these, doesnt need to be nuclear
Marxists- ideological state apparatus, they are being used by capitalis
Radical feminists (Greer)- there shouldn’t be a nuclear family, need separatism and political lesbianism.
What does parsons believe are the familes essential needs?
The Nuclear family is the now dominant family type as the family has 2 essential needs:
- Geographically mobile workforce
- socially mobile workforce
How has the family changed according to parsons?
The family has moved from extended family in pre industrial society to nuclear family in present industrial society.
Family has become solely a unit of consumption no longer production
Family has lost some of its functions due to specialised institutions e.g. nhs/hospitals
What does parsons believe are the irreducible functions of the nuclear family?
1) Primary socialisation of children
2) stabilisation of adult personalities
-> warm bath theory
Critique of Parsons ideas about family
Feminists- the functions that parsons talks about serve men and oppress women such as the warm bath theory
Other types of families could provide these functions not just nuclear
Laslett- pre industrial society was still nuclear most of the time as a result of short life expectancy of grandparents
What does Zaretsky believe about the family?
Theories of Family
Marxism
Men are heavily alienated at work as a result of producing products they would never own.
Leads to alienation
Family acts as a haven from this alienation
Workers leave refreshed for another day to keep capitalism going
All an illusion
