Theories of the family Flashcards
George Murdock- His definition of the family
The family is a social group characterised by Common residence ,economic cooperation and reproduction. It includes adults of both sexes ,at least two whom maintain a socially approved sexual relationship and one or more children, own or adopted of the sexually cohabiting adults
Murdock’s analysis
From his analysis of 250 societies ,he said that the family is universal. this means that the family exist everywhere
This means 4 key things it does for society. These have benefits for society and for the individuals
4 Functions according Murdock
1.Sexual- this is where adults have their needs met in a stable relationship
2.Economic-All members of the family are provided for
3.Reproduction-the family creates the next generation of society
4.Educational - the family carries primary socialisation which means the teaching of norms and values
Evaluation of Murdock
His definition of the family excludes may types of family
Does not consider alternatives to the family that may be able to carry out these function
Ignores the dysfunctions of the family
Talcott Parsons
Focussed on the nuclear family in modern industrial society
he argues that the family has become increasingly specialised
He argues that in pre-industrial times we live in an extended family ,people would often spend their whole village working on s now in modern industrial society the family has become m ore isolated and nuclear
Reasons for Changes in family structure
A geographically Mobile workforce it is easier for the compact nuclear family to move to where the work is in an industrial society
A social mobile workforce- status is now achieved through effort and not ascribed at birth ,New generations can move up the social ladder
Functions of the family according to parson
Stabilisation of adult personalities- parsons argue that unstable personalities threaten social order, in the family, adults can destress from all tensions of daily life, Woman provides emotional support for her husband and children . give the man opporunity to relax and play
Primary socialisation- the firsta nd most important part of socialisation whereby individuals learn the shared norms and valuses of society without this there would no consensus and no social order
Evaluation of Talcott Parsons
idealise the family and ignores the dysfunctions or the dark side of the family
theory based on American Middle class family which may be unrepresentative of may families-does not recognise the diversity of the family
can be critised as sexists
Marxist perspective
idea of conflict between the bourgeoise and the proletariat. Bourgeoise exploit the working class
According to Marxist there are 3 functions of the family
- Inheritance of property
2.ideological functions - Unit of consumption
Inheritance of property Engels 1884
People started to live in nuclear families when capitalist societies started. The earliest societies there was primitive communism this meant that everyone had the means of production and had no private property. People lived in tribes and there were not restrictions on sexual behaviour
as capitalism emerged and technology and developed emerged people started to develop property and were interested in their legitimate heir this led to the introduction of monogamous marriage emerged that husband knew who their children were and who can inherit their property
Woman became oppressed as a mere instrument for the production of children
Ideological Role
Children are socialised to accept children to accept capitalism and be maternalistic we accept inequalities of social classes as normal . Parental authority over children accustoms them to be idea there is always someone who is in charge and prepare them to take orders from the capitalist employers
Zaresty-there is an illusion that the private life of the family is quite separate from the economic and is a haven from the pressure of capitalism however the family is unable to cope with the pressures of capitalism - women are do all the ard work
Unit of Consumption
The family plays a major role in generating profits for big businesses. Advertisers urges family to compete with friends
people who don’t have the latest stuff are stigmased as disadvantaged
Evaluation of the marxist perspective
Postmodernist would argue that marxist assume the nuclear family is the dominant family diversity
feminist argue that Marxist underestimate the importance of gender in shaping people experience of the family
Feminist perspective of the family
They believe that the main source of conflict is gender . Most societies are based on patriarchy or male domination
The family is one of the main sites in which women are oppressed by men
In domestic work- in family is unpaid work; housework and childcare is done by women
emotional labour- this is where feminist argue that it is usually wives rather than husbands who provide most of the emotional support for their husbands
Women are economically dependent on men
Marxist Feminist
Patriarchy results from class inequality. The wife’s role contributes to capitalism
The wife’s unpaid domestic labour is invaluable to capitalist. And she produces and rears the future works at no cost to the capitalist. An she keeps a adult worker- her husband in a good working order by feeding and caring for him
Benston(1972 ) the wife’s emotional support soaks up the frustrations produced by working for capitalism. Furthermore children are socialised to conform and submit to capitalism
Radical Feminists
Radical feminist such as Delphy and Leonard (1992) see patriarchy as built into the structure of society and as the most important form of inequality in society.
Men are seen as the primary beneficiaries of the exploitation. Men are usually the head of the household and it is the head who benefits from the work that is done e.g domestic work
Liberal Feminist
Liberal Feminist such as Jennifer Somerville, have a more moderate view of gender inequality-many women do not get the opportunity to reach their potential in the workplace and many men don’t have the pleasure of having close relationships with their children . They campaign to see practical legislation introduction to change this
Difference/Intersectional Feminist
intersectional/difference feminist argue that other types of feminists fail to recognise the diversity of family forms that exist today. They highlight the variations in the family situation of women as having a huge impact on their experience
evaluation of feminist
ignores the postive aspect of family life
New Right Perspectives on the family
The New Right believe that the family as a cornerstone of society . They see the nuclear family. The New right are concerned about the decline of the traditional family and arguing that rising divorce rates and increasingly diverse family structures creates wider problems in society
Charles Murray
Charles Murray developed the idea of the underclass. Charles Murrary believed that state spending and benefits increasde from society . since post ww2had made people become dependent on the state he called this a dependency culture. This created a generation of late young men, many of whom lacked displince from absent fathers. The underclass had their own system of beliefs that differ to society thyey were often deviant and criminal delinquent behaviour
Dennis and Erdos
They the book the families without fathers
They argue that children without a father figure in their life they lack discipline
This contributed to anti-social behaviour, a lack of prominent male figures and gang culture as a result. The lack of father’s saw mother take advantages of the benefits culture that had developed in the UK,and were often incentivised to have children and separate from their spouses
