Theories of the Family Flashcards
What do functionalists think generally?
Society is based on a shared set of norms and values
The nuclear family is best at meeting the needs of industrialised society
Which functionalists commented?
Murdock
Parsons
What 4 essential functions does the family provide according to Murdock?
Stable satisfaction of the sex drive
Reproduction
Primary socilisation
Meeting the economic needs
How does the family provide stable satisfaction of the sex drive according to Murdock?
Adults have the same partner which prevents social disruption
How does the family provide primary socilisation according to Murdock?
Teaching the children the same norms and values as the rest of society
Which groups of sociologists criticize Murdock?
Feminists and Marxists as he avoids the darker side of conflict and exploitation
How do feminists criticize Murdock?
The family serves the needs of men and opresses women.
He ignores domestic abuse
How do Marxists criticize Murdock?
The nuclear family serves the needs of capitalism and keeps workers in line so they can be exploited
What two theories does Parsons put forward?
Family has 2 functions
Theory of fit
What two functions does Parsons outline?
Primary socilisation
The stabilisation of adult personalities
How does the family fufill the stabilisation of adult personalities according to Parsons?
They can escape the stress of the outside world as the family is a safe space
How is Parson’s function of stabilisation of adult personalities criticised?
Zaretsky: Family only gives emotional support so it’s members will continue working under capitalism
What is Parson’s theory of fit?
The dominant family type is the one that best suits the needs of society at the time. In industrial society this was the nuclear family
Who criticizes Parson’s theory of fit?
Willmott and Young
Harevan
How do Willmott and Young criticize Parson’s theory of fit?
Pre-industrial families were mainly nuclear, not extended as Parsons claimed. Extended families became more common in the industrial revolution
How does Harevan criticize Parson’s theory of fit?
The extended family was best suited to meeting the needs of industrial society
Evidence from migrant families in the US 19th centry
Which New Right sociologist commented?
Murray
What do the New Right generally believe?
Nuclear family is best with a biologically based division of labour (traditional)
Families that rely on the state lead to lone parent families linked with delinquancy
What did Murray think?
There is an underclass in the West with many lone parent families leading to underacheivement, high crime and drug abuse. Can be stopped if the state reduce benifits
How did Murray think we can stop the underclass?
Reduce state benifits to get people to take responsability for their own lives
Which groups of sociologists criticize Murray?
Marxists
Feminists
How do feminists critisize Murray?
The division of labour is not biologically fixed
Nuclear family is patriarchial
No evidence lone parent families cause delinquency
How do Marxists critisize Murray?
Problems faced by families are due to low benifits and lack of free childcare
These factors are beyond the control of single parents
What do Marxists think?
There is a constant struggle between the poor and the ruling class, the family helps keep control by socilising children into capitalist ideas
Which Marxists commented?
Engels
Zaretsky
Althusser and Poulantzas
How does the family help capitalism according to Engels?
It serves the needs of the econemy as the family arose due to the need to pass on private property
How does the family help capitalism according to Zaretsky?
Provides emotional support to members to keep them working under capitalism
Why do people critisize Engels?
His interpretation is historically inaccurate as the nuclear family was found in hunter-gatherer groups before private property was important
Why do people critisize Zaretsky?
He exaggerates the importance of the family and ignores domestic abuse
How does the family help capitalism according to Althusser and Poulantzas?
It socialises children into accepting capitalism
Why do people critisize Althusser and Poulantzas?
Feminists: Ignore that the nuclear family supports patriarchy
Functionalism: The family socialises children to become effective functioning adults
What kind of feminists are there?
Liberal
Marxists
Radical
What do liberal feminists think?
Society is getting better due to changes in law thanks to campaigning
What do Marxist feminists think?
Women are opressed due to capitalism and expected to produce children and be an outlet for male frustration.
Benson: Women help to maintain the physical and emotional fitness of the working class
What kind of sociologist is Benson?
Marxist feminist
What does Benson think?
Women help to maintain the physical and emotional fitness of the working class
What do radical feminists think?
Men are the enemy and we need a revolution where they live seperately
The family is the route of opression
Which radical feminists commented?
Millett
Delphy and Leonard
What does Millett think?
Family is the route of women’s opression
Age patriarchy where adults have control over children
What do Delphy and Leonard think?
The family is a patriarchial institution where women do more work but get less benifits. It legitimises violence against women as it stresses the importance of the wife as homemaker
Who critisizes radical feminists?
Liberal feminists
Hakim
Functionalists
How do liberal feminists critisize radical feminists?
They ignore recent improvements for women
How does Hakim critisize radical feminists?
Ignore that women have the choice to conform to gender roles or not
How do functionalists critisize radical feminists
They ignore the benifits of the family such as providing emotional support
What do postmodernists think?
Society is now a collection of subcultures as people have more choice to construct their identities
Life is less predictable and the family is less stable so generalisations are no longer possible
