theories of the family Flashcards
functionalists
believe nuclear families are the best and function properly with the best outcome
Murdocks family functions
family as a key building block for the rest of society 4 essential functions for society - stable satisfaction of the sex drive - reproduction of the next generation - socialisation of the young - meeting its members economic needs
stable satisfaction go the sex drive
doesn’t interfere with other couples
reduces problems
reproduction of the next generation
allows the race to continue
produces the next workforce
socialisation of the young
makes it easier for schools and education
meeting the family members economic needs
providing money to pay for the familys needs e.g food clothing rent
criticisms of functionalism
- other institution s can provide this
- can be carried put in a non nuclear family
- feminists see the family as serving the needs of men and oppressing women
- marxists argue that it meets the needs of capitalism not those of the family members or society as a whole
functionalism - Parsons Functional Fit theory
argues that the extended family fits in with a pre-industrial society
however, industrial society required a new family type to perform functions effectively - the nuclear family
the nuclear family fits best because industrial society has 2 very specific needs
- a geographically mobile workforce
- a socially mobile workforce
ascribed status
fixed status in terms of social class (born WC; stay WC)
evidence against Parsons
Young and Willmott (1973) + Laslette (1972)
suggested that the nuclear family was the most common before the industrilisation
geographically mobile workforce
being able to move country/ area for work with ease
socially mobile workforce
ability to move between the social classes e.g WC to MC
pre-industrial society family dynamic
extended family
3 generations living under the same roof
grandparents generally act as childcare while parents work
mostly primary sector employment e.g farming
industrial society family dynamic
nuclear family
parents and their dependant children
more factory jobs secondary employment
loss of functions
with industrialisation, Parsons argues that the family loses many functions its previously performed as an extended family
for example it loses its unit of production
instead it now performs two essential functions
- primary socialisation of children
- the stabilisation of adults personalities
primary socialisation of children
the main socialisation of the children before the go to school or into the world
the stabilisation of adults personalities
adults go home when they finish work and they release tension and relax
liberal feminists
oppressions is being gradually overcome
suggest peoples attitudes are slowly changing because of changes in the law like the Sex discrimination act of (1975) that outlaws sex discrimination in employment
the believe full equality will depend on further reforms and changes in attitudes and socialisation patterns of both sexes but they argue progress is being made
feminist evaluation of liberal feminists
marxists and radical feminists believe that large changes to deep routed structures are needed
they fail to challenge underlying causes of womens oppression and are criticised for believing changes in law/ attitudes is enough
external evaluation liberal feminists
arguably ethnocentric view only apply to white MC
marxist feminists
main cause of womens oppression is capitalism
women reproduce the labour force through unpaid domestic labour and socialising the next generation of workers
women absorb anger that would otherwise be directed towards capitalism
women are a reserve army of cheap labour that can be taken if needed
internal evaluation of marxist feminists
liberal and difference feminists would argue that they ignore the fact that progress has been made and family life for some today is better than it was
external evaluation of marxist feminists
places lots of emphasis on nuclear families ignoring family diversity like functionalists
assumes to a degree that women are passive and don’t actively choose their social role as a wife and mother
radical feminists
society has been founded on patriarchy
men are the enemy and the source of womens oppression and exploitation
the family and marriage are the key institutions in patriarchal society
men benefit from the unpaid labour and sexual services provided by women
internal evaluation of radical feminists
liberal feminists suggest they fail to recognise that omens portion in society has significantly improved
better access to divorce and job opportunities
access to contraception/ reproductive rights
ability to choose whether they want to co-habit
external evaluation of radical feminists
marxists suggest that radical feminists fail to blame capitalism for patriarchy in society rather than men
difference feminists
cannot generalise all womens experiences - many different women experience the family differently depending mainly on race, social class and sexual orientation for example - white women who view the family negatively forget that for many black women, the family can be a support network against racism experienced outside of the home
internal evaluation of difference feminists
ignore the fact that all women share many of the same experiences regardless of their race, social class and sexual orientation e.g they can all be victims of sexual assault and domestic violence
external evaluation of difference feminists
functionalists may say that they ignore the key functions that family members play for women in the family e.g stabilisation of adult personalities
marxist theory
see society as based on conflict
this conflict is based on class and is between those who have power and those who don’t
its the MC - bourgeoisie against the WC - proletariat
the conflict is due to the exploitation of the proletariat by the bourgeoisie
3 functions for capitalism
- inheritance of property
- ideological functions
- unit of consumption
