Theories of the family- families and households Flashcards
functionalist theory
The family performs positive functions for individuals and society
functionalist key figures 3
- GP Murkock
- Talcott Parsons (functions of the family)
- Talcott Parsons (theory of fit)
GP Murdock
The family is a universal institutuion in that it exists everywhere and has 4 major functions
GP Murdock 4 functions of the family
- Preventing the social disturbance caused by sexual ‘free for all’
- reproduction for the next generation
- socialization of children
- meeting its members economic needs
Talcott Parsons- the functions of the family
every family in every society has 2 basic and irreducible functions
Talcott parsons- 2 functions of the family
- the stabilization of adult personalities
- Primary socialization for children
the stabilization of adult personalities
The family gives the individual a ‘safety- valve’ in that it is a place where they can relax, escaping the stresses and strains of the outside world, thy feel emotionally secure
primary socialization
takes place in the early years of a childs life within the family group where they willearn the basic elements of their culture
Talcott Parsons (The theory of ‘fit’)
- the dominant structure of the family best suits the needs of the economy at the time
- nuclear families are geographically mobile and not reliant on wider kin which allows for them to provide the achievement - orientated and geographically mobile workforce required by modern economies
Evaluations of GP Murkock
- Marxist and feminists reject the idea that the family meets the needs of both wider society and all members of the family
- They argue that functionalists neglects conflict and exploitation
- Marxs argue that it meets the needs of capitalism, not family members or society as a whole
Evalutations of talcott parsons: the functions of the family
- Criticized for being too deterministic, with children being pumped full of culture and their personalities being molded by all-powerful adults
- ignores the risks of socialisation being a 2- way process in which roles are neogatiated or resisted by children
- Marxist (Zelenski) argues that the warm bath theory is only relevant in order to encourage workers to continue to work another day under the harsh realities of capitalism
Talcott Parsons: Theory of ‘fit’ evaluation
- Wilmott and Young stated how the pre-industrial family tended to be nuclear rather than extended as claimed by parsons
- They also argue that the hardship of the early industrialized period gave rise to the mother- centered working class extended family
- Tamara Hareven- Argued that the best type of family was the extended family rather than the nuclear since it was the best equipped to meet the needs of early industrial society
- Her research showed that the extended migrant families in america in the 19th century acted as a source of support and mutual aid.
Overall evaluation of the fuctionalist theories
- tend to be based on americal, nuclear famiies and therefore neglect other influences such as ethicity, social class or religion
- as many western societies have become multi-cultural, religioues and ethnic subcultural differences mean that parsons version of the family is no longer relevantin contemporary society
- Feminists agrue that functionalists ignore the dark side of the family and the effects this may have on society
- interpretivists believe that functionalists tend to neglect the meanings famiies have for individuals and how family member interpret family relationships
Marxism’s overall view of the family
- See all societies institutions as helping to maintain class inequality and capitalism
- The functions of the family are performed solely for the benefit of the capitalist system
Engels: The origin of the family
- The need for families occured when people began to own property which needed to be passed down to someone
- This lead to the need for monogamy (one man married to one women
- The family serves the interest of the economy
Zaretskly: Family benefits capitalism
- The family acts as a source of emotional security from the oppressive world of work
- provides warmth to enable its members to live another day of the harsh realities of capitalism
Althusser and Poulantzas: the ideological role of the family
- the family socialises capitalist ideology as well as its familiar ideology in order to maintain family patterns overtime
Evaluative points of Marxism’s theories of the family
- Marxists theories are heavily based on their views of capitalism which many sociologists do not agree with.
- Feminists would argue that the family primarily serves the interest of men rather than capitalism
- Functionalist state how they ignore the benefits which the family provides for society and for its members.
- Interpretivists would argue that Marxists ignore how the members of the family interpret their family relationships and their meanings
overall feminist views of the family
- oppresses women and reproduces patriarchy
- focus on the unequal division of domestic labour and domestic violence against women
- Do not regard gender inequality as natural or inevitable but as something created by society
Marx feminist
- The nuclear family meets the needs of the reproduction and maintenance of class and patriarchal inequality
- Benefits the powerful in expense of the working class and women
margaret Benston 1972- marx feminist
- the nuclear family provides the basic commodity required by capitalism, maintains the present workforces physical and emotional fitness though wife’s domestic labour
Kate Millett 1970- radical feminist
- modern societies and families are characterised by patriarchy
- the family is the root to all of women’s oppression and should be abolished
- the only way to do this is through separatism (women living separated from men)
Delphy and Leonard - radical feminists
women do most of the work whilst men get most of the benefit
Diana Gittens- radical feminist
- refers to the concept of ‘age patriarchy’- adult domination over children
- this may take the form of violence against women and children
Evaluation of feminist theories of the family
- dated badly- these theories fail to account for the recent social and economic changes in society (divorce, education, career)
- ignore positive aspects of family life- some enjoy running a home and raising children
- difference feminists would criticise feminists for assuming that all women share the same experience
- interpretivists argue that feminists neglect the meanings that families have for individuals
- interpretivists say they ignore the possibility that we have a choice in creating family relationships
