Topic 3 Flashcards
Expressive vs instrumental
EXPRESSIVE - the wife takes care of domesticity, emotions and raises the children.
INSTRUMENTAL – the husband is the breadwinner and provides economic
capital and provides for the family
Primary socialisation of children vs stabilisation of adult personalities - Parsons
Primary socialisation of children - done more effectively with clear roles for the husband
and wife.
Stabilisation of adult personalities – whereby clear and definite roles are given to men and women, and this keeps society functioning effectively and stops both the
husband and wife from feeling ‘anomiac’ (lost)
Benson - new right cohab vs marriage
found that there was a higher rate of family breakdown, during a baby’s first three years, in cohabiting couples – 20%. Whereas in married couples it stood at 6%
Benson argues that marriage offers further stability as it involves a commitment; there are lower rates of divorce among married couples than the rate of breakups within cohabiting couples.
Oakley - feminist A03 towards new right
Challenges the idea that roles are biological - instead she looks at cross cultural studies that show a variation of roles men and women play
Smart - A03 towards new right
Argues it may be poverty that causes the breakdown of relationships rather than the decision not to marry
Chester - midway theory
recognises that there has been some diversity in family types however does not see this as a negative change as the New Right does. Instead he argues that the only major shift has been the move from a traditional or conventional nuclear to a ‘neo- conventional family’.
Rapoports - organisational diversity
Refers to the difference in the way families are organised. Eg some are joint conjugal, dual earner and some are segregated conjugal with thr earner
Cultural diversity
Different cultural, religious and ethnic groups have different family structures
Social class diversity
Differences in family structure are partly the result of income differences between households of different social classes.
Life stage diversity
Family differs dependent on the life cycle. Young newlyweds, couples with children, retired couples and widows.
Generational diversity
Older and younger generations have different attitudes and experiences that reflect historical periods in which they have lived
Cheal - postmodernism and family diversity
say there is far more diversity than what modernists and the Rapoports believe. We no longer live in a modern society that has clear and distinct structure, instead we are now in a chaotic, fragmented postmodern era.
Stacey - postmodern families
argues greater freedom and choice has benefited women the most and they are the major agents in shaping the family to meet their needs and break free from patriarchal oppression.
Morgan - postmodern families
adds that it is pointless to make generalisations about families, like functionalists do; instead we must understand that family is simply whatever arrangements those involved choose to take.
Giddens - the pure relationship
Argues that in recent decades the family have been transformed by greater choice and equality.
1. Contraception has allowed sex and intimacy rather than reproduction to become the mean reason for the relationships existence.
2. Women have gained independence as a result of feminism and because of greater opportunities in education and work.
