Topic 3:Theories Of Family

Question 1

Different perspectives in theories of the family

What are the different perspectives in theories of the family

Answer 1

Functionalism - a consensus perspective

Marxism - a class conflict perspective

Feminism - a gender conflict perspective

The personal life perspective.

Question 2

The functionalist perspective on society:

What is the functionalist view on society?

Answer 2

Functionalists believe that society is based on a value consensus (a set of shared norms and values) into which society socialises its members.

This enables them to cooperate well and to meet society’s needs and achieve shared goals.

Functionalists see society as a system made up of different parts that depend on each other and need to work together to function well e.g. the family, the education system and the economy.

Question 3

Functionalist perspective on the family:

How do functionalists view the family (use sociologist)

Answer 3

Functionalists see the family as a important building block of society.

Murdock (1949) - the family performs four essential functions to meet the needs of society

1. Educational: children are taught the norms and values of society ( primary socialisation)
2. Economic: the family provides an economic function by sharing resources and making sure everyone had what they need.
3. Reproductive: By reproducing the next generation of the society.
4. Sexual: Ensuring that adults’ sexual relationships are controlled and stable.

Question 4

Criticisms of Murdock

Answer 4

Some argue that these four functions of the family could be performed equally well by other institutions or by nonnuclear family structures.

Marxists and feminists reject his ‘rose-tinted’ consensus view that the family meets the needs of both wider society and all the different members of the family as they argue that functionalism neglects conflict and exploitation

Feminists see the family as serving the needs of men and oppressing women e.g Men being perceived as the bread winner and women being perceived as being the homemaker. These roles are not biologically constructed but socially con-structured

Marxists argue that it meets the needs of capitalism, not those of family members or society as a whole e.g In the family there is a hierarchy with the husband being the head of the house followed by the wife and then the children. Because of this, children learn to be subservient and this means that when they work under the capitalist system they are less likely to revolt as they are used to being told what to do

Question 5

Functional fit theory

What is the functional fit theory (use sociologist)

Answer 5

Parsons (1955) - the functions that the family performs depends on the society is like.

The functions that the family performs will affect its structure.

e.g. The nuclear family of just parents and their dependent children.

e.g. The extended family of three generations living under one roof.

Parsons argues that the structure and functions of a type of family will fit’ the needs of the society in which it is found ‘will be functional fit’.

Question 6

Functional fit theory:

What are the two types of society (use sociologist)

Answer 6

Parsons - there are two types of society

e.g. modern industrial society

e.g. traditional pre-industrial society.

Parsons - the nuclear family fits into the needs of an industrial society meaning that it is the most dominant family type in the industrial time period whereas the extended family fits the needs of pre-industrial society meaning that it was the most dominant family type in that era.

When Britain began to industrialise, the extended family began to give way to the nuclear as the industrial society had different needs from pre-industrial society and the family needed to adapt to meet those needs.

Question 7

Functional fit theory:

How is having a geographically mobile workforce a need of industrial society (use sociologist)

Answer 7

Parson believes that having a geographically mobile workforce is a need of industrial society as pre-industrial society, people often spent their whole lives living in the same village/ working on the same farm.

However in modern society, industries spring up and decline in different parts of the country/ the world, and this requires people to move to where the jobs are.

Parsons argues that it is easier for the nuclear family to move, than the extended family as there isn’t as many people in the nuclear family and age doesn’t cause a problem.

The nuclear family is better fitted to the needs that modern industry and this is why the nuclear family dominated family types in the industrial era.

Question 8

Functional fit theory:

How is having a socially mobile workforce a need of industrial society (use sociologist)

Answer 8

The modern industrial society is based on constantly evolving science and technology and so it requires a skilled workforce.

Because the industrial revolution requires a skilled workforce its important that talented people are promoted and take on the most important jobs. This can be done through social mobility (the idea that people can move “up” or “down” a social hierarchy).

Parsons argues that the nuclear family is better equipped to meet the needs of industrial society compared to the extended family as
because the the mobile nuclear family is structurally isolated from its extended relatives it means that there is no binding obligations towards them - unlike the preindustrial extended family, where relatives had an overriding duty to help one another.

Question 9

Loss of functions

How does the family change when it loses some of its functions (use sociologist)

Answer 9

Parsons - When society industrialises, the function of the family changes so rather than being being a unit of production as work moves into the factories and the family becomes a unit of consumption.

This leads to the family specialising in two functions which are primary socialisation and the stabilisation of adult personalities

Primary socialisation of children - equips them with skills and society’s values which enables them to cooperate with others and begin to integrate them into society.

Stabilisation of adult personalities - the family is a place where adults can relax and release tensions which enables them to return to the workplace refreshed and ready to meet its demands. This helps the economy to keep running.

Question 10

The Marxist perspective on the family

What is the Marxist view of society

Answer 10

Marxist’s see capitalist society as based on conflict between two social classes ; the bourgeoisie (m/c) and the proletariat (w/c)

Marxists see all society’s institutions, e.g. education, media, religion, the state and the family as helping to maintain class inequality and capitalism.

Question 11

The Marxist view of the family

What is the Marxist view of the family

Answer 11

Marxists believe that the function that the family performs purely benefits the capitalist system.

This view contrasts with the functionalist view that the family benefits both society as a whole and all the individual members of the family and the family

Question 12

The Marxist view of the family

How does the family function ‘inheritance of property’ benefit capitalism

Answer 12

Marxists argue that the way social institutions work is through the mode of production (who owns and controls society’s productive forces e.g. tools, machinery, land and labour)

In modern society, the bourgeoisie own and control means of production. As the mode of production (a society organised to make production) evolves so does the family.

In a Marxist society there was no private property as everyone collectively owned the means of production together.

Question 13

The Marxist view of the family

How does the family function ‘private property’ benefit capitalism

Answer 13

As production develop society’s wealth increases as well. This increased wealth lead to the development of private property as men were able to secure control of means of production and this lead to the patriarchal monogamous nuclear family.

Engels’ - monogamy became important because of the inheritance of private property as men had to be sure that their children were theirs in order to ensure that their legitimate heirs inherited from them. This also lead to men having control over women’s bodies and turned her into a breeding machine purely meant for bearing her husband children

Marxists argue that women will only be free from patriarchal control once capitalism and private ownership is gone.

Because there will be classless society where means of production are owned collectively there will no longer be a need for the patriarchal family, since there will be no private property that gets handed from generation to generation.

Question 14

Ideological function

The Marxist view of the family

How does the ‘ideological function’ of the family benefit capitalism

Answer 14

Marxists argue that the family performs an ideological functions for capitalism by spreading a set of ideas or beliefs that justify inequality and maintain the capitalist system by persuading people to accept it as fair, natural or unchangeable.

One way the family does this is by socialising children into the idea that hierarchy and inequality are inevitable e.g. parental power over children shows them to the idea that there always has to be someone in charge and this prepares them for a working life in which they will accept orders from their capitalist employers.

Zaretsky (1976) - the family also performs an ideological function by showing the home to be a place of safety in which workers can ‘be themselves’ and have a private life. However, he argues that this is an illusion - the family doesn’t meet its members needs e.g. women are treated to be subservient.

Question 15

The Marxist view of the family

How does the family function ‘a unit of consumption’ benefit capitalism

Answer 15

Capitalism functions by exploiting the labour of the workers and making a profit by selling the products for more than it pays them to produce the products.

The family plays a role in helping making profits for capitalists, since it is market for the sale of consumer goods.

e.g. The media target children, who use ‘pester power’ to persuade parents to spend more.

e.g. Children who lack the latest clothes or ‘must have’ gadgets are mocked and stigmatised by their peers.

While this benefit capitalism, they do not benefit the members of the family.

Question 16

Feminist perspective on society

What is the feminist view on society

Answer 16

Feminists see society as based on conflict between men and women. They argue that it oppresses women
and they don’t believe that gender inequality is natural but has been created by society.

Each type of feminism approaches the family in a different way and offers different solutions to the problem of gender inequality.

Question 17

Liberal feminist perspective on the family

What is the liberal feminist view on the family

Answer 17

Liberal feminists care about campaigning against sex discrimination and for equal rights and opportunities for women.

They argue that women’s oppression is being gradually overcome through changing attitudes and through changes in the law such e.g. The Sex Discrimination Act (1975)

They believe that society is moving towards greater equality and that to continue there needs to be further reforms and changes in the attitudes of both sexes (there is not full equality yet but there is gradual progress)

Question 18

Criticisms of Liberal feminists view on the family

Answer 18

However, other feminists criticise liberal feminists for failing to challenge the underlying causes of women’s oppression and for believing that changes in the law or in peoples attitudes will be enough to bring equality.

Marxist and Radical feminists believe instead that far-reaching changes to deep-rooted social structures are needed.

Question 19

Marxist feminist perspective on the family

What is the Marxist - feminist view on the family

Answer 19

Marxist feminists argue that the main cause of women’s oppression in the family is not men, but capitalism. The oppression of women in the family is linked to the exploitation of the w/c.

e.g. Women reproduce the labour force through unpaid domestic labour (by socialising the next generation of workers and looking after the current ones)

e.g. Women absorb anger that should be directed at capitalism Ansley (1972) wives are the ‘takers of shit’. They soak up the frustration their husbands feel because of the alienation and exploitation they suffer at work. This explains male domestic violence against women.

e.g. Women are a reserve army of cheap labour that are taken when workers are needed but then dismissed to be a housewife when they’ve used them.

They argue that the family must be abolished at the same time as a socialist revolution replaces capitalism with a classless society in order for women to be equal to men.

Question 20

Radical feminists perspective on the family

What is the radical feminist view on the family

Answer 20

Radical feminists argue that all societies have been founded on patriarchy.

e.g. Men are the enemy - they’re the source of women’s oppression and exploitation.

e.g. The family and marriage are the key institutions in patriarchal society. Men benefit from women’s unpaid domestic labour and having sex with them e.g domestic/sexual violence

Radical feminists believe that the nuclear family needs to be abolished. They argue that this can be achieved through separatism - women must organise themselves to live independently of men.

Radical feminists also argue for ‘political lesbianism’ - the idea that heterosexual relationships are inevitably oppressive because they involve ‘sleeping with the enemy’.

Greer (2000) argues for the creation of all- female or households as an alternative to the heterosexual family.

Question 21

Criticisms of Radical feminists view on the family

Answer 21

Liberal feminists e.g. Somerville
(2000), radical feminists fail to recognise that women’s position has improved considerably e.g - access to divorce, job opportunities, control over their own fertility.

Somerville also argues that heterosexual attraction makes it unlikely that separatism would work

Question 22

Difference feminists perspective on the family

What are difference feminist’s view on the family

Answer 22

Difference feminists argue that we cannot generalise about women’s experiences.

They argue that everyone has different experiences of the family. Some being positive and some negative e.g. white women and black women will have very different experiences of the family to each other and they shouldn’t be comparable.

e.g. by saying the family purely negative white feminists neglect black women’s experience of racial oppression.

Instead, black feminists view the black family positively as a source of support and resistance against racism.

Question 23

Criticisms of Difference feminists

Answer 23

Other feminists argue that difference feminism neglects the fact that all women share many of the same experiences e.g. they all face a risk of domestic violence and sexual assault and low pay.

Question 24

The personal life perspective on the family

What is the person life view on the family

Answer 24

The personal life perspective argues that all other perspectives have two weaknesses

e.g. They assume that the traditional nuclear family is the dominant family type and this ignores the increased diversity of families today e.g. compared with 50 years ago there are many more people now live in other families types such as lone-parent families, stepfamilies and so on.

2. Because they are all structural theories they assume that families and the people in the family types are puppets who are manipulated by the structure of society to perform certain functions.
3. They argue that structural theories ignore that we have some choice in creating our family relationships just because your family is in a nuclear family doesn’t mean you have to conform to that.

Question 25

The sociology of the personal life perspective

What is the sociology behind the personal life perspective.

Answer 25

The sociology of personal life is strongly influenced by interactionist ideas and argues that to understand families, we must start from the point of view of the individuals and the meanings they give to their relationships.

This contrasts with other perspectives such as functionalism, Marxism and feminism which all take a top-down approach (structural approach) whereas the the personal life perspective takes a shares the ‘bottom up’ approach of interactionism focusing on the interactions between individuals.

Question 26

Beyond blood and marriage

Answer 26

As well as taking a bottom up approach to relationships, the personal life perspective also takes a wider view of relationships than just traditional ‘family’ relationships based on blood or marriage ties.
For example, a woman who may not feel close to her own sister and may be unwilling to help her in a crisis, may at the same time be willing to care for someone to whom she is not related, such as the elderly woman who cohabited with her late father. Without knowing what meaning each of these relationships has for her, we would not be able to understand how she might act.
By focusing on people’s meanings, the personal life perspective draws our attention to a range of other personal or intimate relationships that are important to people even though they may not be conventionally defined as ‘family’.
These include all kinds of relationships that individuals see as significant and that give them a sense of identity, belonging or relatedness, such as:
• Relationships with friends who may be ‘like a sister or brother’ to you.
• Fictive kin: close friends who are treated as relatives, for example your mum’s best friend who you call ‘auntie’.
• Gay and lesbian ‘chosen families’ made up of a supportive network of close friends, ex-partners and others, who are not related by blood or marriage.
• Relationships with dead relatives who live on in people’s memories and continue to shape their identities and affect their actions.
• Even relationships with pets For example, Becky Tipper
(2011) found in her study of children’s views of family relationships, that children frequently saw their pets as
‘part of the family’.
These and similar relationships raise questions about what counts as family from the point of view of the individuals involved. For example, Petra Nordavist and Carol Smart’s
(2014) research on donor-conceived children explores “what counts as family when your child shares a genetic link with a
‘relative stranger’ but not with your partner?”

Question 27

Donor conceived children

Answer 27

their research, Nordgvist and Smart found that the issue of blood and genes raised a range of feelings. Some parents emphasised the importance of social relationships over genetic ones in forming family bonds.

For example, Erin, the mother of an egg donor-conceived child, defined being a mum in terms of the time and effort she put into raising her daughter: “that’s what makes a mother and not the cell that starts it off”.
However, difficult feelings could flare up for a non-genetic parent if somebody remarked that the child looked like them. Differences in appearance also led parents to wonder about the donor’s identity, about possible ‘donor siblings’ and whether these counted as family for their child.
Where couples knew their donor, they had to resolve other questions about who counted as family. Do the donor’s parents count as grandparents of a donor-conceived child?
Is the donor-conceived child a (half) sibling to the donor’s other children?
For lesbian couples, there were additional problems. These included concerns about equality between the genetic and non-genetic mothers and that the donor might be treated as the ‘real’ second parent.