topic 3 theories of the family Flashcards
What is value consensus?
Shared norms and values that we’re all socialised into, allowing everyone to meet societies goals and needs
What is the organic analogy theory?
Society made up of sub systems that wiill work together to enforce value consenus
4 essential functions of the family
What does Murdock talk about?
A03 Evaluation:
1) Sexual - Keeps the relationship healthy. If this isn’t fulfilled, it could result in adultery, conflict
2)** Reproduction** - Reproduce future gen. which means reproducing the next workforce
3) socialisation - teaching children norms and values of society
4) economic - ensures everyone’s needs are met.
Assumes that nuclear family exists in all socities, ignore other family types.
These functions can be performed by other institutions and other family types.
Functional fit theory
What does Parsons theory state?
The functions performed by the family depends on the society it’s found in and the family structure
closeness and nuclear families
1) Describe the family in pre-industrial society
2) Describe the family in industrial society
1) Agriculture, farming, work together, eat togeher, socialise, education demonstrated in extended families
extended families= multi-functional unit
Self sufficient = family members worked together and looked after eachother
2) Factories, nuclear family
- dont need to work together as they now worked in factories
- social institutions like education and healthcare
________ Mobile Workforce
What are the 2 needs of industrial society?
Geographically mobile workforce = Industries arise in different places and it is easier for a 2 generational nuclear family to move to where there are jobs
Socially mobile workforce = In modern day society, status is achieved and not ascribed, social mobility is possible
A son can have a higher status than his father = when you break away from the extended fam.
multi func and unit of p to unit of con
What happens to the family when it industrialises?
The family no longer remains as a multi-functional unit.
No longer a unit of production and it becomes a unit of consumption
What are the 2 irreducible functions of the family?
1) Primary socialisation
2) Stabilisation of adult personalities - warm bath theory.
- Wife should be fulfilling expressive role = house has to be tended to
- husband = instrumental role and when he comes home, his needs should be met
Feminists, Marxists view
A03 Evaluation for Parsons
Feminists = It is unequal. Men oppress women whilst living in a patriarchal unit.
Marxists = M/C families have different values compared to W/C families
Other family types socialise their childrens differently
Father to Son
What is inheritance of private property? What does Engels say? What happens to private property amongst upper class families ?
Private properties kept within families and father’s pass down to their sons.
1) Why is the nuclear, monogamous family essential to upper class families?
2) Give examples.
3) What function is this performing for society?
4) As well as property, what else is controlled here?
1) A nuclear, manogamous family ensures righteous heirs to property -keeps it in the famiy bloodline.
2) E.g. wealth, land, gold, businesses
3) Maintain inequality and capitalism because the wealth is kept in the bloodline
4) A woman’s sexuality is also viewed as the private property of her husband, to ensure he was the father of the children.
Ideological functions
1) How does socialisation in the family ensure class inequality in society continues? Give examples.
2) What did **Zaretsky **say the famiky acts as a cult of private life? What does this mean?
1) Socialised to accept authority from parents, power hierarchy
- conditions us to accept this in the workplace and not question authority. Teaching their kids norms and values= being obidient = respect authority
2) When the man comes home from work, he is in control and has a high status
- This relives some frustration that he feels beinf exploited as a worker.
- helps to keep the capitalist economy going = won’t take his frustration out at work
Unit of Consumption & ‘ keeping up with the jonses’
How does the family support and legitimise capitalism by being a unit of consumption?
Alluding to….
1) Pester power - children naging their parents and sometimes throws tantrums into getting what they want. Parents will sometimes gice in to avoid the embarassment of their children screaming or crying.
2) The family purchases a range of products/services, generating a lot of profit for capitalism like holidays, activities and entertainment.
Alludes to capitalism becuase there’s spending that can be unnecessary like ‘keeping up with the jonses’ silent competition and over consumption. - Family and neighbour, silently competing for latest gadgets or products
Unit of consumption
A03
- Not all families can over-consume, ignores that w/c can’t always be apart of this or lone parent families may not be able to afford this
- Pester power isn’t always successful and parents do not always give in.
gradual change
What does Lib. Feminists say?
- Campaigning against sex descrimination, want equal pay and rights.
- Women’s oppression is gradually being overcome through attitudes and changes in legislation like the equal pay act, rape and marital abuse is illegal
- what women do are more acceptable, less family orientated and work focused
- similar to MOP. Gradual change to equality, men are helping with domestic work. ‘New man’
Lib. Fem.
A03
- Even though there is legislation, DA can still happen
- Men still don’t always help
Marxist Feminists
- Main causes of women’s oppression isn’t men but capitalism.
1) Reproduce the labour force
2) women absorb anger Ansley say women are ‘takers of shit’
3) women are a reserve army of cheap labour
Marx. Fem.
A03
- View is slightly outdated
- havent had a war since 1945
- womens priorities have changed - work
- not everyone feels frustrated by capitalism, w/c feel more frustrated than m/c
Very against men
Radical Feminists
- Men are the enemy
- Marriage and family are key patriarchal institutions
- men benefit from women’s unpaid domestic labour, and sexual services
- men dominate through violence
- Patriarchy should be overturned and families should be abolished, women shouldn’t live with men and argue for political lesbianism.
A03
If every women stuck to this - Not practical for the survival of civilisation
Ignores women abusing men or children and ignore the fact that men have the same capabilities
Not every woman is or wants to be a lesbian
Personal Life Perspective
What do interactionists focus on?
-Focuses on the interactions between individuals
- look at the meaning we attach to the interactions
- see humans as social actors
- does not just focus on the role of society
unbiological family
What does PLP focus on when examining families?
Give examples
Influenced by the idea of interactionism
- We need to look at the viewpoint of individuals and the meaning they give to their relationships
- Bottom-up approach = focuses on the meaning rather than interactions of how they effect society
- draws attention to a range of other personal relationships that are important to people, even if they aren’t related by blood or marriage
e.g. Family friends and frictive kin and pets
Tipper = people saw pets as part of their family
Why are they critical of Functionalists, Marxists and Feminists?
They assume that the nuclear family is the dominant family type. They ignore family diversity like same sex families
They are structual theories that see families and its members as ‘passive puppets’ meaning taking on everything.
What does Nordvist and Smart say about donor conceived children?
What issues may arise when having donor concieved children?
What do some parents place more importance on?
Issues:
Differences in appearance as the child developed and they wondered about the donor
Importance:
More importance on social bonds created rather than genetic links
Equity between genetic and non genetic mother
