Topic 3 - Theories of the Family

Question 1

What is the Functionalist perspective on family?

Answer 1

Functionalists believe society is based on a value consensus - a set of shared norms and values - into which society socialises its members.
–Regard society as a system made up of many subsystems such as the family which depend on each other — believe family meets some of society’s essential needs.

Question 2

What is Functionalist Murdock’s view on the family and how has it been criticised?

Answer 2

Murdock - 4 essential needs of society that family meets:

• -Stable satisfaction of the sex drive with same partner preventing social disruption
• -Reproduction of the next generation, without which society could not function
• -Socialisation of the young into society’s shared norms and values
• -Meeting its member’s economic needs

Criticism of Murdock:
–Murdock accepts other institutions could perform these functions but the sheer practicality of the nuclear family meeting these needs is why it is universal

Criticism of Functionalist view on family:

• -Too uncritical, ignores conflict within the family:
  - -Feminists: family serves needs of men + oppresses women
  - -Marxists: meets needs of capitalism, not needs of family or society

Question 3

Functionalist’s Parson’s view on the types of families

Answer 3

Parsons - the functions performed by the family will depend on the kind of society it is found in, in order to meet those societal needs. The functions the family has to perform affect its structure.
Parsons - distinguished 2 family structures:
–Nuclear family of just parents and their dependents which fits needs of industrial society
–Extended family of 3 generations living under 1 roof which fits needs of pre-industrial society

Question 4

Functionalist Parson’s view on industrial society’s needs

Answer 4

Parsons - industrial society has 2 essential needs:

• -Geographically mobile workforce, industries grow and decline constantly requires people to where jobs are. Parsons - easier for compact 2 generation nuclear family to move than 3 generation extended family
• -Socially mobile workforce, modern society requires skilled workforce. Extended family, adult sons live in father’s house where father has higher status but at work son may have higher achieved status than father, so this can cause conflict within household. So, nuclear families better adapted to this need, as adult sons move out when they get married and form own nuclear family.

Switch from pre-industrial family to industrial family caused family to lose functions e.g family used to be unit of production but work moves into factories so becomes only a unit of consumption. Loses functions to schools + health services.
- Resultantly, nuclear family specialises in 2 functions:
–primary socialisation of children to teach them basic skills and society’s values, so they can integrate into society and cooperate with others
–stabilisation of adult personalities, family is a place where adults can relax + release tensions so return to workplace refreshed ready meet its demands - functional for the efficiency of economy
Criticism:
-Marxist Feminists - women absorb anger of male members

Question 5

What is the Marxists perspective on family?

Answer 5

• Marxist sociologists see capitalist society as based on an unequal conflict between the capitalist class, who own means of production, and the working class, who labour the capitalist exploits for profit.
• Marxists-all institutions within society e.g education, media, religion help maintain class inequality and capitalism
• Functions performed by family only performed to benefit capitalist system

Question 6

Explain how inheritance of property is one of the functions that Marxists see the family fulfilling for capitalism

Answer 6

Marx called the earliest, classless society, "primitive communism", where all members of society owned the means of production. This switched to the patriarchal monogamous society due to the development of private property, class of men were able to secure control over means of production.
Engel - monogamous families were vital in order to ensure legitimate heirs rightly inherit their private property which would distinguish that they were in the capitalist class
--Also caused women's sexuality to be under male control, and made existence of women only useful for reproduction

Marxists - only with overthrow of capitalism + private ownership over means of production will women be liberated from patriarchal control. As classless society will be formed, means of production owned collectively so no need for patriarchal family, as no need to have a means of transmitting private property.

Question 7

Explain how ideological functions is one of the functions that Marxists see the family fulfilling for capitalism

Answer 7

Marxists - family performs ideological functions for capitalism by socialising children into accepting hierarchy and inequality is inevitable. E.g parental power over children accustom idea of someone always being in charge which prepares them for working life where they will accept orders from their capitalist employers

Zaretsky - ideological function of family, acts as illusion of being a ‘haven’ from exploitative world of capitalism’ where they can be themselves. Illusion bc can’t meet needs of all members e.g family based on domestic servitude of women

Question 8

What are the functions that Marxists see the family as fulfilling for capitalism?

Answer 8

Marxists have identified 3 functions that the family performs for capitalism:

  1) Inheritance of property
  2) Ideological functions
  3) A unit of consumption

Question 9

What is the Marxist Feminists view on the family?

Answer 9

Marxist Feminists - women’s oppression within family is because of capitalism, not men. Women’s oppression within family performs 3 functions for capitalism:

        - -Women reproduce workforce, through unpaid domestic labour, socialising next generation of workers and servicing the current workforce
        - -Women absorb anger that would otherwise be directed at capitalism. Husbands release frustration of alienation and exploitation suffer at work on wives
        - -Women are a reserve army of cheap labour that can be taken on when extra labour is needed.

Marxists feminists - oppression of women in the family linked to exploitation of working class. Family needs to be abolished to form a classless society that will overthrow capitalism

Question 10

What is radical feminists view on the family?

Answer 10

Radical Feminists - men are the source of women’s oppression and exploitation.

• -So, the family needs to abolished as it is a key institution in patriarchal society. Men benefit from women’s unpaid domestic labour and sexual services, and men dominate women through domestic and sexual violence or the threat of it
• -RF only way to achieve this is through separatism, women must organise themselves to live independently of men. E.g through ‘political lesbianism’ as heterosexual relationships are inevitably oppressive as it involves ‘sleeping with the enemy’.

AO3 - heterosexual attraction makes it unlikely separatism will work. However, more ‘family friendly’ policies such as flexible working is needed to achieve full equality