Topic 5- Families And Households Flashcards
What is the organic analogy?
Functionalists see society as different organs of a body, we all play an important role to function.
What are the 4 essential functions of the family’s according to functionalists?
1)stable satisfaction of the sex drive- prevents a sexual-free-for-all which causes problems
2) reproduction- create the next generation so society continues
3) socialisation of the young- bring the young into society
4) meeting members economic needs- giving food and shelter
What is parsons functional fit for society?
Parsons- the structure of families adapt to best fit society at the time and place. In Pre industrial times, the extended family was the best fit for society as it was based around being self sufficient
What were the 2 needs the extended family couldnt meet?
1) geographically mobile work force- pre industrial times saw people moving for work, the nuclear family did this better than the extended family
2) socially mobile family- the nuclear family allows for the talented people to get the harder jobs and vice versa, a son is not tied down to the job of his father
How is parsons functional fit theory criticised?
Laslett- pre-industrial times had shorter life spans so grandparents would die before the grandchild was born, meaning more likely was nuclear families
What does parsons say about the loss of functions?
Post industrialisation The family go from a unit of production and consumption to only consumption. Now the nuclear family only preform 2 functions,
1) primary socialisation of children
2) the stabilisation of adult personality
What do marxists say about the role of the family?
They believe that the family help maintain the class inequality.
What do marxists believe are the 3 functions of society?
1) inheritance of property
2) ideological functions
3) a unit of consumption
How is the inheritance of property a role of families according to marxists?
They argue that due to the production that started to evolve, private properties also emerged, as a class of men took control over the means of production. This created the nuclear family as men needed to know who their offspring were so they could inherit what they had.
Engels- Early classless society had no sexual restrictions
How is the ideological function a role of families according to marxists?
The family justify the inequality the proletariats face through:
1) socialising kids to the hierarchy being inevitable
2) zaretsky- family offers a haven from the harsh capitalist world,
How is the unit of consumption a role of families according to marxists?
Capitalism exploits the labour of the workers by gaining profit by paying workers less than the value of the products. Families are therefore integral to this as they are the consumers, children make families spend.
What do feminists argue the role of the family is?
Families oppress women and they focus on things such as unequal division of labour.
Liberal feminists- believe women’s oppression is slowly being overcome and we are moving to greater equality
They believe a ‘march of progress’ is taking place as more men are involved in domestic labour.
What do marxist feminists argue?
That capitalism oppress women.
1) women reproduce the labour force- through socialising bee work force and maintaining the current one
2) women absorb anger- ansley- women are the takers of shit, who soak up mens frustrations from alienation and exploitation
3) women are a reserve army of cheap labour- taken when extra workers are needed.
What do radical feminists think about the role of family?
They believe men are the enemy as they are the source of women’s oppression and exploitation
Men benefit from womens unpaid domestic labour, and from their sexual services.
They believe in seperatism where they live separately from men and they believe in political lesbianism, where being in a heterosexual relationship is bad and the best family type os matrifocal
What are difference feminists views on the role of family?
They believe we cannot compare between women’s experience of family as all women are different.
