Paper 1- Families: Flashcards
Talcott Parsons (Functionalist):
Research method- work of other sociologists
* Two key functions of the family:
1. Primary socialisation- children are taught the shared norms and values of society
2. Stabilisation of adult prsonality- family relives stress of life like a warm bath, performed by female whoo serve the expressive role
Delphy and Leonard (femenists):
Research method- work of other sociologists.
Family is patrichal because:
1. Men exploit women rather than Capitalism- against Zaretsky
2. Family is hierachal- men at the top
3. Men make the important decisions in the family
4. Double shift
5. Patriachal family reflects patriachy society
Anne Oakley:
Research method- work of other sociologists.
* Oakley defines the conventional family as ‘nuclear families composed of legally married couples, voluntarily choosing the parenthood of one or more children’. She concludes that ‘there are signs that official stereotypes are being felt to be increasingly archaic and that certain groups in the community are moving towards a more open appraisal of other ways of living- both with and without of the family.
Rapoprt and Rapoport:
Research method- work of other sociologists.
Identified family diversity. Believed there were 5 types:
1. Organisational- structure of families organised differently e.g. conjugal roles
2. Cultural
3. Social class- class differnces (e.g. parenting)
4. Cohort- generational differences
5. Life course- different family types through a person’s lifetime.
Wilmott and Young (functionalists):
Research method- survey; face to face unstructured interviews.
* Found the family was becoming more symmetrical- similar, but not identical roles, equal contribution to household work, and shared decision making and friends. Home-centred. Principle of stratified diffusion- changes un family life start with higher social classes and is eventually copied by other classes.
Robert Chester (functionalist):
Argued that for most people, the nuclear family still remains the most typical family type. Most people will live in a nuclear family at some point in their life.The only change is that nuclear families have become neo-conventional- dual earner households with more shared conjugal roles.
George Murdock (functionalist):
Research method- studied 250 societies in the USA.
Claimed the nuclear family was universal- some form of it existed in every society. The family fulfill 4 vital functions:
1. Sexual
2. Reproductive
3. Educational (primary socialisation)
4. Economic
Duncombe & Marsden (femenists):
Triple shift- women are responsible for emotional work, domestic work and paid work.
Elizabeth Bott:
Two types of conjugal roles- segregated and joint.
Eli Zaretsky (Marxist):
Research method: work of other sociologists.
The family serves Capitalism through:
1. Women’s unpaid labour (women exploited by Capitalism)
2. Reproducing a labour force
3. Passing on advantages in families e.g. inheritance
4. Unit of consumption- proletariat buy products which benefits Capitalism and the Bourgeoisie, especially through pester power
5. Safe Haven- family cushions the pressure of capitalism and exploitation by allowing individuals to express their frustrations in a non-threatening way, preventing a proletariat revolution.
Divorce reform Act (1969):
Made it easier for couples to escape unhappy marriages. As a result, todfay 42% of marriages end in a divorce, leading to an increase of lone-parent and reconstituted families.
Equal Pay Act (1970):
Women and men doing the same job wiould get equal pay. This contributed to changes in the organisation of the family, encouraging women to become more independant and work outside of the home.
Marriage Act (2013):
Allowed same-sex couples to get married in Engalnd and Wales. This led to 15,098 same sex-couples between 2014-2015.
Nuclear family statistics:
2020- 2/3 of all familes were nuclear, so it is still the most popular family type.
Cohabitation statistics:
RIse in choabitation- living together without being married. 9 in 10 couples in the UK cohabit before being married.
