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AQA AS Sociology > Theories of the Family > Flashcards

Theories of the Family Flashcards

1
Q

According to Murdock, what are the functions of the family?

A
  1. Stabilisation of the sex-drive
  2. Reproduction
  3. Primary socialisation of the children
  4. Meeting the members’ economic needs such as food and shelter

Without these functions there would be anomie

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2
Q

How can we analyse Murdock?

AO3

A

NOT RELEVANT TODAY:
- Welfare State and other institutions can now perform these functions such as socialisation and meeting economic needs
- Due to changing social attitudes, extramarital sex has become normalised - the sex drive can be satisfied outside of marriage

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3
Q

What are the criticisms of Murdock?

AO3

A
  • Feminists - this definition of family benfits men more than women
  • Not universal - anthropological research shows that some cultures don’t appear to have ‘families’ like the Nayar Tribe who live in concubines
  • Marxists - family meets the needs of capitalism and doesn’t benefits its members
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4
Q

According to Parsons, what are the functions of the family?

A

Due to structural diffrentiation the extended family is no longer needed as the family only needs to fulfill 2 functions:
1. Primary socialisation of children into early norms and values and gender roles
2. The stabilisation of adult personalities.
Mother = expressive role - nurturing, socialising, domestic, caring.
Father = intrumental role - breadwinner
These roles stabilise the family allowing the warm bath theory

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5
Q

How can we analyse Parsons?

A
  • Working class families still benefit from living in an extended family for financial reasons - current cost of living crisis
  • Ethnic minority families, especially when migrating, benefit from living in an extended family - solace against racism
  • Not relevant - Instrumental and expressive gender roles are very old-fashioned and no longer relevant to modern families
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6
Q

What are the criticisms of the Functionalist view?

AO3

A
  1. Downplays conflict within the family e.g. domestic abuse, neglect, child abuse
  2. Feminists - ignores the exploitation of women within the family - stabilisation of adult personnalities cannot be true as patriarchal division of labour doesn’t benefit women
  3. Too deterministic - assumes children accept society’s norms and values transmitted by family - ignores individuality
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7
Q

What is a function of the family according to Engels?

A

Inheritence:
- The key factor shaping all social instituions in the means of production - those who own it want to pass it on to their children to keep their wealth within the family

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8
Q

How can we analyse Engels?

A
  • 28% of wealth in the UK is inherited - still relevant today
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9
Q

How can we evaluate Engels?

A
  • Not universal - Berlin has a huge rent culture so nothing is inherited
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10
Q

What is a function of the family according to Althusser?

A

Ideology:
- The family is an ideological state apparatus which maintains false class consciousness and teaches values that uphold capitalism
- Values = discipline, meritocratic ideals, encourage education, respecting authority, maintaining order/ routines

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11
Q

How can we analyse Althusser?

AO3

A
  • Foucalt - Surveillance in the Family: the state monitor the family and pressure them to conform to social norms of what a family and good parenting is like e.g. CPS, the media, etc. Parents internalise this and families exercise self-surveillance and police their own behaviour
  • Henderson - the media present ideas of ideal family - is internalised and scrutiny is risked if not conforming. Sanctions and monitoring from organisation such as social services also do this.
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12
Q

How can we evaluate Althusser?

AO3

A
  • Ignores that other social institutions can perform ideological functions e.g. education
  • Families can be a source of change - parents may instill radicalist/socialist norms and values to their children
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13
Q

What is a function of the family according to Zaretsky?

A

Safe Haven:
- Family provides a safe haven from the harsh exploitative world of capitalism
- You can take out your anger/emotion at home rather than at work
- This prevents a revolution from happening as anger is never directed towards capitalist society

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14
Q

How can we analyse Zarestky?

AO3

A

Similar to Parsons’ Warm Bath Theory - both Marxists and Functionalists agree that the family provides a space where pent up fustration can be released

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15
Q

How can we evaluate Zaretsky?

AO3

A
  • Ignores how this safe haven can benefit ethnic minority families providing a safe haven against racism they may face
  • Ignores how this safe haven negatively effects women - this pent up fustration is typically released through domestic violence - Ansley - ‘takers of shit’
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16
Q

What is a function of the family according to Lawton?

A

Consumption:
- Children possess pester power meaning they can badger their parents into buying products e.g. toys, school supplies, clothes
- Advertisers urge families to buy the latest products and ‘keep up with the Joneses’

17
Q

How can we analyse Lawton?

AO3

A

Especially relevant today given the use of social media to promote goods to children and families and companies purposefully advertising at times where families are all together e.g. Superbowl

18
Q

How can we evaluate Lawton?

AO3

A

Not longer due to the decline in birth rate and increase in voluntary childlessness (Hakim) - no children to have pester power

19
Q

What are the functions of the family according to Oakley?

AO1

A

Gender Socialisation:
- Canalisation: channeling gender identity into children via primary socialisation e.g. toys, clothing, language - ‘boys will be boys’
- Manipulation: parents reinforce ‘appropriate’ gender identity

20
Q

How can we analyse Oakley?

AO3

A

Rise in gender neutral parenting and allowing children to choose their own gender identity

21
Q

What is Wilkinson’s view of gender and family?

AO1 or Eval of Oakley

A

Over the last 50 years women have had more oppotunity to work due to:
1. Feminisation of the workforce: values literacy and communicative skills which in turn increases women’s attractiveness to employers as their skills are needed
2. Gender Quake: shift in gender expectations - women now feel like they can choose work

22
Q

How can we analyse Wilkinson?

AO3

A
  • Gender Pay Gap still exists
  • Eurocentric - gender quake has not happened in all cultures
23
Q

How can we evaluate Wilkinson?

AO3

A

Myth of the March of Progress: low take-up e.g. joint maternity, few are eligible, working class and ethnic minority women are still often restricted to the home and their daughters are socialised to think this is their place

24
Q

What are the functions of family according to Marxist Feminists?

AO1

A
  1. Women reproduce the labour force: state encourages women to have children who go on to become workers
  2. Women absorb anger: most likely to be victims of domestic violence. Ansley -‘takers of shit’
  3. Women are a reserve army of cheap labour: e.g. WW1 women took on male jobs as men went off to war, were pushed out of these jobs after the war. Benston - ‘women are the slaves of wage slaves’
25
Q

How can we analyse the Marxist Feminist view?

AO3

A
  • In line with Marxist view of the family - women absorbing anger allows the family to be a safe haven for male workers - Delphy and Leonard safety valve to prevent revolution
  • Nursery is now free from 1 years old to help working mothers but only introduced due to labour shortage caused by Brexit - reserve army of cheap labour
26
Q

How can we evaluate the marxist feminist view?

AO3

A
  • Ignores family diversity - women are breadwinners in matrifocal families
  • Some women choose to be housewives and find this fulfilling
27
Q

What is the radical feminist view of the family?

AO1

A

Heterosexual relationships are inherently oppressive as such women should practice:
- Political lesbianism: being in a relationship with a man is sleeping with the enemy
- Separatism: living independently from men
- Matrifocal households - Greer: all female household can be alternative for the heterosexual family

28
Q

How can we evaluate the radical feminist view?

AO3

A

Sommerville: ignores the march of progress - women now have more freedom in negotiating their roles e.g. better jobs, access to divorce, control over fertility

29
Q

How does the New Right view the family?

AO1

A

Families should include 2 features:
1. A biological division of labour: men are naturally inclined to work whereas women are naturally better at housework
2. Families should be self-reliant: the family are a private sector the state should not intervene in

30
Q

What is the difference feminist view of families?

AO1

A
  • Amos and Parmar: ethnicity has a massive impact on level of oppression within the family - we cannot generalise women’s experiences
  • Dallod and Sapsford black families are less patriarchal as they are more likely to be matriarchal
31
Q

How does Murray view policies on the family?

A
  • Families should be independent and self reliant with the state interfering as little as possible
  • Social policies reward antisocial behaviour by offering perverse incentives
  • e.g. council housing, welfare state
  • This breeds a dependency culture that encourages behaviour of teen pregnancy and absent fathers
32
Q

How can we evaluate the New Right?

A
  • Ignores that there are still many policies that support the traditional nuclear family e.g. maternity leave being longer than paternity leave
  • Feminism: the idea that the nuclear family is natural and not a social construct is wrong - Anne Oakley argues gender socialisation persuades girls that their main responsibilities lie in the home
  • Marxism: underclass aren’t a product of welfare state but unfair capitalist society
  • Functionalism: support that nuclear family is best and most functional - expressive and instrumental role (Parsons)
  • Beck and Giddens: individualisation thesis - people now make decisions with their own interests in mind rather than duty to the family - the welfare state further enables this

AQA AS Sociology (20 decks)

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