Families and Households - Theories of the Family

Question 1

What are the four perspectives of the family?

Answer 1

• Functionalist
• Marxist
• Feminist
• Personal Life Perspective

Question 2

What is the functionalist view of the family?

Answer 2

The family, in the same way as other institutions, is essential to society and serves certain purposes like primary socialisation.

Question 3

Murdock’s (1949) 4 functions of the family:

Answer 3

• Stable satisfaction of the sex drive to prevent sexual ‘free-for-all’
• Reproduction of the next generation to continue society
• Socialisation of the young into value consensus
• Meeting its members’ economic needs

Question 4

Give two criticisms of Murdock (1949).

Answer 4

• Merton’s internal critique of functionalism: argues these functions could be equally, if not more efficiently, be performed by other institutions like welfare or education
• Murdock ignores the conflict and unfunctional nature of the family for women and the W/C.

Question 5

Parsons (1955) and the ‘functional fit’ theory:

Answer 5

The family exists to perform its functions for society - it will change shape in order to function best. As Britain began to industrialise, the extended family began to lose its function so we transitioned to the nuclear family.

Question 6

Parsons (1955) and the superiority of the nuclear family:

Answer 6

• The Nuclear family is more geographically mobile as it is much smaller, superior in a modern society where workers have to move to find work rather than stay in one place.
• The nuclear family is more socially mobile as there is no clash between a man’s class external to the family and internally, superior in a modern society where people’s status is meritocratic

Question 7

Parsons (1951) and the loss of function:

Answer 7

Industrialisation has changed what functions the family has but it has also gotten rid of some, such as the family as a unit of production. The final ‘irreducible’ functions of the family are:
- The primary socialisation of children
- The stabilisation of adult personalities (‘warm bath theory’)

Question 8

Give two criticisms of Parson (1951).

Answer 8

• Young and Willmott (1972): the pre-industrial family was also nuclear with children working with their parents
• Anderson (1980): the extended family was quite popular in early industrial society due to the benefits it provided (exchange theory) like childcare.

Question 9

What is the Marxist perspective on the family?

Answer 9

All institutions in society exist to benefit the ruling class and maintain capitalism, the ‘benefits’ of the family are:
- Inheritance of property
- Ideological functions
- Unit of consumption

Question 10

What did Marx call pre-capitalist families?

Answer 10

Marx argues that pre-capitalist families were ‘promiscuous hordes’ with no restrctions on sexual relationships as there was no private property to conserve.

Question 11

What does Engels argue the main purpose of the monogamous nuclear family is?

Answer 11

Bourgeoise patriarchs had to make sure to ensure their legitimate heirs inherited the means of production and no proletariat had any chance of rising out of poverty.

Question 12

Why does Engels’ perspective on the family appeal to feminists?

Answer 12

Engels calls the monogamous nuclear family a “world historical defeat of the female sex” as it reduces women to “a mere instrument for the production of children” and the creation of heirs.

Question 13

What are the two ideological functions of the family to Marxists?

Answer 13

• It naturalises children to the idea of unchangeable hierarchy, preparing them to join the unmeritocratic subservient labour force.
• Zaretsky (1976): the family pretends to be a safe haven where workers can ‘be themselves’ but this safety is largely an illusion as it fails to meet members needs, such as being based on women’s subordination

Question 14

How does the family serve as a ‘unit of consumption’?

Answer 14

Families act as a source of capitalist profit, enocuraging materialism and consumption:
- Advertisers urge families to ‘keep up with the Joneses’ by buying the latest products
- The media and peer groups target children who can use ‘pester power’ to persuade their parents to spend more (£227,000)

Question 15

Give three criticisms of the Marxist perspective of the family.

Answer 15

• Marxists assume the nuclear family and ignore the existing family diversity
• Marxists ignore how the family is more oppressive for women than the W/C (wrong)
• Marxists ignore the real benefits of the family for its members and society

Question 16

What is the wider feminist perspective on family?

Answer 16

The family subordinates women as a tool of a patriarchal society that seeks to keep women subservient.

Question 17

What is the liberal feminist perspective on the family? Give evidence.

Answer 17

Although the family has been a major tool of oppression for women, such as with marrying off daughters for dowries, the family has become more equal (though there is still room to grow, through policy and cultural change).
- Sullivan (2000): men are doing more domestic labour and women less.

Question 18

Give a criticism of the liberal feminist perspective of the family

Answer 18

It is excessively optimistic, it sees the obstacles to gender equality as simply a lack of legislation and outdated views, having little view of a structure of causing women’s oppression - Walby (1997) argues they offer no explanation for the overall structure of gender inequality.

Question 19

What is the Marxist feminist perspective on the family? Give evidence.

Answer 19

The oppression of women in the family exists to serve capitalism:
- Women reproduce the labour force
- Women are the ‘takers of shit’ (Ansley (1972))
- Women act as a reserve army of cheap labour, such as during WWII

Question 20

Give 2 criticisms of the Marxist feminist perspective of the family

Answer 20

• Unpaid domestic labour may benefit capitalism but why is it specifically women doing it? Hartmann (1981): Marxism is ‘gender-blind’
• Why is there patriarchal oppression in non-capitalist societies? Under Stalinist communism, women were still given the lowest-paid and low-skilled jobs, whilst still being expected to take care of the family

Question 21

What is the radical feminist perspective on the family? Give evidence.

Answer 21

The family is one of the cornerstones of patriarchal society, with Firestone (1979) arguing that the dependence women have whilst pregnant being the root of their subordination
- Radfems like Greer (2002) and Whittig argue further than political lesbianism and into the creation of solely female or matrilocal households.

Question 22

Give a criticism of the radical feminist perspective of the family

Answer 22

Somerville (2000): although not fully equal, women’s position has improved considerably and pitting men and women against each other not only damages the fight against patriarchy, but both groups separately as well; additionally, heterosexual attraction makes it unlikely that the nuclear family will be replaced by single-sex households.

Question 23

What is the intersectional feminist perspective on the family? Give evidence.

Answer 23

We cannot generalise the experience of the family for women, there are different characteristics that will affect a woman’s experience - white feminists see the family as a purely negative thing and neglect the security against racial oppression it provides black women. It also takes a nuanced approach to the effect of patriarchy on men - bell hooks in the ‘will to change’.

Question 24

Give a criticism of the intersectional feminist perspective of the family

Answer 24

Walby (1992): there are differences, however, there are important similarities too, all based on patriarchy, like domestic violence and sexual assault

Question 25

What are the two Personal Life Perspective criticisims of other theories of the family?

Answer 25

- They assume the traditional nuclear family is the dominant family type - They are all structuralists and ignore the agency of individuals in the family

Question 26

What is the sociology of personal life? How does this affect their perspective on the family?

Answer 26

It is an interactionist approach that emphasizes the meanings that individuals hold and how it affects their actions and relationships. As such, they look at how the individual looks at the family, rather than focussing on predefined structures like 'nuclear' or 'extended'.

Question 27

Give two alternative family types that 'the sociology of the family' include.

Answer 27

- Relationships with dead relatives and how they affect relationships and identities - Tipper (2011): children frequently see pets as 'part of the family'

Question 28

Nordqvist and Smart (2014) and donor-conceived children:

Answer 28

Donor-concieved children cause multiple changes in the way people view 'family' (parents often basing it off time and effort, rather than biology) but also many questions with no concrete answers, do they believe in 'donor siblings' or 'donor grandparents' and do they count as family? Will non-donor lesbian parents be treated as 'real' parents?

Question 29

Give a criticism of the personal life perspective of the family.

Answer 29

By taking too broad a range of perspective, the personal life perspective fails to provide any pratical data to be used in social policy, which would have negative effects like not banning marital rape under the Sexual Offences Act 2003.