Families And Households:Theories of the Family

Question 1

Murdock (1949)

Answer 1

Proposed the concept of the universal functions of families. These are the sexual function, the reproductive function, the educational function and the economic function.

Question 2

Parsons (1959)

Answer 2

Suggests there are two basic functions to the family. Function 1 is the primary socialisation of children.
Function 2 is the warm bath theory.

Question 3

Define the warm bath theory

Answer 3

The mother creates a loving and nurturing environment which allows the family adults to relax and release tensions created in the outside world.

Question 4

Define the functional fit theory

Answer 4

The family adapts itself to meet the needs of society. According to Parsons, the nuclear family is the best type of family to meet the needs of an industrial society. In pre-industrial society, the family structure was dominated by the extended family. The family moved away from being a unit of production and became a unit of consumption.

Question 5

Define Geographically Mobile Workforce

Answer 5

Because industries constantly spring up and decline, families need to be nuclear so they can easily move than moving multi-generational families

Question 6

Define Socially Mobile Workforce

Answer 6

In industrial society, people are rewarded with promotions. The nuclear family reduces tensions as a child who might have a higher achieved status than its parents don’t live in the same house.

Question 7

Define Loss of Functions

Answer 7

In pre-industrial societies families were a unit of production and consumption. In industrial societies, they are a unit of consumption. The education system and NHS was introduced allowing the family to specialise.

Question 8

Define Industrialisation

Answer 8

The process by which the economy transformed from primarily agricultural to one based on manufacturing of good. Individual labour is replaced by mechanised mass production.

Question 9

Fletcher (1966)

Answer 9

The traditional functions such as the care and education of children have been supported rather than removed by the welfare state through state schools, hospitals and welfare provisions. He claims that people get divorced as they expect and demand more from marriage and are less likely to put up with an unhappy marriage.

Question 10

List strengths to Murdock’s research

Answer 10

Provides an insight of the families importance to society by examining how a family functions in society.
Studies 250 different societies which is a fairly good representation of families all over the world.

Question 11

List weaknesses to Murdock’s research

Answer 11

Feminist sociologists argue that saying the family is essential is ideological because traditional family structures disadvantage some women.
Some cultures don’t appear to have families.
Other institutions in society can perform the functions.

Question 12

List strengths to Parsons research

Answer 12

Identifies how families can change and adapt to meet society’s needs so a more stable society is created.

Question 13

List weaknesses to Parsons research

Answer 13

Social change doesn’t happen in such an orderly manner.
Evidence to suggest the family was already nuclear before industrialisation.
Downplays conflict in the family e.g. domestic violence.
Views on instrumental and expressive roles are old fashioned.
Too deterministic.

Question 14

List strengths to Fletcher’s research

Answer 14

March of progress with social policies.

Question 15

List weaknesses to Fletcher’s research

Answer 15

Assumes that all members of the family benefit equally from social policies.
Feminists argue that policies often benefit men more than women.

Question 16

Define The New Right Perspective on the Family

Answer 16

The main reasons behind society’s problems are single parent families and families that fall outside of the normal nuclear family.
Not in favour of the welfare state or universal benefits.
Not in favour of single mothers arguing that them not working will have a negative impact on a child.
Increase in lone parent and reconstituted families will lead to a breakdown of traditional values.
Traditional nuclear family seen as ideal type.

Question 17

Almond (2008)

Answer 17

Government policies have resulted in fragmenting families by undermining the nuclear family whilst promoting the growth of other family types through:
Divorce reform laws
Civil partnerships
Tax allowances

Question 18

Murray (1989)

Answer 18

Welfare state has created a culture of dependency where people are reliant on the welfare state.
Single parents are the most important social problem of our time.
The Underclass

Question 19

List three weaknesses to Almond and Murray’s ideas

Answer 19

Do not look at the origin of the problem which often comes from low wages, inadequate state benefits and unemployment, instead blaming the victims.
Ignores family diversity and the dark side of the family as they place emphasis on the nuclear family, whilst considering any other family type as inferior.
Would like us to return to the Victorian times where the traditional family was dominant, but family diversity was a problem even then.

Question 20

Engels (1884)

Answer 20

Society has evolved from communism to capitalism where the accumulation of wealth and property becomes integral to society.
Marriage is based on monogamy which is where the nuclear family developed.
Ownership of private property at the heart of capitalism and the main concern of males was to make sure that wealth would be passed down their bloodline.
Bourgeois nuclear family oppressed women because:
Females primary role is to reproduce
Females economically dependent on husbands.

Question 21

Althusser (1971)

Answer 21

The working class must submit to the ruling class.
Family passes on the ideology of the ruling class.
This happens through primary socialisation.

Question 22

Zaretsky (1976)

Answer 22

Family in capitalist society creates an illusion that the private life of family is separate from the economy. Home is a refuge away from the stresses of working life.
Home life and work life are inseparable as the wages earned at work are spent on commodities that people are convinced they need through advertising.
Family cushions the effects of capitalism through love and support but fails to do this successfully.

Question 23

List 5 weaknesses to the Marxist Approach

Answer 23

1) Too deterministic arguing that they overemphasise the importance that the economic system has on the family. (Althusser)
2) Overly negative views (Zaretsky)
3) Ideas considered dated given the changes in within the family and the alternative family types. (Engels)
4) Ignores the fact that individuals have a responsibility.
5) Feminists argue they ignore the plight of women and have failed to highlight the importance of patriarchy.

Question 24

Benson (1972)

Answer 24

The unpaid labour that the woman does in the home helps to support capitalism. Male becomes bound to wage labour which weakens the bargaining power he has to ensure better working conditions for himself.

Question 25

Ainsley (1972)

Answer 25

Sees the emotional support provided by the wife as a safety valve for the husband for the frustration produced from working in a capitalist society. Frustration is absorbed by the comforting wife.

Question 26

List strengths to Marxist Feminism

Answer 26

Highlights the pay inequality between men and women which still exists today.

Question 27

List weaknesses to Marxist Feminism

Answer 27

1) Tendency to make generalisations.
2) Presupposes a traditional model of the nuclear family which is becoming less common.
3) Tend to assume women are passively being exploited by both capitalism and patriarchy without considering that women fight back against oppression.

Question 28

Sommerville (2000)

Answer 28

Greater freedom to take paid work meaning there are greater equalities within marriages.
Men do not take on their full share of responsibilities but women have an improved social position.
Policies should be devised to encourage greater equality within relationships and help women cope with the practicalities of everyday life.

Question 29

List strengths to Sommerville’s approach

Answer 29

Recognises the changes that have happened over the past few decades and suggests ways to make feminism more appealing to women.

Question 30

List weaknesses to Sommerville’s approach

Answer 30

Ideas are largely based on a review of other feminist approaches so her study is not backed up by research or suggestions for social policy changes.

Question 31

Dworkin (1981)

Answer 31

Marriage as an institution developed from rape as a practice. Marriage means to be not only use of but possession of or ownership.

Question 32

Greer (2000)

Answer 32

Men benefit more from marriage than women do. Vast increase in divorces is evidence of the unhappiness of women since three quarters are applied for by a woman. Motherhood is devalued by society.

Question 33

List strengths to Greer’s approach

Answer 33

Provocative and makes important points about the position of women in society.

Question 34

List weaknesses to Greer’s approach

Answer 34

Makes generalisations which are not supported by research evidence. Other feminists have criticised her for not taking into account the progress women have made over the last 30-40 years. Sommerville criticises her for not suggesting any practical ideas that could improve the lives of women.

Question 35

Define Post-structuralist feminism

Answer 35

They argue that we must not generalise about women’s experiences for example lesbians will have different experiences than heterosexual women as will women of different races and social class backgrounds.

Question 36

What is the interactionist approach to the family?

Answer 36

Social life is a continuous attempt to make sense of the world. They argue reality is socially constructed. They believe family performs a valuable social function. Their concern is with the meaning of the family for the individual rather than its relationships to the wider society.

Question 37

List strengths to the interactionist approach

Answer 37

Offers an understanding of family life as it is experienced rather than looking at the family as an extract social institution. Emphasise the importance of individuals and their freedom to negotiate roles and meanings of the family. They show how socialisation is a two way process.

Question 38

List weaknesses to the interactionist approach

Answer 38

They tend to ignore the wider social structure. Marxists and feminists argue that the way roles are constructed in the family is not merely a matter of individual negotiation but a reflection of the way power is distributed in the wider society.

Question 39

What is the personal life perspective of the family?

Answer 39

They argue that structural theories tend to assume that the traditional nuclear family is the dominant family type and that they assume that families and their members are simply puppets manipulated by the structure of the society.

Question 40

Define Beyond ties of blood and marriage

Answer 40

Relationships with friends.
Fictive kin but really a parents friend.
Relationships with dead relatives
Relationships with pets.

Question 41

Define donor-conceived children

Answer 41

Nordqvist and Smart- social relationships over genetic of a donor conceived egg.
Same sex couples might have issues with who is the genetic parent and the donor may be treated like a second parent.

Question 42

List strengths to the personal life perspective

Answer 42

Nordqvist and Smart helps us to understand how people construct and define their relationships rather than imposing sociological definitions.

Question 43

List weaknesses to the personal life perspective

Answer 43

Can be seen as too broad and ignores what is special about relationships that are based upon blood and marriage.

Question 44

How does the personal life perspective compare and contrast with other perspectives?

Answer 44

It is a micro approach. Interested in one to one relationships. Rejects view of functionalists. Agrees that intimate relationships perform and important function providing us with a sense of belonging and relatedness. Relatedness is not always positive.

Question 45

Beck (1986)

Answer 45

We now live in a risk society where tradition has less influence and people have more choice. People now live in a negotiated family. The family does not conform to traditional norms and values but varies due to the wishes and expectations of its members.

Question 46

Giddens (1990)

Answer 46

The increase in choice and equality has transformed the family. Couples now define their relationships based on this equality and will base their relationships on love, happiness and sexual attraction rather than traditional gender roles. (pure relationship)

Question 47

Laing (1968)

Answer 47

According to Laing, schizophrenics are created by the family. In the family, there is a constant demand for mutual concern and attention which can lead to harm. He looked at case studies of young people who suffered from it and concluded it was controlling and interfering nature of parents and other family members that created paranoia amongst young people.