Families- theories of the family

Question 1

According to the functionalist Murdock, what are the 4 essential functions of the nuclear family?

Answer 1

-stable satisfaction of the sex drive with the same partner

-reproduction of the next generation

-primary socialisation of the young into society’s norms and values

-meeting the families economic needs (food/shelter)

Question 2

What are criticisms of Murdocks functions?

Answer 2

-feminists argue that the family serves the needs of men and oppresses women

-marxists argue that the family serves the needs of capitalism, not its family members

Question 3

What is Parsons functional fit theory?

Answer 3

-Parsons argues that the particular structure and functions of a given type of family (extended or nuclear) will ‘fit’ the needs of society in which it is found (pre industrial vs post industrial)

-believes that before the industrial revolution, the family was extended (includes grandparents, aunties, cousins ect)
-nuclear family in post industrial society

Question 4

What is geographical mobility and how did it change between pre and post industrial societies? - sociologist?

Answer 4

-geographical mobility is the ability to move around as a family

-in pre industrial society, people spent their entire lives living and working on the same land - no need to move
-the family was also too big to move - three generations

-in post industrial society, the nuclear family is much smaller (married couple and children) so families can move wherever they please
-they are most likely working in factories which were everywhere

-parsons is sociologist

Question 5

What is social mobility and how did it change between pre and post industrial societies? - sociologist

Answer 5

-social mobility is the ability to gain more social status and rise up in families social hierarchy

-in pre industrial society, adult sons would live at home with their father and grandfather- the older you were, the more social status you had - this status is ASCRIBED.

-in post industrial society, a skilled workforce is needed meaning status is now ACHIEVED.
-to avoid conflict within the family where adult sons may have a higher social status than their father, they now leave and create their own nuclear family

-parsons is sociologist

Question 6

What 4 functions does Parsons say the pre industrial extended family had?

Answer 6

-meet basic needs of family through clothes, food and shelter

-to educate children in whatever skills the family specialised in

-to take responsibility for the health of its members

-to take responsibility of the welfare of disabled and old members of the family

Question 7

What are the two functions Parsons argues the nuclear family performs?

Answer 7

-primary socialisation of children - equip them with the skills and values needed for society to function

-stabilisation of adult personalities - the home is a place where adults can relax from work - allows them to be ready the next day and the economy to function efficiently
-links to warm bath theory where the family becomes a space in which adults can be comfortable and stress free from work

Question 8

What is Marxism?

Answer 8

-it is a class conflict perspective
-marxists see capitalist society as based on an unequal conflict between 2 social classes:

-the capitalist class who own the means of production (the bourgeoisie)
-the working class (the proletariats) whose work is exploited for profit by the capitalists

-see all society’s institutions to be helping maintain this class inequality

Question 9

What is the Marxist perspective on the family?

Answer 9

-that it only benefits the rich and wealthy Bourgeoisie

Question 10

What is the functionalist perspective on the family?

Answer 10

-that it benefits both society as a whole and all the individual members of the family

Question 11

According marxism, how does the inheritance of private property within the family fulfil capitalism?

-functions of the family

-sociologist?

Answer 11

-when a man dies, his private property is passed onto his children

-men therefore made sure they only had children with one women so they were sure who their legitimate heir was

-keeps wealth/property in the rich families leaving the poor with nothing

-this reproduces inequality as it is passed on from generation to generation

-sociologist is Engle

Question 12

What is the definition of ideology for Marxists?

Answer 12

-a set of ideas or beliefs that justify inequality and maintain the capitalist system by persuading people to accept it as fair.

Question 13

What is the ideological function?

-functions of the family

-sociologist?

Answer 13

-marxists say families socialise children into accepting the hierarchy (parental power mirrors hierarchy in workplace)

-family offers the illusion of a haven from the frustrations of the capitalist workplace - Zaretsky

Question 14

What is the myth of meritocracy? - sociologist?

Answer 14

-Althusser says that by parents socialising their children into the social hierarchy, it immerses them into a false-class consciousness where they believe inequality between rich and poor is fair
-this means when they are older, they will accept that the bourgeoisie profiting much more than them is fair

Question 15

Why is the family a unit of consumption, in the Marxist perspective?

-functions of the family

Answer 15

-capitalism exploits workers by profiting from the goods they have produced

-these profits come from families as they are the ones to buy the goods- this is because:
-‘keeping up with the Joneses’ - consuming all the latest products
-‘pester power’ - media target children who persuade parents to spend more

Question 16

What are 3 criticisms of the Marxist perspective on the family?

Answer 16

-Marxists assume the nuclear family is dominant within society - now lots of family diversity

-feminists argues that the family serves men, not capitalism

-functionalists argue that Marxists ignores important benefits that the family provides for its members like intimacy and support.

Question 17

What is liberal feminism and what is their view on the family? - why?

-sociologist?

Answer 17

-they want equal rights for women

-argue that family inequality is caused through inflexible working hours (balancing domestic and paid work) and men refusing to do more domestic work

-seeks equality through parliamentary laws (sex discrimination act)

-share a march of progress view where we are moving towards gender equality but still have a long way to go

-sociologist is Somerville

Question 18

What is marxist feminism and what is their view on the family?

Answer 18

-they look at how women are exploited and how this benefits capitalist society

-argue that the family must be abolished at the same time as a proletariate revolution replaces capitalism with a classless society

Question 19

In the marxist feminist view, what 3 functions does the family perform for capitalism? - sociologists?

Answer 19

-women reproducing the labour force - they socialise the next generation of workers into completing unpaid domestic work- passes on these values - Beechy

-women absorbing anger - women have to ‘soak up’ mans frustrations caused by capitalist society - causes DV
Ansley describes wives as ‘takers of shit’ -

-women being a reserve army of cheap labour - women can be taken on when extra workers are needed (ww2), instantly let them go when they are no longer needed - Beechy

Question 20

What are criticisms of marxist feminism?

Answer 20

-their model of the family is still largely based on dated nuclear family which had very segregated roles between men and women

-radical feminists argue that patriarchy appears in all societies, not just capitalist ones

Question 21

What is radical feminism? - sociologist?

Answer 21

-they believe that men are the enemy and are the source to women’s oppression and exploitation

-sociologist is Greer

Question 22

What are 3 solutions that radical feminists propose in order to get rid of the patriarchal family?

Answer 22

-through separatism - women must organise themselves to live independently

-through ‘political lesbianism’ - idea that heterosexual relationships are oppressive because it involves ‘sleeping with the enemy’

-having matrilocal households where it is only females

Question 23

What are criticisms of radical feminism?

Answer 23

-offer no realistic alternative

-ignores the fact that women’s position in society has improved

Question 24

What is difference feminism and what is their view on the family?

Answer 24

-argue that we cannot generalise about women’s experiences (in this case within the family)

-eg - by a white feminist regarding the family as purely negative, they are neglecting a Black women’s view who may see the family as a positive source of support and resistance against racism.

Question 25

What is the radical feminist view on the family? -why?

Answer 25

Delphy and Leonard argue that the family should be abolished and the family maintains patriarchy

This is because:
-it allows men to dominate women (domestic violence)

-women are expected to give up their name upon marriage, suggesting ownership

-socialisation of children into traditional gender norms

Question 26

Why do other feminists criticise difference feminism?

Answer 26

-because they argue that difference feminists ignore the shared experiences of all women (at risk of dv and low pay)

Question 27

What is the personal life perspective and how does it differ from structural theories? - view on the family?

Answer 27

-the personal life perspective is a bottom up approach (from view of people, not society)

-argues that to understand the family today, we must focus on the meanings its members give to their relationships rather than society’s ‘supposed’ functions

-argues that the nuclear family is no longer dominant and members aren’t simply puppets that perform functions

-it is influenced by interactionist and post modernist perspectives, unlike other theories that are structuralist.

Question 28

What does the personal life perspective say are 3 unconventional relationships that people may consider as part of their family? - sociologist?

Answer 28

-relationships with pets

-relationships with dead relatives - someone who has died still affecting their actions and shape their identity

-fictive kin - close family friends who are treated as family

Sociologist is Smart

Question 29

From the personal life perspective, what are the issues with donor - conceived children? - sociologist?

Answer 29

-non genetic parent can get attached to genetic parents family (grandparents, half brothers)

-genetic parent may have attachment issues with child - could cause depression

-child’s relationship with non genetic parent who is raising the child seen as more important that genetic parents relationship

-sociologist is Nordqvist and Smart