Family Flashcards
(40 cards)
Which different family forms are there?
Nuclear, blended, extended, lone-parent, same- sex and neo-conventional.
Describe the nuclear family
Consists of a heterosexual couple and their dependent child/children.
Describe the extended family
The nuclear family + grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.
Describe the blended/reconstituted family
One or both partners have a kid/s from a previous relationship living with them.
Describe the neo-conventional family
A typical conventional family where both parents go to work.
Describe Rapoport and Rapoport’s research
They used secondary research from other sociologists to study family diversity in Britain.
Identify the 5 types of family diversity
Organisational: how roles are organised (division of labour)
Cultural: differ in cultural beliefs/values
Social class: can affect resources available, child discipline, etc
Life-course: the stage in the family life-cycle that a particular fam has reached
Cohort: vary from generation to generation, e.g divorce is easier now
Identify the alternative types of families across different cultures
LIVING ALONE (specifically young and elder people), COMMUNE (a group that shares accomodation, wealth and property), KIBBUTZ (live communally in Israel) and HOUSEHOLD (people live together and may not be related).
Describe the functional approach on families.
Focuses on the positive functions that the nuclear family performs for individuals and society.
Murdock identified four essential functions:
The sexual function
The reproductive function
The economic function
The educational function
Describe Parson’s view on the family
He argued that the family has two significant functions:
-Primary socialisation
-Stabilisation of adult personalities
He focused on the idealised middle-class nuclear family.
He also concluded that men and women have biologically suited roles and functions:
Instumental role (breadwinner)-men
Expressive role (housewife)-women
What is primary socialisation?
The process of parents teaching their kids the norms and values of society throgh particularistic standards.
What is the stabilisation of adult personalities?
Also known as the warm bath theory, refers to the process of family memebers providing emotional support to each other to relieve work and school stress.
What is the marxist approach to families?
The nuclear family recreates social inequalities over time and through primary socialisation WC children learn to accept their lower position in an unequal society.
Describe Zaretsky’s view on the family
Claims that family provides false consciousness and this maintains capitalism as it prevents a revolution.
The rise of industrial capitalism introduced two seperate spheres in relation to women’s role:
The public sphere (work)-men
The private sphere (home)-women
Women undertake unpaid labour within the home which is devalued, even though wage labour relies on it.
Bourgeoisie-inheritance
Proletariat-reproduce more workers
Unpaid labour, consumerism and inheritance of wealth are how families serve capitalism.
What is the feminist approach to the families?
Families actively contribute to the construction of gender differences through primary socialisation,e.g by dressing girls in pink and boys in blue, and through canalisation.
Describe canalisation
Refers to the way parents channel their children’s interests into toys, games and activities that are deemed gender appropriate.
Describe Delphy and Leonard’s view on the family.
The radical feminists argue that the family’s main fucntion is to preserve patriarchy.
Men benefit from women’s unpaid labour and exploit them. Women tend to be financially dependent on them.
Disagree that families today are symmetrical:
-Even women who work are still mainly responsible for doemstic tasks.
Men don’t do it cause they feel it degrades their masculinity and only help out sometimes as they feel it’s their wife’s responsibility.
How is male dominance maintained?
1- Men acting as the breadwinner
2- Wome often have a double or triple shift
3- Domestic abuse from men
4- Gender socialisation teaching stereotypical roles for boys and girls
Explain Ann Oakley’s view on the family
-Defines the nuclear family as the conventional family.
-Argues that roles are socially constructed as conventional families set the pattern for the next gen of parents so norms remain.
Believes the conventional family is very stressful due to economic dependence and women’s housework.
Defined the term dual burden.
What is the dual burden?
Refers to the paid work and housework women perform.
Expected by the husband to be a housewife and contribute financially to sustain the family.
Men do little or nothing to help with domestic tasks.
Describe the effects of patriarchy on the family
Father- male authority figure
Mother-reduced authority figure
Can affect power relationships within a family.
If only the man works they may have economic power over other family members: may limit the wife’s independence and others may not have a say.
Mkes women powerless and inferior
What are conjugal roles?
The domestic roles of a married/cohabiting couple.
Segregated and joint
Describe segregated conjugal roles
A clear division of domestic labour: tasks are divided by gender.
The couple spend little of their leisure time together
Describe joint conjugal roles
Similar roles that are shared and make an equal contribution.
Leisure time is mostly spent together.
-SYMMETRICAL FAMILY
