Family Flashcards
What were Zaretsky’s main ideas about the family?
The family benefits capitalist society by being a major unit of consumption - especially the nuclear family.
What are the functions of the family from the view of functionalists?
- Reproduction
- Primary socialisation
- Economic support
- Emotional support
What do feminists see the family as a means of?
Controlling women- the family is often patriarchal and the men have power over the women
What did Ann Oakley find and how?
Ann Oakley was a feminist who discovered through unstructured interviews that women had to do a triple shift - paid work, emotional support and house work.
What is a cohabiting family?
A family who are living together but aren’t married
What is a same sex relationship?
A relationship when the people who are together are of the same sex
What is a lone parent family?
One adult with depend children. (90% female)
What is a single family
Someone who lives alone
What is an extended family?
A family where distant relatives e.g. uncles and aunts live with their together
Has family diversity grown?
For: Yes, divorce rate etc. Against: Nuclear family is most common and ‘wanted’ Cereal packet family etc.
What is the warm bath theory and who came up with it?
Talcott Parsons believed that the family was like a warm bath - when people came home from a hard day at work or school, the family was there to comfort people
What do Marxists think the main role of the family is?
To reproduce the inequality between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat e.g. inheritance of wealth
How have rules for children changed?
Society is more child-centred and children have to stay in school until they’re 18.
Why has society become more child-centred?
People have less children so have more money or time to spend on each child. The media sees children as a target audience.
However 1/10 children still experience abuse so parents still have the power and can issue sanctions.
What are the positives and negatives of an ageing population?
Elderly people are role models, and can help socialise children and take responsibility for child care.
Ageing population increase stress on parents and they can be dependent on their children.
