Family - SOCIOLOGISTS

Question 1

Parsons - Domestic Division of Labour (Couples)

Answer 1

Expressive roles = Women (Homemaker)
Instrumental Roles = Men (Breadwinner)

Men and women have biologically suited roles that are functional for society:

Question 2

Bott - Domestic Division of Labour (Couples)

Answer 2

Segregated Conjugal Roles (Division of labour, leisure time spent separately)
Joint Conjugal Roles (Share domestic tasks & leisure time)

Question 3

Willmott & Young - Domestic Division of Labour (Couples)

Answer 3

Symmetrical Families (increased joint conjugal roles)

Question 4

March of Progress - Are couples more equal? (Couples)

Answer 4

The ‘new man’ means couples have an equal share of housework and childcare.

Question 5

Dual Burden - Are couples more equal? (Couples - Feri & Smith)

Answer 5

Women now do paid work and domestic work.

Question 6

Triple Shift - Are couples more equal? (Couples - Duncombe & Marsden)

Answer 6

Women not only carry the dual burden of paid and domestic work, but also have to do the emotional work

Question 7

Material Explanation - Decision Making

Answer 7

Men have more power in decision making because they earn more.

Question 8

Cultural Explanation - Decision Making

Answer 8

Gender role socialisation instils the view that men are the primary decision makers.

Question 9

Dobash & Dobash - Domestic Abuse (Couples)

Answer 9

Marriage and the nuclear family is the key institution of patriarchy, and the main source of women’s oppression. Domestic violence is inevitable because it serves to preserve the power men have over women.

Question 10

Ansley - Domestic Abuse (Couples)

Answer 10

Domestic violence is the product of capitalism: males workers are exploited at work and take their frustration out on their wives.

Question 11

Wilkinson - Domestic Abuse (Couples)

Answer 11

Domestic violence is the result of stress on the family caused by social inequality.

Question 12

Aries - Changes to Childhood over time (Childhood)

Answer 12

Children use to have the same responsibilities, rights and skills as adults - in turn, they were considered economic assets. But not anymore

Question 13

Postman - Changes to Childhood over time (Childhood)

Answer 13

Childhood is ‘disappearing’. Adults have the power to keep ‘adult matters’ private. However, TV blurs the distinction and information hierarchy; TV does not require special skills to access it.

Question 14

Shorter - Changes to Childhood over time (Childhood)

Answer 14

In the middle ages, the high death rate of children encouraged indifference and neglect. For example, parents referred to their child as “it” or gave the child a name of a recently dead sibling.

Question 15

March of Progress - Has Childhood improved? (Childhood)

Answer 15

Childhood has improved significantly, due to how children are now perceived as vulnerable people who need taking care of.
There has been an introduction of laws which improve the experience of childhood (Eg. laws banning child labour).

Question 16

Palmer - Has Childhood improved? (Childhood)

Answer 16

‘Toxic Childhood’ - technological and cultural changes have damaged children’s physical, emotional and intellectual development. (Result of intensive marketing to children)

Question 17

Gittins - Has Childhood improved? (Childhood)

Answer 17

‘Age Patriarchy’ - age patriarchy of adult domination and child dependency. This may assert itself in the form of violence against children

Question 18

Parsons - Organic Analogy (Functionalists - Theories of Family)

Answer 18

The human body is made up of different parts that function together to meet its needs and maintain it. Functionalists believe society does the same, in which it is made up of interdependent parts (eg. the education system, the government, religion etc) that work together to maintain the social system as a whole.

Question 19

Murdock - Functionalists (Theories of the Family)

Answer 19

The nuclear family performs four essential functions:

• Socialisation of the young
• Satisfaction of the member’s economic needs
• Reproduction of the next generation
• Stable satisfaction of the sex drive

Question 20

Parsons - Functional Fit (Functionalists - Theories of Family)

Answer 20

The nuclear family has two irreducible functions:

• Primary socialisation of the young - equipping the next generation with basic skills and society’s values.
• Stabilisation of adult personalities - enabling adults to relax so they can return to the workplace and perform their roles effectively.

Question 21

Engels - Marxists (Theories of the Family)

Answer 21

The family exists so men can pass their private property onto their biological offspring, notably a son.

Question 22

Zaretzky - Marxists (Theories of the Family)

Answer 22

There is an ideological function of the family called the ‘cult of private life’ - this is the belief that we can only gain fulfilment from family life, which distracts attention from exploitation.

Question 23

Poulantzas - Marxists (Theories of the Family)

Answer 23

Nuclear families are brainwashed into thinking capitalism is fair, which teaches lower generations how to conform and co-operate with the capitalist system.

Question 24

Liberal Feminists - Feminists (Theories of the Family)

Answer 24

Liberal feminists take a march of progress view in suggesting gender inequality is gradually being overcome through reform and policy change, which changes people’s attitudes towards socialisation and challenges stereotypes. For example, the new man is becoming more widespread.

Question 25

Marxist Feminists - Feminists (Theories of the Family)

Answer 25

- Reproducing the labour force - women socialise the next generation of workers. - Absorbing men's anger - wives soak up their husband's frustration from being exploited at work. - A reserve army of cheap labour - when not needed, women workers can return to their domestic role.

Question 26

Radical Feminsts Feminists (Theories of the Family)

Answer 26

The family and marriage are the key institutions in a patriarchal society, meaning that men benefit from the women’s unpaid domestic labour and sexual services, as well as dominate them through violence or the threat of it.

Question 27

Difference Feminism - Feminists (Theories of the Family)

Answer 27

Not all women share the same experience of oppression; women of different ethnicities, class, age etc may have different experiences of the family.

Question 28

New Right - Theories of the Family

Answer 28

A biologically-based division of labour - the division of labour between a male breadwinner and a female homemaker is natural and biologically determined.

Question 29

Smart - Personal Life Perspective (Theories of Family)

Answer 29

Looks at relationships that individuals see as significant and gives a sense of identity, belonging and relatedness (pets, friends etc.). Interactionists believe that structural approaches assume that the traditional nuclear family is the dominant type of family. This ignores the increased diversity of families today.