modernism and the nuclear family Flashcards
(17 cards)
what perspectives are considered as modernist?
- functionalism and the New Right
- see society as having a fairly fixed structure
- one ‘best’ family type: nuclear family
what does parsons believe about the family?
- there’s a ’functional fit’ between nuclear family and modern society
- nuclear family is uniquely suited to meeting needs of modern society for a geographically and socially mobile workforce
what two ‘irreducible functions’ does parsons believe the nuclear family performs?
- primary socialisation of children
- stabilisation of adult personalities
what are other family types besides the nuclear family considered as within functionalism?
- dysfunctional
- abnormal
- deviant because they are less able to perform functions required of family
what perspective do the new right have on the family?
- conservative
- anti-feminist
- opposed to family diversity
what family type do the New Right consider as ‘correct’?
- traditional/conventional patriarchal nuclear family
- married couple + dependent children
- clear-cut division of labour - breadwinner husband, homemaker wife
what do the new right see the nuclear family as?
- ‘natural’
- based on biological differences between men and women
- the cornerstone of society: place of refuge + harmony
what family patterns do the New Right oppose?
- cohabitation
- gay marriage
- lone parenthood
what are the New Right mostly concerned about?
- growth of lone parent families
- see it as result of breakdown of couple relationships
- see it as harmful to children
- lone mothers can’t discipline
- leave boys w/o adult male role model —> education failure, delinquency
- poorer, burden on taxpayers + welfare state
- CA: study of single mums: no emotional turmoil, no need of male role model
what do the New right believe the main cause of lone parent families is?
- cohabitation between couples
what did benson find about cohabitation?
- analysis of parents of over 15k babies
- found that over first 3 yrs of baby’s life, rate of family breakdown was higher among cohabiting couples (20%)
- only 6% among married couples
- therefore, new right believe only marriage can provide stability
what does benson also argue about couples?
- couples more stable when married - requires deliberate commitment, but cohabitation avoids commitment
- eg rate of divorce among married couples lower than rate of breakups among cohabiting couples
what do New right thinkers and conservative politicians use the evidence as support of?
- that family + society at large are ’broken’
- only return to ’trad values’ ie value of marriage can prevent social damage
- regard laws + policies eg easy access to divorce, gay marriage + availability of welfare benefits as undermining conventional family
- benson: gov needs to encourage couples to marry
critic of new right: feminist Oakley
- argues they wrongly assume husbands and wives’ roles are fixed by biology
- cross cultural studies show great variation in roles of men and women within family
- their view is a negative reaction against feminist campaign for women’s equality
critic of new right: feminist
- conventional nuclear family favoured by new right is based on patriarchal oppression of women - cause of gender inequality
- prevent women working, financially dependent on men all time, denies equal say in decision making
critic of new right: no evidence?
- critics argue there’s no evidence children in lone parent families are more likely to be delinquent than those in two parent family of same class
critic of new right: Carol Smart
- rate of cohabitation higher among poorer social groups
- smart: may be poverty that causes breakdown rather than decision not to marry
