The Sociology Of Families Flashcards
What is a nuclear family?
A family of heterosexual married or cohabiting parents and their child or children.
What is Organisational Diversity?
Diversity based on the division of labour and the roles the family members play.
(e.g, male dominated families vs more symmetrical ones)
What is Life-Course Diversity?
Diverersity in the stage of life/age a family is has.
e.g, newlyweds w/out kids vs elderly couples with grandchildren
What is Cohort Diversity?
Diversity that relates to individuals born in the same time period. Their experiences of family may relate due to historical events within their shared time period.
(e.g, families of today will find it easier to divorce, whereas families 100 years ago may have found it much more difficult)
What’s the difference between a classic extended family and a modified extended family?
Classic: 3 generations (grandparent, parent, child) that all live together or near one another.
Modified: Members live apart geographically, but there is still regular contact.
What is a reconsitituted/blended family?
A family wherin one or both parents have a child/children living with them from a previous partnership
What is a commune?
A group of people living together sharing accomodation, wealth, possesions and property.
What is an empty nest family?
A family where the children/child have/has moved out, and the adult(s) is/are left living alone, despite not reaching elderly age yet.
What did Murdock say on the functionalist view on families?
He said families have 4 main functions
The sexual function
Regulates sexual morality and activity
The reproductive function
Produces new members (children) for society
The educational function
Socialises these children so they can function well in society
The economic function
Provides a system of financial support for all members of the family through division of labour
What did Pearson say on the functionalist view on families?
He said all families provide two functions:
Primary Socialisation
They teach children the basic skills, language and behavioural patterns in order to function in society.
Personality Stabilisation
They help stabilise the personalities of the adults through
- emotional support between the wife and the husband
- connecting with their child-like aspects through living with their children
Provide 3+ arguments against the functionalist view of families
- does not take family diversity into account (i.e, it is based on heteronormativity in the nuclear family structure)
- some feminists argue the dynamic created in most nuclear families is oppresive due to the inequal division of labour they are expected to accept, i.e, the second shift.
- does not take into account toxic/dysfunctional families where more negative than positive functions are present
- some marxists argue that the function of primary socialisation is condusive to capitalism. Children are indoctrinated with false class conciousness which helps uphold the capitalist system for another generation.
- ignores alternatives to the nuclear family, i.e, communes and kibutzim
(any of the above 3)
What were Zaretsky’s Marxist views on the functions of families?
- before the 19th century, the family was a “unit of production”, meaning all family members were involved in joint work
- industrial capitalism changed this, and created a separation between “home-life” and “work life”
- domestic labour often left for women is devalued because of this separation
- the family reproduces and recreates inequalities over generations. (i.e, the bourgeoisie can afford a good education, so their children are likely to stay in the bourgeoisie as they grow up)
- he believes socialism is the only solution to the problems created by the family
What are the criticisms of the Marxist View on families?
- it is overly-critical and focuses only on the negative aspects of families.
- many people are satisfied with their family lives
- some feminists argue the domestic labour left for women is due to the patriarcy, not capitalism
- ignores family diversity (e.g, where the woman is the breadwinner, or where it is a same sex couple)
What is canalisation?
When parents channel their own ideas of what is appropriate for their child’s gender into the childs everyday life and activities.
What did Delphy and Leonard argue about in terms of the feminist perspectives of families?
- families involve the economic exploitation of women’s unpaid labour which is devalued in society
- families recreate gender inequalities seen in society. (i.e, the family hierarchy of the husband at the top, and everyone else in subordinate positions)
- families actively contribute to gender socialisation, which reproduces these gender inequalities over time.
