Theories of the family Flashcards

Question

Intersectional Feminist Views on the Family

Answer 1

- Other feminist beliefs focus on the *experience of women in a nuclear family* but *not all families are nuclear* ↳ just as not all women will have the same experience of family life ↳ a Black woman may find her family provides a *refuge from societal racism* rather than it being a place of oppression or negativity **Evaluations** - Neglects the fact that *many women do share the same experiences of family regardless of ethnicity or social class* ↳ eg they all face a risk of DV and low pay

Answer 2

- *Traditional nuclear family is the ideal type of family* - Argued that government policy was undermining the family so policy changes were needed ↳ support social policies which encourage nuclear families eg pro-marriage and against benefits for single mothers - Nuclear family is *’natural’* and based on *fundamental biological differences* between men and women - Decline of traditional family/growth of family diversity = more social problems eg higher crime rates & declining moral standards generally ↳ rate of family breakdown is much lower amongst married couples *(6% to 20%)* ↳ children from broken homes are *almost 5x more likely to develop emotional problems, 3x more likely to become aggressive/badly behaved & 9x more likely to become young offenders* ↳ lone parent families are *more than twice as likely to live in poverty* as two parent families - Important for children to have *stable homes with a married mother and father* ↳ ideally the wife should be able to stay at home to look after the children - **Introduction of welfare state** = people are *dependent on handouts* from the state ↳ encourages single parenting **CHARLES MURRAY** - nuclear families are the best - pointed to single parent families for causing many social problems, feckless, lazy and work shy families who inadequately socialised their children

Answer 3

- **Exaggerate the decline of the nuclear family**: most adults still marry and have children, most marriages continue till death, most children are reared by two natural parents, divorce has increased however most divorces remarry - **FEMINISM**: gender roles are socially determined rather than being fixed by biology & traditional gender roles are oppressive to women ↳ divorce being easier is good because without it many women end up trapped in unhappy or abusive relationships - Most single parents are not welfare scroungers: most want to work but find it difficult to find jobs that are flexible enough so they can balance work and child care - **CHESTER**: the New Right exaggerate the extent of cohabiting and single parent families ↳ most children still spent most of their lives in a nuclear family arrangement *(Neo-Conventional family)*

Answer 4

- Recent social changes such as increasing social fragmentation and diversity has made family *a matter of personal choice* ↳ families have become more *unstable and diverse* - Family structures are *increasingly varied* ↳ individuals have much more freedom in choice in aspects of their lives which would have been relatively constrained eg lifestyles, personal relationships, family arrangements - *No longer one dominant family type* ↳ no longer possible to make generalisations about society

Answer 5

- Women have more freedom than ever to shape their families to *meet their needs and free themselves from patriarchal oppression* - **SILICON VALLEY, CALIFORNIA Case Study**: women have led the change in family structures, roles and responsibilities rather than men - Many women have rejected the traditional housewife role - *”Divorce-Extended Family”*: members are connected by divorce rather than marriage eg ex in laws/formers husbands new partners ↳ members are not connected by blood/marriage will *still help each other financially and domestically*

Answer 6

- Traditional, patriarchal nuclear family has been undermined by mainly two trends ↳ **Greater Gender Equality** - has challenged male domination in all spheres of life; women now expect equality both at work and in marriage ↳ **Greater Individualism** - people’s actions are influenced more by calculations of their own self-interest than by a sense of obligation to others - This has led to a *rise of the negotiated family*: does not conform to the traditional family norm, but vary according to the wishes expectations of their members, who decide what is best for them by discussion ↳ partners enter relationships on an equal basis - Rise of negotiate family is part of the move to a postmodern risk society ↳ more individual freedom = postmodern society which is more chaotic and uncertain than ever - People have developed a risk consciousness: they have to constantly make choices ↳ for people in a relationship this means more time has to be spent discussing and making decisions eg whether to move in together/have kids etc - Although the negotiated family may be more equal, it is less stable because there is far more scope for disagreement and conflict (which could lead to divorce) compared to the previous, traditional nuclear family - Although the traditional, patriarchal family was unequal and oppressive, it did provide a stable and predictable basis for the family by defining each members role and responsibility

Answer 7

- Relationships in postmodern society have become ‘individualised’ (individuals put themselves first & their partners second) - In a postmodern society, we are somewhat obsessed with ourselves and our own identities - Relationships today have become part of each individuals process of self-discovery: trying different relationships has become part of establishing who we are, rather than about the relationship itself - **’Pure Relationships’**: exists solely to meet the partners needs and is likely to continue only so long as it succeeds. ↳ Couples stay together because of love, happiness, and/or sexual attraction rather than tradition, a sense of duty or for the sake of children. - Downside of pure relationships: we now have a historically high rate of relationship breakdowns and divorce ↳ increasing trend towards *serial monogamy* - where people go from one committed relationship to the next, rather than sticking with one relationship for life - Positives of pure relationships: basis of marriage and family has now changed into one in which *couples are free to define the relationship themselves* rather then simply *acting out roles that have been defined in advance by law or tradition*

Answer 8

- **Late Modernists (Anthony Giddens)**: even though people have more freedom, there is still a *structure which shapes peoples decisions* - **Contemporary Feminists**: in most cases, traditional gender roles which disadvantage women remain the norm - **Personal Life Perspective**: exaggerates how much choice people have about family. ↳ people are *not completely disembodied as social structures will still influence peoples choices*, as well as social context and the media - **Vanessa May**: Beck and Giddens view of the individual is simply an idealised version of the white middle class man - **Carol Smart Connectedness Thesis**: people are social beings who *live in a web of connectedness, networks of relationships and personal histories* which *strongly influence and shape our range of options and choices*

Answer 9

- Developed alongside an Interactionist approach - Other approaches ignore the increased diversity of families today compared with 50 years ago eg lone-parent families - Structural theories assume that families and their members are simply passive puppets manipulated by the structure of society to perform certain functions ↳ eg to provide the economy with a mobile labour force or serve the needs of capitalism/men - Personal life perspective believe that in order to understand families we must start from the point of view of the individuals concerned and the meanings they give to their relationships. - *Family is not in decline, it is just very different and much more diverse and complex than ever before* **Carol Smart** - Rejects many of the assumptions about the decline of family life found in theories of individualisation (Beck/Giddens) - Her approach prioritises the bonds between people and the importance of memory and cultural heritage etc - Draws attention to a range of other personal or intimate relationships that are important to people, even though they may not be conventionally defined as family ↳ all kinds of relationships individuals see as significant and give them a sense of identity, relatedness and belonging ↳ chosen families, close friends and even pets

Answer 10

- Helps us understand how people themselves construct and define their relationships as ‘family’ rather than imposing traditional sociological definitions of the family from outside - Can be accused of taking too broad a view - By including a wide range of personal relationships, we ignore what is special about relationships that are based on blood or marriage - Rejects the top down view taken by other perspectives but does see intimate relationships as performing the important function of providing us with a sense of belonging and relatedness

Theories of the family Flashcards

(34 cards)