Theories of the Family Flashcards
(24 cards)
According to Murdock what are the functions of the family?
-Stable satisfaction of Adult Sex drive; prevents social disruption via promiscuous hoard
-reproduction of Next Generation; society can continue
-socialisation of the young ; value consensus
-meeting economic needs
What is the general functional view of the family?
Family helps to maintain social system by meeting the needs of other subsystems in organic analogy e.g economy
-Thus family performs positive functions for wider society and its members
Criticisms of Murdocks view
-Non nuclear family structures work (functional alternatives)
-Rose tinted view that ignores capitalism and womens oppression in the family
What is the functional fit theory?
According to Parsons, the functions of the family depends on the society in which it is in as well as the structure the family have
According to Parsons, why has there been a move towards nuclear families in recent times?
Industrialisation requires a geograohically and socially mobile workforce that ext families cannot provide
What are irreducible functions?
Many funnctions taken over by other institutions
-only primary socialisation(equpping children with basic skills/ values) and stabilisation(enabling adults to relax and release tension to perform roles effeciently) remain
What is Engels perspective of the family
Inheritance of property
-As private property became more important, the inheritance of it also become more important which led to monogamy vs promiscuous horde to ensure wealth stays in your family
-Thus family operates to maintain ruling class property
According to Marxists, what are the ideological functions of the family?
-Normalises the idea of heirarchy and inequality in children
-Zaretsky; family apparently offers a ‘safe haven’, which is all illusion, leads to DV as men release frustrations from exploitation at hands of capitalism
According to Marxists, how is the family a unit of consumption?
-Advertisment urging families to get latest products (keeping up with the Joneses)
- Media targets Children who use pester power to persuade parents to buy products
-Stigmatisation of children for not having latest gadgets encourages consumption
How can the Marxist perspective of the family be criticised?
-Assumes nuclear family is dominant
-Underemphasises importance of gender inequalities (economically deterministic)
-Ignore positive side of family (func)
What is the liberal feminist view of the family?
March of progress view;
-legislation is changing attitudes, benefiting womens positions in family e.g Equal Pay Act 1970 enable more equal gender roles in family
-Further reforms are still needed in legislation and gender role socialisation
How can the liberal feminist view be criticised?
-too optimistic; womens inequality deep rooted in family
-Overlooks role of structures e.g capitalism/patriarchy
-Ignores intersectionality in womens experience
What is the Marxist feminist view on the family?
Capitalism is the main cause of womens oppression, not men
-Family must be abolished at the same time as a capitalist revolution if women want equality
According to Marxist feminists, what 3 functions do womens oppression serve for the family?
-Reproduce the labour force, socialising next gen of conformist workers
-Absorb male anger that should be directed at capitalism due to exploitation and alienation (Ansley-takers of shit)
-Reserve army of cheap labour
How can the Marxist feminsit view be criticised?
- doesnt address intersectionality of female expeience, only class
-Womens opression did not begin with capitalism so will not end with it
What is the radical feminist view of the family?
-Men are the enemy as they are the source of womens opression and expoitation
-Men benefit from womens unpaid labour and sexual services and control women through DV or threat of it
-Advocate for seperatism or political lesbianism/ ‘matrilocal’ households
How can the radical feminist view of the family be criticised
-Ignores progress
-Ignores class and ethnic inequalities e.g white m/c women has more power than black w/c man
What is the difference feminism view of the family?
-Womens experiences in the family cannot be generalised
-By regarding the family as being a sole source of oppression it neglects the experience of racism in black women. As well as how they use the family to support them/resist it
How can the difference feminist view be criticised?
-Some women do share the same experience e.g DV, sexual assault, low pay
According to PLP, what are the weaknesses of func,marx and feminist theories of the family?
-Ignores diversity of familes (SPH,step-families etc)
-Structural theorists that ignore the idea we have choice in building our family relationships (bottom-up)
What is the PLP view of family?
We build our own families through fictive kin, chosen families and pets (Tipper)
-We should focus on the meanings indivduals give to relationships
What did Nordvisq and Smart look at?
Donor concieved children and what is considered family in those instances
-Do donor siblings count as family?
-In lesbian couples who will be treated as the real mother
How can the PLP be criticised?
-Accused of taking too broad a view, ignoring what is special about blood relationships/marriage
