Theories Of The Family Flashcards
(34 cards)
What are Murdocks views on the family?
Theories of Family
Functionalist
The family performs 4 essential functions
1) sexual (stability and satisfaction)
2) Reproduction (next generation)
3) Socialisation (value consensus)
4) Economic (economic needs)
Nuclear family is needed to meet all of these needs
Critiques of Murdocks views of the family
Very outdated views
Same sex families can also do all of these, doesnt need to be nuclear
Marxists- ideological state apparatus, they are being used by capitalis
Radical feminists (Greer)- there shouldn’t be a nuclear family, need separatism and political lesbianism.
What does parsons believe are the familes essential needs?
The Nuclear family is the now dominant family type as the family has 2 essential needs:
- Geographically mobile workforce
- socially mobile workforce
How has the family changed according to parsons?
The family has moved from extended family in pre industrial society to nuclear family in present industrial society.
Family has become solely a unit of consumption no longer production
Family has lost some of its functions due to specialised institutions e.g. nhs/hospitals
What does parsons believe are the irreducible functions of the nuclear family?
1) Primary socialisation of children
2) stabilisation of adult personalities
-> warm bath theory
Critique of Parsons ideas about family
Feminists- the functions that parsons talks about serve men and oppress women such as the warm bath theory
Other types of families could provide these functions not just nuclear
Laslett- pre industrial society was still nuclear most of the time as a result of short life expectancy of grandparents
What does Zaretsky believe about the family?
Theories of Family
Marxism
Men are heavily alienated at work as a result of producing products they would never own.
Leads to alienation
Family acts as a haven from this alienation
Workers leave refreshed for another day to keep capitalism going
All an illusion
Critique of Zaretskys ideas about the family
functionalists believe that this is a positive thing ‘warm bath theory’
What does Engles believe about the family?
Marxism
As we have moved from primitive communism mode of production has changed and so has family.
Private property has emerged which has made monogamy essential to make it obvious who inherits private property
Women forced to produce children
Critique of Engles ideas about the family
It is very outdated and doesnt include the proletariat
Feminists this traps women to reproduce when they might not want to. Radical feminists believe we should liberate women
What does Hoschild believe about family
All aspects of life have been commodified including family- emotional life
E.g. Party planners, care workers, surrogacy
Forms of emotional labour become consumer services for capitalist profit
Results in alienation
Critiques of Hoschild views on the family
Liberal Feminists- women need freedom from taking on domestic labour and paid labour, this helps women feel less tied down as they already have lots of work to do
What does Althusser believe about the family?
Family carries out ideological functions for capitalism, socialises children that inequality and hierarchy is inevitable/unavoidable and often male power
Critique of Althussers views on the family
Radical Feminists- capitalism is not the most important issues, patriarchy is
Family should not socialise children into obeying men in the workplace
What does Smart believe about the personal life perspective?
- connectedness thesis
- families of choice
- fictive kin’s
- relationality
What is smarts connectedness thesis?
Most important factors in our personal lives is not family structure or division of labour
Rather how emotionally connected we are to others?
What is meant by smarts families of choice?
Our families can includes friends not just kin
What is meant by smarts fictive kin?
Someone treated as family but has no biological link, can also include loved ones that passed but there are still emotional connection
What is meant by Smarts relationality?
Emotionally significant relationships not confirmed kin’s
Downplays ‘official’ structures within a family, more interested in how people relate within and beyond families
What do Nordqvist and Smart talk about?
Donor-conceived children
- parents emphasised emotional connections more important than genetic are
- however difficult feelings arose
—>could child have ‘donor siblings’? Do these also count as family?
- are the donors parents the grandparents?
- In lesbian relationships is the genetic mum equal to non-genetic mum?
What does Gabb believe about the personal life perspective?
intimacy and quality of a relationship matters not the purpose or function
- intimacy also includes pet-human relationships
- levels of intimacy with companion-species also varies
- some families are pet-oriented families
New right critique of the personal life perspective
doesnt promote the nuclear family
- perverse incentives + encourages single parent families/same sex
-leads to state dependency
Functionalist critique of the Personal Life Perspective
Parsons
- nuclear roles= expressive and instruments
- roles are not filled which creates an imbalance
- children are not socialised properly, break value consensus and social solidarity
Marxist critique of the personal life perspective
Hoschild
- commodification of the family
Children have been commodified through donors and adoption
- increased divide between rich and poor
