theories of the family Flashcards
(24 cards)
Functionalist view of the fam
What does Parsons think are the functions of the family?
- stablisation of adult personalities
-socialisation
men- instrumental role
women- expressie role
warm bath theory
criticisms of parsons theory of the fam
-corporal punishment has negative impact on childrens’ wellbeing
- changes in the law (e.g equal pay act 1970, sex discrimination act 1975) push women into male-dominated fields
-women capable of disciplining children
Murdock functions of the fam
- Sexual
-Educational
-Economic
Reproductive
studied 250 societies and found the nuclear fam was universal
Criticisms of Murdock
- can meet needs of SEER outside of the fam, e.g economic through the welfare state, educational through early years of intervention like sure start
- ‘dark side of the family’ isn’t necessarily stable: 1/4 women face domestic abuse, a woman is murdered on average every 2.5 days by a current or former partner
What was parson’s ‘functional fit’ theory?
- suggests the family adapts and changes according to the needs of society at a particular stage of development, e.g during agricultural revolution there were extended multigenerational families
what do the new right believe and advocate for?
- the nuclear family and traditional values
- conventional gender roles
-stress individaul responsibility for children and oppose state welfare- welfare dependency and the emergence of the underclass (Charles Murray -1994)
problems with the new rights views on single mothers
-single mothers are someone to blame, i.e moral panic and folk devils
-approx 1% of single parents in the UK are teenagers
- 39 is the average age of a single parent
-most single mothers are in paid work
- 1 in 4 families are headed by a single parent, children just as capable at being happy
What type of ideology do the new right support?
- familial ideology : the way in which the media promotes the nuclear family (the cereal packet family)
e.g fairy liquid advertisement
Canalisation definition
feminism
process where parents and society direct children towards specific behaviours/interests that are deemed gender appropriate
What do feminists believe about women in relation to the family?
- women gain less social, economic and cultural capital in the family due to :
-narrow social circles limiting career advancement
-more likely to work in part-time roles - marginalised groups, e.g w/c, underclasses and BAME may not know how the welfare or education system works
verbal appellation
feminism
the way individuals are refered to and adressed using language that often reflects and reinforces societal norms, e.g a sterotypical way of categorising someone
what do feminists think about women’s roles in the household?
- they take on an unfair proportion of the mundane and repetitive housework while managing everyone’s emotional wellbeing ‘triple shift’
-limited financial power compared to men who make big decisions - father over credited/ praised for their participation in expressive work
what are women according to Fran Ansley?
Marxist feminists
‘takers of shit’
what do some feminists argue that women will experience in the family?
-abuse and exploitation
e.g- on average police in england and wales recieve over 100 calls every hour relating to abuse (HMIC 2015)
- in 2018, only 18% of victims reported the abuse to police
What examples of legislation do women believe have improved the positions of women?
- 1967 abortion act
- 1970 equal pay act
1975 sex discrimination act
what is a criticism of radical feminist views of the family?
- sommerville (2000): fail to recognise the improvement of women in society
postmodernism
Althusser’s view of the family
marxism
the family is a way to maintain and reinforce a set of ideas which in turn maintain capitalist society (ISA)
Marx’s view of the family
marxism
women in capitalist familes are commodities- owned by men like property
Engles view of the family
Marxism
Marriage and inheritance rules- ensures ruling class stays powerful and wealthy as wealth of capitalism is passed through the male line to the son- primogeniture.
- power maintained by a few within the monogamous nuclear family
statistical criticism of the marxist view of the family
in the Uk we have inheritance tax of 40% over the threshold of £325,000. This dilutes the bourgeoise power. This money is then used to fund public services, promoting socio-economic welfare of the proletariat
Zaretszky’s view of the family
Marxism
the family support capitalism by providing unpaid labour, reproducing the labour force and being a unit of consumption
- children use pester power to persuade their parents to buy goods and support the bourgeoise
- claims the family cushions the pressure of capitalism, allowing individuals to express their frustrations with capitalism in a non threatening way- creates false class consciousness with W/C making them less likely to unite against the system
What fact supports Zaretsky’s view
Marxism
the state ensures the family consumes through laws and policies, e.g providing families with benefits provided by the welfare state, child benefits, maternity pay etc. provides a basic income that can be spent, boosting the economy but also profits for the bourgeoise
What are some criticsims of the Marxist view of the family?
Marxism
- nuclear family is no longer dominant today, making up 50% of family types
- emphasis on class inequality ignores gender inequality; primary function of the family is to serve men not capitalism
- Functionalists argue they ignore the very real benefits of the family to all its members
