Families & Households

• Who proposed the four essential functions of the family in 1949?

  Murdock
• What are the four essential functions that the nuclear family performs according to Murdock?

  Stabilizing the sex drive, reproduction, socializing the young, and meeting economic needs
• What is the first function of the family according to Murdock?

  Stabilize the sex drive
• Why does Murdock argue that the nuclear family is best at performing its functions?

  Because it meets society's and members' needs effectively
• What criticism is made against Murdock's view of the family?

  Functions can be performed by other institutions or non-nuclear families
• What do feminists argue about the family according to the criticisms of functionalism?

  That the family benefits men and exploits women
• According to Marxists, what does the family meet the needs of?

  Capitalism, not the needs of its members or society
• What does Parsons argue about the functional fit theory?

  That family functions and structure depend on the type of society
• What type of family fits modern industrial society according to Parsons?

  Nuclear family
• What does Parsons say about the geographical mobility of the workforce?

  That the nuclear family is easier to move around than the extended family
• How does Parsons describe the socially mobile workforce?

  That status depends on talent and ability, not ascribed status
• What does Parsons argue about the transition from extended to nuclear families?

  That it occurs when society industrializes and loses some functions
• What does Engels argue about the evolution of the family?

  That it evolved alongside the capitalist class and private property
• What are the two essential functions of the nuclear family according to Parsons?

  Primary socialization of children and stabilizing adult personalities
• How do Marxists view the ideological functions of the family?

  As transmitting beliefs that justify inequality and maintain capitalism
• What does Engels say about monogamy in relation to capitalism?

  That it became essential for inheritance of private property
• According to Zaretsky, what role does the family play for workers?

  It serves as a haven from the capitalist world
• What do Marxist feminists argue is the main cause of women's oppression in the family?

  Capitalism, not men
• What do radical feminists believe about the family?

  That it is a key institution of patriarchal society
• What do liberal feminists advocate for?

  Changing attitudes and laws to achieve women's equal rights
• What do difference feminists argue about women's experiences?

  That they vary widely and cannot be generalized
• What does the personal life perspective emphasize?

  The meanings individual family members hold and how they shape relationships
• What types of relationships does the personal life perspective include?

  Friends, fictive kin, chosen families, and pets
• What did Nordqvist & Smart's research focus on?

  What counts as family when a child has a link to a relative stranger
• What does the donor study reveal about family relationships?

  That social relationships can be emphasized over genetic ones
• What is a criticism of the personal life perspective?

  That it is too broad and ignores the significance of blood and marriage
• What does the domestic division of labor refer to?

  The different roles men and women have in the family
• What is Parsons' view on the roles within the nuclear family?

  That there is a clear division of labor between men and women
• What do Young & Willmott argue about domestic roles?

  That they are becoming more shared and less traditional
• What is the symmetrical family according to Young & Willmott?

  A family where roles are similar and tasks are shared
• What factors contribute to the rise of the symmetrical family?

  Changes in women's position, geographical mobility, new technology, and higher living standards
• What do feminists argue about the division of labor in families?

  That it remains unequal with women doing most of the housework
• What does Oakley criticize about Young & Willmott's findings?

  That they exaggerate the extent of the symmetrical family
• What does Warde & Hetherington's study reveal about domestic tasks?

  That tasks are sex-typed and men often do 'female' tasks only when women are absent
• What does the march of progress view suggest about women's work?

  That it leads to a more equal division of home labor
• What does Gershuny argue about women working full-time?

  That it leads to a symmetrical division of labor
• What trend did Sullivan find regarding domestic work?

  That men are doing more domestic work over time
• What did the British Social Attitudes Survey reveal about traditional roles?

  That there is a decline in belief in instrumental and expressive roles
• What is the 'March of progress' view regarding women's paid work?

  It suggests that women's work leads to a more equal division of home labour.
• According to Gershuny (1994), what is the effect of women working full-time on domestic labour?

  It leads to a symmetrical division of labour.