Theories of the family

Created by

Aaliyah Priest

Cards (24)

What do functionalists believe the function of the family is ?
The family is essential for socialising its members into a consensus society
Enables them to meet societies needs and achieve shared goals
Every institution contributes to the smooth running of society
The family is the heart of society and that it is a unit of stability
what are Mudocks 4 functions of the family ?
sexual stability
reproduction
socialisation
economic support
what are some criticisms of Murdocks view ?
out of date
structural differentiation - family is evolving and therefore loosing functions
ignores diversity
feminists- the family serves the need of men and oppresses women
marxists- the family meets the needs of capitalism
what is parsons functional fit theory?
As society changed the type o family that was required to help society function changed.
Industrial society has two essential needs which requires a nuclear family to work:
.geographically mobile workforce
. Socially mobile workforce
Parsons also argues that the family in modern society ha lost many of its functions as it has become a unit of consumption only this means that in modern society the nuclear family has just two essential functions:
.primary socialisation of children
.stabilisation of adult personalities
what are some criticisms of parsons functional fit theory?
young and willmot (1973) and Laslett(1972)-the pre-industrial family was nuclear not extended
young and willmot - hardship of the early industrial period gave rise to a ‘mum-centred woking class extended family
What are the 4 types of feminism?
Liberal
Marxist
radical
Difference
what is the liberal feminists view on te family ?
there has been gradual progress (w+y)but there still needs to be improvements
(they believe society is gradually becoming more equal)
what is the Marxists feminist view on the family ?
women reproduce the workfoce through unpaid domestic labour
women absorb anger from men that should be directed at capitalism , so the women soak up the alienation men feel at work due to exploitation
What is the radical feminists view on the family?
Family is the number one source of women’s suffering
(Men are to blame, “sleeping with the enemy” believe they should adopt seperatism)
what is the difference feminists view on the family?
should be remembered that many women do not live in nuclear families and have different experiences
what is a criticism of the liberal feminist view of the family ?
overestimate positive change in domestic life and fail to challenge underlying causes of oppression
what is a criticism of the Marxist feminists view on the family?
ignore the role men play in oppression of women
what is a criticism of the radical feminists view on the family?
Fail to recognise any improvements in domestic life e.g better access to divorce
what is a criticism of the difference feminists view on the family ?
fail to recognise that women share many experiences such as low pay
what is the Marxist view of the family?
the function of the family are performed purely for the benefit of the capitalist system
according to Engles what are the 3 factors that help to maintain capitalism in the family?
inheritance of property
ideological functions
unit of consumption
how does inheritance of property maintain capitalism?
needs to be a nuclear family so the men who owned property knew who they were giving their inheritance to their children with the capitalist status
the need for monogamy became essential but meant women were used as ”a mere instrument for the production of children”
how does ideological functions maintain capitalism?
children learn to conform and become cooperative and exploited workers
the family socialises children into the idea that hierarchy and inequality are inevitable
Zaretsky (1976)-family provides a “haven from the harsh world”of capitalism ,where families can be themselves
How does the unit of consumption maintain capitalism?
The family consumes the products produced by the bourgeoise to make profits
Capitalism is making the profit by selling products the proletariat are producing
Adverts urge families to ‘keep up with the Joneses’ by consuming all the latest products
the media target the children
What are some criticisms of the marxists view on the family ?
.They assume the nuclear family is dominant and ignores the wide and increasing variety of Family structures today
.feminists say that the Marxists emphasise on capitalism and social class underestimates the importance of gender inequalities
.Zaretsky has been criticised for exaggerating the extent to which the family can escape from alienating work as he ignores the fat that the family can be a place of cruelty
.some families are anti-capitalist and socialise their children to be critical of the ruling class
what is the personal life perspective view on the family ?
the meaning individuals give to their relationships and how these shape their actions
wider view of relationships
relationships that give a sense of identity , belonging , relatedness
what is a fictive kin?
close friends that are treated as family
what did Nordqvist & Smart (2014) find out ?
the social relationship for the most part outweighed any genetic definition
(same sex couples having children , only one parent can be the “real” parent)
what is a criticism of the personal life perspective view on the family ?
it can be too broad- by including such a wide range of relationships , we can also ignore what is special or distinct about blood relations via the institution of marriage