Perspectives of the Family

• Durkheim: organic anology for society
• Murdock 1949:

  1. sex
  2. reproduction
  3. socialisation
  4. economic
• Parsons 1955: functions of the family depend on the needs of the society
• Young and Willmott 1973: contradict Parsons 1955 as the nuclear family was present in pre industrial society
• Anderson 1980: working class used the extended family in mid 1800s
• Parsons 1955: family ceased to be unit of production after industrialisation
• Marx: earliest society was 'primitive communism'
• Engels: rise of monogamous nuclear family represented a 'world historic defeat of the female sex' as it brought female sexuality under men's control turning women into a 'mere instrument for the production of children'
• Zaretsky 1976: family provides a 'haven' from capitalism where workers can 'be themselves' but its an illusion as the family cannot meet all of the members needs (women opressed)
• Sex Discrimination Act 1975: march of progress as outlawed discrimination in the workplace
• Fran Ansley 1972: women are takers of shit who soak up the frustattion their husbands feel due to the alienation and exploitation they suffer at work
• radical feminism:

  1. men are the enemy
  2. seperatism
  3. political lesbianism
• Greer 2000: argues for creation of matrilocal households
• Sommerville 2000: radical feminism neglects march of progress and political lesbianism is unrealistic because of hetrosexual attraction
• personal life perspective:

  1. others tend to assume nuclear family
  2. others are structural theories
• beyond traditional ties:

  1. fictive kin
  2. gay 'chosen families'
  3. relationships with pets
• Tipper 2011: children frequently saw their pets as part of their family
• Nordqvist and Smart 2014: using donor conceived children established importance of social relationships over genetic ones in forming family bonds