Theory/function of family

• Murdock


  THIS SOCIOLOGIST

  - Functionalist

  - Nuclear family

  - 4 functions:

  1. socialization,

  2. reproduction,

  3. sexual,

  4. economic
• Nuclear family


  KEYWORD:

  - A heterosexual couple and their children, regarded as a basic social unit.
• Warm bath theory


  KEYWORD:

  Parson's positive function where the family relaxes/de-stress.
• Patriarchal society


  KEYWORD:

  - This is where men dominate society.
• Instrumental role


  KEYWORD:

  Provider/breadwinner role in the family usually by the man earning an income.
• The New Right perspective

  THIS PERSPECTIVE:

  Political stance whom is said to be very right wing based on Conservative views in UK and Republican USA.
• Fictive Kin


  KEYWORD:

  Non blood relatives being classed as family e.g friends of mum and dads being classed as auntie or uncles or dogs being classed as family.
• Personal life perspective


  THIS PERSPECTIVE:

  Explains how people themselves construct and define their relationships with 'family'.

  - Friendship as kinship

  - Fictive kin (Friends as aunts, etc)

  - Pets

  - Dead relatives

  -Chosen families
• Expressive role


  KEYWORD:

  A woman's role in society according to Parsons taking on the caring role.
• Parsons functional fit theory

  THIS THEORY:

  With industrialisation, the structure of the family becomes nuclear to fit the needs of industrial society for socially/geographically mobile labour force.
• Marxist feminist


  THIS TYPE OF FEMINIST:

  Feminist who see conflict, patriarchy and capitalism as the root of gender inequality.
• Marxists


  THIS PERSPECTIVE:

  - Role/function of the family is to reproduce capitalism through inheritance of property, ideological function, units of consumption
• Evaluation of Marxist


  EVALUATION OF ? THEORY

  - Ignores families in non-capitalist societies

  - Too critical. They ignore the good side of family *that it brings people together.

  - Over-emphasis of class and ignores gender.
• Parsons


  THIS SOCIOLOGIST

  - Functionalist

  - 2 functions:

  1. socialisation

  2. stablisation of adult personality

  Also discusses:

  - Functional fit thesis

  - value concensus

  - socialise into norms and values
• Zaretsky


  THIS SOCIOLOGIST

  - A Marxist

  - family is ideological

  - teaches children there is someone in charge
• Engels


  THIS SOCIOLOGIST

  - A Marxist

  - Friend of Karl Marx

  - Main function is to inherit property.

  - The rich stay rich by passing their wealth to their children
• Liberal feminist


  THIS TYPE OF FEMINIST

  - Changes in the law has had a positive effect of women's role within the home, e.g, Equal pay act.

  - through gender socialisation - equality CAN be achieved
• Radical feminist


  THIS TYPE OF FEMINIST

  - Patriarchy is ingrained within family

  - Advocate separatism (abolish the family which is the main cause of patriarchy)

  - Domestic violence and rape is evidence of patriarchy within the family
• Difference feminist


  THIS TYPE OF FEMINIST

  - Shouldn't generalise all women's experience

  - differ across class, age, sexuality, etc.

  - criticise the other feminist for focusing on just middle class white women experience.
• Evaluation of Liberal feminist

  EVALUATION OF ? FEMINIST

  - These feminist fail to recognise the underlying structural causes of patriarchy.

  - fail to see that patriarchy still exists

  - Rose-tinted view
• Evaluation of Radical feminist

  EVALUATION OF ? FEMINIST

  - These feminist promote seperatism and abolish the family, this is BOTH unrealistic and will never happen.

  - Ignores the progress and legal changes that have occurred for womens equality
• Evaluation of Difference feminist

  EVALUATION OF ? FEMINIST

  - These feminist ignore the main similarities between women, e.g. patriarchy
• Evaluation of Marxist feminist

  EVALUATION OF ? FEMINIST

  - focused too much on capitalism, and fails to explain patriarchy in non capitalist societies
• Evaluation of Functionalist


  EVALUATION OF ? THEORY

  - Too positive

  - has a Rose-tinted view of the family.

  - Focuses only on the nuclear family

  - Ignores the dark side of the family.
• Unit of consumption


  A MARXIST FUNCTION OF THE FAMILY

  - Families are pursuaded to buy products which produce profit for the capitalists

  - 'pester-power' childrens adverts
• Oakley


  THIS LIBERAL FEMINIST:

  - Believes that socialisation can bring gender equality

  - study into 'Motherhood' - Research method was unstructured interviews.
• Ansley


  THIS MARXIST FEMINIST:

  - Women are the 'takers of sh*t'

  - Women are sponges used to soak up the frustrations of the proletariat male.
• Greer


  THIS RADICAL FEMINIST:

  - Women are exploited in society in all aspects of life

  - E.g. Wives of Presidents and Prime Ministers MUST be seen on their husbands side, seen to adore him, her eyes should be fixed on him.

  - This relationship must be clearly seen to be unequal.
• Amos and Parmar


  THESE BLACK FEMINIST

  - Ethnicity has a massive effect upon the nature of family life, and women's experience of the family.

  - Black women deal with sexism AND racism. Family may be a comfort and support
• K.C.Backett


  THIS INTERACTIONIST:

  - Role of parents

  - Family life is a socialisation process, not only for children but also for parents too.

  - Becoming a parent involves 'trial and error'.
• Interactionist


  THIS PERSPECTIVE:

  - Explores the actions and interactions of family members

  - How individual members construct their own reality.

  - Micro
• Nordqvist and Smart


  THESE PERSONAL LIFE SOCIOLOGISTS:

  - The meaning that people attach to family

  E.g. Donor-conceived children - who is family? It's more about the time and effort you put in to raising children than biology according to one mother of a donor child.