4.1 - Family and Households

• Functionalist view of the family

  • Family is needed for the protection and stability of society.
  • Adults and children benefit both economically and emotionally from the nuclear family
  • provides social support
• What are the 4 functions of Murdock?

  sexual, reproduction, socialisation, economic needs
• Explain each function of the family (Murdock)


  Sexual - family is needed to maintain sexual regulation. This is too prevent sexual jealousy and maintain adult relationships.

  Reproduction - this is so adults can have children of their own. These children symbolize commitment within a relationship.

  Socialisation - families are used to teach primary socialisation to kids such as basic norms, values and manners. Our norms and values are shown as a reflection through our offspring.

  Economic Needs - families should provide food, drink , love, warmth and shelter.
• Criticisms of Murdock's theory - 


  Ethnocentric - the research us focused on 1940's America so cannot be generalised to other cultures/ethnicities

  Outdated - most women do not want to reproduce or maintain sexual regulation. Mainly career-orientated and do not want their sole purpose to be within the family

  Changes in family type - research us based of a heterosexual two-parent family, but that has now changed. There are different family types so it suggests a different family type is wrong.
• What was a Pre-industrial family like?


  mainly rural, extended families who focused on farming.
• What were the main functions of a Pre-industrial Family?


  1 - Unit of production and means was done within the family. Any food or clothing was attained from production. If you needed anything else, you had to trade with neighbours

  2 - Skills provision was based in the family. Skills and roles allocation correlated. Rarely numeracy and literacy was taught

  3 - healthcare was maintained in family. There was a high infant mortality rate

  4 - welfare done in family, elders would look after younger in return for care
• What were the functions of the new industrial family?

  1 - Families were more geograhically mobile

  2- More socially mobile - for new job opportunities - led to women getting different roles in the family and more career orientated

  3 - Most health and education aspects were now done by the welfare. Compulsory education and the NHS

  4 - Family had two functions - primary socialisation and stabilisation of adult personalities
• What is primary socialisation?

  The process of learning societal norms and values from family and close relationships during early childhood.
• What is the stabilisation of adult personalities?

  • the nuclear family relieves stress after a stressful day of work. The family is like a WARM BATH THEORY- relieves and soothes tension.
  • the nuclear family also develops clear distinct roles within the family. Instrumental role - father, wage earner. Expressive role - mother, more nurturing
• Criticisms of Parson's Industrial Family

  • Fletcher criticises Parsons - it was wrong of Parsons to assume that some of the functions of the family have disappeared. The family can still home school and provide basic first aid.
  • Family run businesses satisfies the economic consumption. The increase of welfare and benefits doesn't change the economic function but ENCOURAGES families to work harder
• How do feminists criticise Parsons?

  • Parsons ignores the dark side of the family and how being in a family is dangerous for women. These are because of factors such as emotional/domestic abuse.
  • 1 domestic violence report is made per minute
• How did Young and Wilmott come up with the symmetrical family?


  Through their study of working-class families in East London in the 1960s. Based on empirical research. Families were more socially mobile and women were seeking job opportunities. This meant that both the mother and father had to look after the children. This was due to slum clearance problems, job opportunities for women, control over fertility.
• What is a symmetrical family?

  A family structure where roles and responsibilities are shared equally between partners.
• Evaluation of Young + Wilmott

  • recognises the changes in family and the effect it has on women
  • feminists argue that there is now a dual burden on women as they have to work and look after the children
• Why did monogamous marriages emerge?

  • Men wanted to protect their property and make sure there was a rightful heir and equal distribution.
• What are the functions of a family according to Zaretsky?

  1 - Socialising children into the next workers

  2 - Managing workers' resentment

  3 - Family as a unit of economic consumption
• Weaknesses of Zaretsky

  • Fails to consider that some w/c families actually resist this ideology and do not teach their children how to be submissive to the u/c
  • Some families are actually comfortable with their life so do not see the need to speak up about it and manage their children's resentment
• what do feminists believe about the nuclear family?

  • the nuclear family has a negative effect on women
• What do marxist feminists believe about the nuclear family?

  • Believe that men only benefit from the exploitation of women through domestic labour
  • Say ideological construct is the main form of oppression to women
  • Benston - says bourgeoise take advantage of the women's nurturing role as they are raising the next generation of workers
• Criticisms of Marxist feminism towards family

  • Ignores the fact that the nuclear family also benefits women. Many women choose to be housewives and to look after their children as the main role - they are not forced. The family does not only benefit men
  • the structure of family used for this theory is outdated. It was based on economically dependent housewives but now women are more career orientated.
• Criticisms of radical feminism towards family

  • Sommerville and Hakim argue that men taking advantage of women is exaggerated and most relationships are built on love and trust.
  • Hakim argues that some women choose to be housewives and are not forced into doing all the work. Should not judge or assume they are being forced
• What do liberal feminists believe about the family?

  - Believe that institutions spread the inequalities rather then the men and that the biogenetic differences theory is misunderstood.

  • Oakley believes that it is due to GENDER ROLE SOCIALISATION that the women are exploited in the family. When raised, there are separate roles and toys given to boys and girls which stays with them until they have started their own family. This is patriarchal discrimination
• What changes helped with the role of women?

  1 - Social and economic change - more job opportunities for women led to them becoming less economically dependant on husbands. (HELEN WILKINSON)

  2 - Political and legal change - IVF, job opportunities, more rights for women
• Criticisms of liberal feminism on the family -

  • it is a rather cosy view and is based on white m/c women so cannot be generalised
  • Corsaro - not enough evidence of gender role socialisation with toys