Family and Households

• what do functionalists believe the family is like for society?

  The family is a vital organ maintaining the body of society (Organic Analogy)
• Functions of the family according to Functionalist Murdock


  • Sexual
  • Reproduction
  • Socialization
  • Economic
• Parsons' functions of the family

  • Social socialization
  • Stabilization of adult personalities
• Marxism


  The family performs essential functions for society which benefit the bourgeoisie and the economy but disadvantage the proletariat
• Marxist functions of the family

  • Inheritance of wealth
  • Cushioning effect
  • Unit of consumption
• Feminism


  The family has harmful effects on women due to gender inequality
• Feminist perspectives on the family

  • Liberal feminism - culture and norms reinforced by family
  • Marxist feminism - exploitation of women central to capitalism
  • Radical feminism - family is a patriarchal institution
• Post-modernism


  People have more choice in relationships and families, leading to more diversity
• Post-modern family trends


  • Pure relationships
  • Cohabitation
  • Serial monogamy
  • Single mothers
  • Lone parent families
  • Divorce extended families
• Sociology of personal life

  The family is not in decline, it is just more diverse and complex than before
• Functionalism sees the family as good because it helps society function more efficiently
• New Right policies undermine the self-reliance of the family, leading to an 'underclass'
• Marxist policies provide ideological legitimation of capitalism
• Liberal feminism led to greater gender equality
• Radical feminism sees gender inequalities as needing more than just policy changes
• Conservative reform 1979-1997


  1. Reduced state control over lives

  2. Increased individual responsibility
• New Labour 1997-2010


  1. Supported diverse family types

  2. Introduced financial support and advice for families
• Coalition 2010-2015


  1. Aimed to reduce family breakdown

  2. Focused on domestic violence disclosure

  3. Introduced welfare reforms like Universal Credit and Bedroom Tax
• 2013 saw the legalisation of gay marriage
• 2014 Children and Families Act protected vulnerable children and gave more rights over parental leave
• Causes of family diversity

  • Cultural
  • Life course
  • Organizational
  • Generational
  • Class
• Factors leading to family diversity

  • Changing patterns (more divorce, cohabitation)
  • Increased use of sperm donors
  • Post-modernization
  • Economic factors
  • Changing gender roles
• Parsons' functional fit theory


  The family changes its functions to suit the changing needs of society
• Murray's new right view

  The nuclear family is under threat due to social policies
• Post-modernist view


  Diversity is the new norm, people have more freedom in relationships
• Chester's neo-conventional family


  Couples are dual earners, with more equal and democratic gender roles
• Women's participation in the workforce has increased by 14% from 1971 to 2013
• Even in dual career families, women still have major responsibility for domestic tasks
• Becoming a mother negatively impacts women's job prospects
• The 'triple shift' of work, housework and childcare can lead to depression and loneliness in women
• Perspectives on causes of domestic violence

  • Radical feminism - marriage legitimises violence against women
  • New Right - only occurs in dysfunctional working class families
  • Post-modernist - caused by emotional intensity and isolation of nuclear families
  • Marxist feminism - result of stress from social inequalities
• Women are provoked by challenges to their authority, so with the increase in their role in the family they feel they have more confidence to stand up to their husbands, which traditionally men do not like
• Many men still have a very traditional view that they are the man of the house and should not be challenged
• The new right view is that domestic abuse and domestic violence only occur in dysfunctional families, but they've focused it more on the actual working class families
• Postmodernist and Giddens argue that domestic violence is caused by the emotional intensity of family life and the increasing isolation of nuclear families
• Marxist feminists like Wilkinson see domestic violence as a result of stress caused by social inequalities due to capitalism and the demands of work
• Causes of trends in marriage, cohabitation and divorce include changing roles of women, secularization, legal changes, and economic and postmodern reasons
• Positive impacts of these changes include greater gender equality, but the family is still very important for child development
• The total fertility rate has decreased from 1900 to 2012, due to increased availability of contraception, more women in education, and reduced infant mortality
• The decrease in fertility rates leads to a reduction in the labor force, an increasing dependency ratio, and impacts on capitalism