Sociology:family

• parsons is a functionalist who focused on middle class nuclear family
• Functionalist perspective


  Consensus theory
• parsons argued that over time the family has lost some of its functions with are now performed by other agencies
• Instrumental role of the father


  Men are suited to this role as breadwinner and provider for family's physical needs
• Expressive role of the mother

  Women are suited to this role as carer and nurturer, providing for emotional needs
• Conflict theorists


  Are critical as it presents an idealised picture of the nuclear family and ignores the dark side of family life
• Zaretsky 1976


  Marxist perspective-Conflict perspective
• Capitalism has created an illusion that the economy is separate from the 'private life' of the family
• The family is unable to provide psychological and social needs of the individual: 'it...cannot meet the pressures of being the only refuge in a brutal society because it perpetuates the capitalist system'
• Ways the family supports the capitalist economy

  • Relies on the housewife role as unpaid labour and reproducing the next generation of workers
  • Acts as an vital unit of consumption
• Only socialism will end the artificial separation of family and public life, making personal fulfilment possible
• The family buys products which keeps businesses making money by making families consume and buy products
• Aspects of family diversity

  • Cultural - values and beliefs
  • Life course-stage in life cycle
  • Organisational-e.g. divisions of domestic labour
  • Generational/Cohort-period in history
  • Social Class-e.g. how social class affects resources etc
• Rapoport and Rapoport looked at secondary sources and argued that family diversity now exists in society and that there isn't one type of family anymore
• Life course analysis supports this research as they argue that over the course of an individuals life they will experience several family and household structures
• feminists argue that women are oppressed by patriarchy which is maintained through the family.
• functionalists believe that the family has functions such as socialisation, emotional support and reproduction.
• Ann Oakley


  1982
• Feminist perspective (liberal)


  Conflict theory
• Delphy and Leonard


  Sociologists who focus on the unpaid aspect of housework (e.g. cooking, cleaning etc)
• Delphy and Leonard's view of the family


  • Based on a hierarchy with the husband at the top and making most of the decisions
  • Husband earns money, wife works in the household but earns no money for doing so
  • Even when women have well paid, full time jobs, they still do most of the childcare
• Feminists


  Delphy and Leonard argue men use and benefit from the unpaid work of women within families
• Delphy and Leonard's view of wives


  • Exploited because the way their labour is used by their husbands
  • Their work not being valued
  • Their financial dependence on their husbands
  • Their lower position in the family
• Patriarchal family


  Men hold the most power
• Delphy and Leonard used secondary data to come to these conclusions
• delphy and Leonards thought that These roles are biological
• These roles benefit the family as the needs of the family are met
• parsons

  the family performs 2 function:

  • primary socialisation
  • stabilisation of adult personalities( helping them deal with stress)
• Conjugal roles are the roles of married or cohabiting partners
• There are 2 types of conjugal roles

  • segregated conjugal roles= tasks are divided into major and female, separate interests and friends
  • joint conjugal roles=tasks are shared and the husband and wife share leisure time together
• During early 20th century conjugal roles were segregated and unequal
• zarersky was a Marxist who argued the modern family gives people the idea they have a safe haven that meets there needs away form work
• However zaretsky argues the safe haven is a myth
• Zaretsky-alienation


  May make individuals feel better in harsh capitalist world but it is unable to fix the harm caused by alienations
• Alienation 


  The feeling of fustration caused by capitalism as workers have a lack of control over their work and what they create
• Zaretsky 


  He see the family as benefiting the capitalist system
• Zaretsky 


  He sees the family as a unit of consumption eg the family buys goods which creates profits for the rich:)