family theorists

• Murdock


  Functionalist

  4 functions of the family

  Sexual

  Reproduction

  Education

  Economic
• Parsons


  Functionalist

  Warm bath theory

  when a man comes home from a busy day of work, his family provides him with stress relief and relaxation; just as a warm bath would
• Parsons


  Functionalist Fit thesis/ industrialisation

  each family is created to 'fit' the society at the time
• Zaretsky


  Marxist

  Family as a unit of consumption,

  family consume product by bourgeoisie
• Engels


  Marxist- inheritance of property, fathers wanted sons as heirs to their business.

  reproduces class inequality
• Althusser


  Ideological state apparatus

  the nuclear family teachers its members to accept imbalances of power in society
• Ansley


  marxist feminist - Women are takers of shit
• Benston


  Marxist feminist -reserve army of labour

  women are usually in low paid jobs, easily replaceable and employers maintain low wages

  e.g cleaning, clerical, catering, caring, cashiering
• Oakley


  feminist - dual burden

  found women still did most of the housework even thought both partners were employed

  men still resisted doing housework
• Duncombe and Marsden


  feminist

  Triple shift

  1 emotional work

  2 domestic work

  3 paid work

  women do all three
• poulantzas


  marxist - ideological functions

  family is a part of the ISA, control and create values to support capitalism
• ferri & smith


  feminists- found women had little impact on division of labour
• Greer


  Radical feminist - argues for a matrilocal household - having heterosexual relationships is 'sleeping with the enemy
• somerville


  Liberal feminist - legal changes improved women's position, but there is a cultural lag - it will eventually catch up
• young, wilmott and laslett


  marxists- argue parsons theory

  the most common family form in the pre-industrial communities he studied was not the extended family but the nuclear family.