•Educational- primary socialisation of children.                                  •Economic- meeting the members needs eg food/shelter.      •Reproductive- producing next generation                                   •Sexual- ensuring adults sex lives are stable/controlled

what are Murdock’s functions / roles of the family?

•Primary Socialisation- teaching children norms/values of closer society •Stabilisation Of Adult Personalities- preventing adults from acting dysfunctionally, provide emotional support. warm bath theory

what are Parsons’ two functions of the family?

the family is like a warm bath for the man. the idea that a man could rely on his family for emotional support so he’s destressed, relaxed and recharged for the next work day

the nuclear family is a married heterosexual couple with their dependent children. to functionalists it is the ideal family type

what is the nuclear family and how do functionists feel about it?

family functions and structure depend on the type of society they’re in

what is Parsons’ functional fit theory?

•rose tinted view of family, ignores dark side of family life eg dv/abuse  •feminists- family only benefits men, women as ‘takers of shit’ & triple shift  •outdated- assume men work and women are housewives & most families are the typical nuclear family                 •functions can be done by non-nuclear families or other institutions 

give 4 criticisms of the functionalist perspective of the family

the family is a unit of production- produces and socialises next gen of workers-  as well as a unit of consumption- buy expensive items like cars, houses, tvs etc & kids pester parents to buy things shown by media. overall family helps preserve capitalism & the bourgeoisie 

what is the family’s function according to Marxists?

to ensure wealth and property remain in the hands of the bougeoisie through inheritance. this is what brought about the patriarchal monogamous nuclear family.

what does Engels believe is the function of the family?

the family is a ‘haven’ for the man/worker and provides a space for him to relax, take out frustration over work and be in charge so can continue being passive and exploited in workplace, women again as ‘takers of shit’ 

what does Zaretsky believe is the function of the family?

•family (especially now) isn’t just about inheritance but things like love/support  •families have a very similar functions/structure in non-capitalist societies    •Zaretsky theory outdated- assumes only man works & ignores benefits other members may get from family    •assumes nuclear family is dominant in capitalist societies, ignores diff family types

give 4 criticisms of the marxist perspective of the family

the family maintains the patriarchy and exploits women

what do feminists believe is the function of the family?

womens oppression in family slowly overcome by legal changes eg divorce reform act and social changes eg norm of women working & men doing more domestic labour. 

what do liberal feminists think about the family?

•rad/marx fems argue little has changed, no big structural changes. •lib fems don’t challenge underlying causes of oppression- attitude/legal changes not not enough to bring equality

give a criticism of the liberal feminist view of the family

families are patriarchal & exploit women- men benefit from unpaid domestic labour of women. believe separatism & political lesbianism will solve this. 

what do radical feminists think about the family?

•lib fems argue rad fems ignore fact that womens position has improved significantly (job equality, divorce etc) •heterosexuality means no political lesbianism & probably no separatism 

give a criticism of the radical feminist view of the family

main cause if women’s oppression is capitalism not men. women absorb anger, reproduce workforce & are a reserve of cheap labour. family must be abolished at same time as socialist revolution.

what do marxist feminists think about the family?

•other fems believe main source of oppression is men not capitalism  

give a criticism of the marxist feminist view of the family

don’t generalise all womens’ experiences, accept some women benefit from family and some are victimised by it. eg. black feminists view fam as positive as source of support/resistance to racism

Sociological perspectives on the family

Flashcards

Sociological perspectives on the family

Flashcards