Sociology: Families and Households

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  • Created on: 14-12-16 17:17

Functionalism

consensus theory that views the family as a key factor in a functioning society. Murdock:  Functions of the Family – 4 Functions – The family performs 4 functions within a society: 

  • Socialisation/Education of the Young – Teaching children skills and knowledge before they start school.
  • Economic  The family clothes and feeds the children to meet their needs.
  • Reproduction of the Next Generation  The family produces the next generation to keep society going.
  • Stable Satisfaction of the Sex Drive  Teaching what is appropriate and when.

This is criticised by Feminists as Murdock assumes it is a patriarchal nuclear family that oppresses women. Murdock is also criticised for having a “rose-tinted” view, ignoring family diversity and assuming other societies could not perform these functions as effectively.

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Functionalism:Parsons

Parsons: Industrialisation – Functional Fit Theory – Family type moved from extended to nuclear as this allowed it to be geographically mobile and so able to move to where work was available. This created a division of labour; the expressive role and the instrumental role.Laslett and Anderson (Anthropologists) used censuses to determine that the extended family has in fact become more popular post-industrialisation and it was the nuclear family that allowed industrialisation to happen.                                     Functions of the Family – 2 Irreducible Functions and the Warm Bath Theory – The family has lost many functions in a modern society but still maintains 2 ‘irreducible functions’:

  • Primary Socialisation of Children  Teaching the young what is morally right and wrong.
  • Stabilisation of Adult Personalities – The family creates a relaxing environment for the male worker so they can continue to contribute to the economy.

This is done through the Warm Bath Theory which suggests the family acts as a valve to release the tension the male worker will have built up; allowing them to return to work the next day, refreshed and willing to contribute to the economy. Zaretsky (Marxist) suggests that actually, the Warm Bath Theory shields the male worker from the harsh reality and oppression of capitalism. Feminists would also disagree as it assumes the breadwinner is always the male.

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Functionalism: wilmott&young

Wilmott and Young:

Family Diversity – The Symmetrical Family – They used questionnaires and determined that the division of labour between man and wife has become equal; both the men and women will do housework and make decisions about how to ‘run’ the family. Oakley (Radical Feminist) believes this methodology is inadequate as the questions allow for a false representation; what one classes as housework the other may not.

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Marxism:Engels

Marxism

conflict theory that views the (nuclear) family as a means of maintaining capitalism.

Engels:

Functions of the Family – Sustaining the Bourgeouisie – Families help keep the bourgeoisie (the ruling minority) rich and the proletariat (working majority) poor as property and money can be passed on through inheritance. This then serves the needs of and benefits capitalism.

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Marxism:Zaretsky

Zaretsky:

Functions of the Family – The Warm Bath Theory – The family acts a safety valve that helps the male worker to release tension he has built up at work. This shields him from the oppression of capitalism and helps him cope with the harsh reality of it; allowing him to continue working and therefore further fuel capitalism. This also creates the illusion that the family is separate from society. 

Feminists would argue that this is a sexist view as he presumes the worker is always male and the housewife is always female. Parsons(Functionalist) would also disagree as he believes the Warm Bath Theory helps the economy of the society.

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Postmodernism:Giddens, Bauman

Postmodernism is all about choice, they believe there are no overarching explanations for society.

Giddens:

Modernity  A postmodern society is a capitalist one that has industrialism, a government with CCTV and a centralised control of military power as well as being greatly influenced by the media.

Bauman:

Choice  A postmodern society has a range of lifestyles to choose from which can often cause uncertainty as to what to try.

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Postmodernism:Postman

Postman:

Childhood – The Disappearance of Childhood – Traditional childhoods are now under threat as a result of overexposure to the media; children are becoming more like adults. Reasons for this include:

  • Crimes by and Against Children – They are no longer seen as beings of innocence to be preserved.
  • Sexual Activities at Younger Ages – Sex is thought to be an ‘adult activity’ but is no occurring at younger ages; blurring the boundary between childhood and adulthood.
  • Lack of Differential Clothing – Clothing items once thought to belong to certain age groups can now be found in any e.g. grown men wear sneakers and young girls wear high heels.
  • Literacy – The ability to read and write was once confined to adults but now children are taught are young ages; giving them access “adult secrets”.
  • Postman believes this has sent us back to a time of barbarism, when children were unprotected from the adult world.
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Postmodernism:Rappoports

The Rappoports:

Family Diversity – The 5 Types of Diversity – There are 5 types of family diversity that can be observed within society and around the world and help to make us more accepting of others: 

  • Organisational Diversity – How the family is structured and the roles given to each member.
  • Class Diversity – The level of income a family has impacts upon childrearing practices.
  • Cultural Diversity – The ethnicity and background of the family will change how it is structured, e.g. Jamaican families tend to be female-headed.
  • Life-Stage Diversity – The point you are at in your life will determine the family type you are in.
  • Generational Diversity – The historic periods you have lived through will alter what you deem as an acceptable family.
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The New Right:Thatcher

The New Right is a conservative political party that hold strong right-wing views (i.e. family diversity is bad). They believe social policies have made us dependent on the Welfare State.

Thatcher:

Reduction In Welfare State Dependency  In 1948 Labour created the Welfare State which aimed to aid struggling families through the introduction of various social policies. When Margaret Thatcher was elected as Prime Minister in 1979 she cut tax benefits and industryin a bid to reduce the amount of state dependency (people relying on benefits as opposed to working).

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The New Right:Chester

Chester:

Family Diversity – The Neo-Conventional Family – Despite being a New Right thinker, Chester accepts family diversity but believes the extent of it has been exaggerated. He suggests that actually the only change is an introduction of the neo-conventional family;essentially a nuclear family where both the man and woman earn an income. 

This family type is still the aim for the majority of people with other family types being temporary states of being.

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Radical Feminism:Greer

Radical feminists believe that men are the sole cause of the oppression of women.

Greer:

Family Diversity – The Matrifocal Family - To be a wife is seen as a woman’s most important life role in society. Wives of political figures such as Prime Ministers promote the idea of inequality within a family as they appear at their husband’s side at formal occasions but rarely make contributions to the engagement. Greer believes we should have matrifocal families; families that are female-headed to function effectively. Wilmott and Young may criticise this as they believe the symmetrical family is a more effective and functional family structure.

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Radical Feminism:Oakley

Oakley:

Industrialisation – The Creation of the Housewife

In pre-industrialisation times there was no such thing as a housewife; everyone had to work in order to support one another. During industrialisation the roles of women didn’t change drastically but post-industrialisation saw the creation of the housewife. It was now thought that women should stay at home and perform domestic duties.

In a modern society however, women now have a choice as to whether they focus on being a wife or having a career.

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Marxist Feminist

Marxist Feminists believe the family oppresses women to benefit capitalism.

Benston:

Functions of the Family – Women’s Labour – Women reproduce the next generation’s workforce and their unpaid domestic labour and sexual services help maintain the emotion and physical fitness of the male workers. Wilmott and Young (fucntionalists) and Chester(New Right thinker) could criticise this for being sexist as she presumes the worker is always male. They also suggest that families have actually become more equal with a division of labour that is equal.

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Liberal Feminism

Liberal feminists believe we should strive for equality between men and women and acknowledge the progress that has been made towards achieving that goal.

Bott:

  • Family Diversity – Conjugal Roles – There are two types of roles the husband and wife may have within a family:
  • Joint Conjugal Roles – The duties performed are shared, both husband and wife make decisions etc.
  • Segregated Conjugal Roles – There is a division of labour, each member is responsible for certain tasks, e.g. the husband is in charge of finance.
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Miscellaneous

Aries (Historian):                                                                                            Industrialisation – Childhood and Industrialisation – What we view as a childhood today did not exist in pre-industrialisation times. Back then they were viewed as ‘little adults’,who took part in both the same work and play activities as adults.

Post-industrialisation saw the middle-class views towards children change (this was not true for the working class) and the infant mortality rate decreased as children were being treated differently. The 19th century saw the social construction of childhood when it was defined in 3 ways:

  • It was the Opposite of Adulthood – Children were now seen to need protection (20thCentury: Age of sexual consent was raised to 16).
  • The World of Adults and the World of Children should be Kept Separate – Home and schools were places for children, they were now banned from many adult places (e.g. pubs).
  • Children had Their Own Rights – They have the right to ‘happiness’.
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Miscellaneous

Hall:

Industrialisation – The Dual Burden – During industrialisation many women had families;this means they had to work alongside men as well as performing domestic duties, creating a “dual burden”.

Triple Shift:

In addition to the dual burden many believe women to have a triple shift of earning an income as well as performing domestic duties and providing emotional support for the members of the family.

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