Functions of the family are to stabilise sex drive, reproduce, socialise and meet economic needs.
1 of 13
Talcott Parsons (1955)
Functionalism
‘Functional Fit Theory’ – the functions of the family change to serve the society it’s in.
'Warm Bath Theory’ - the husband would worry about money, etc. His family would act as a ’warm bath’ washing away his problems.
2 of 13
Zaretsky (1976)
Marxism
Furthered Parsons' 'Warm Bath Theory': The home is where the man can be the 'boss' so he would tolerate the powerlessness he felt at work.
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Friedrich Engels (1884)
Marxism
Primitive communism had no restriction on sexual relationships. Monogamy only became essential because of inheritance of property.
Family functions are: inheritance of property, ideological functions and a unit of consumption.
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Jenny Somerville (2000)
Liberal Feminism
Equality in relationships is helped by dual-earner households, however, some men refuse to take on their full share of responsibilities. A household without an adult male is not the solution.
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Fran Ansley (1972)
Marxist Feminism
Women absorb anger. Male partners are frustrated by the exploitation they experience and women are the victims of this. She says women are the “takers of sh*t”.
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Germaine Greer (2000)
Radical Feminism
Women shouldn't cut themselves off from men but they would be better off in matrilocal households where the only adults are female. (Separatism)
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Carol Smart
Personnal Life
‘Family’ is not only restricted to the nuclear family but can also be used to describe all sorts of relationships that individuals see as important and give them a sense of identity, relatedness and belonging.
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Charles Murray (1998)
New Right
Welfare policies have undermined the nuclear family by providing ‘perverse incentives’ to end marriages, etc. The welfare state has lead to ‘dependency culture’ in which an underclass of people live off benefits and have no aspiration to work.
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Judith Stacey (1998)
Post Modern
There is a new type of family “the divorce-extended family” where members are connected by divorce rather than marriage.
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Tamara Hareven (1978)
Post Modern
Advocates the approach of life course analysis, where sociologists should be more concerned about individual family members and the choices they make regarding family arrangements.
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Anthony Giddens (1992)
Late Modern
Relationships are characterised by 3 things: 1.Couples can define themselves and don't have to conform to gender roles. 2.The “Pure Relationship” where couples stay together because they are happy. 3.Relationships have become part of self-discovery.
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Ulrich Beck
Late Modern
We live in a ‘risk society’ where we have more choice, this has developed ‘risk consciousness’ where we spend time calculating risk and reward. The nuclear family has been undermined by equality and individualism. This has caused the 'Negotiated Family'.
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Other cards in this set
Card 2
Front
‘Functional Fit Theory’ – the functions of the family change to serve the society it’s in.
'Warm Bath Theory’ - the husband would worry about money, etc. His family would act as a ’warm bath’ washing away his problems.
Back
Talcott Parsons (1955)
Functionalism
Card 3
Front
Furthered Parsons' 'Warm Bath Theory': The home is where the man can be the 'boss' so he would tolerate the powerlessness he felt at work.
Back
Card 4
Front
Primitive communism had no restriction on sexual relationships. Monogamy only became essential because of inheritance of property.
Family functions are: inheritance of property, ideological functions and a unit of consumption.
Back
Card 5
Front
Equality in relationships is helped by dual-earner households, however, some men refuse to take on their full share of responsibilities. A household without an adult male is not the solution.
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