Family (THEORIES)
FUNCTIONALISM - general view.
Consensus view of family, arguing it plays a vital role in providing functions to meet the needs of society and its individual members.
FUNCTIONALISM - Organic Analogy
Human body made up of different parts that function together to maintain it. Functionalists believe society does same, in which it is made up of parts (eg. education, government, religion) that work together to maintain the system as a whole.
FUNCTIONALISM - Murdock
FOUR essential functions:
- Socialisation
- Satisfaction of economic needs
- Reproduction
- Stable satisfaction of the sex drive
FUNCTIONALISM - Parsons 'functional fit'
The functions of family depend on type of society they are in:
- Pre-industrial society = extended family, function of production and consumption.
- Modern society = nuclear family, function of mobility.
FUNCTIONALISM - Parsons
TWO family functions:
- Primary socialisation, learn basic skills and norms and values.
- Stabilisation of adult personalities, letting adults to relax so can go to work and be effective.
MARXISM - general view
Marxists take a conflict view of the family, arguing it helps maintain class inequalities.
MARXISM - Engels
The family exists so men can pass their private property onto their biological offspring, notably a son.
MARXISM - Zaretsky
There is a function of the family called ‘cult of private life’ - belief that we can only gain fulfilment from family life, distracting attention from exploitation.
MARXISM - Poulantzas
Nuclear families brainwashed into thinking capitalism is fair, teaching lower gens to conform with the capitalist system.
FEMINIST - liberal view
Agree with march of progress view - inequality becoming overcome through reform and policy change. Changing attitudes through socialisation and stereotypes.
FEMINIST - radical view
Family and marriage are key in a patriarchal society, men benefit from women’s unpaid domestic labour and sex, and dominate them through violence or the threat of it. The system needs to be overturned - with seperatism (woman live indipendently to men).
FEMINIST - marx fem view
Capitalism oppresses women most in the family by:
- Reproducing the labour force by women socialising them.
- Absorbing men's anger from being exploited at work.
- A reserve army of cheap labour, doing donestic role until needed.
NEW RIGHT - biologically based division of labour.
The division of labour between a male breadwinner and a female homemaker is natural and biologically determined.
NEW RIGHT - families should be self-reliant
Reliance on state welfare = dependency culture = undermine traditional gender roles.
Produces family breakdown and lone-parent families, results in social problems due to poor socialisation.
PERSONAL LIFE PERSPECTIVE - Carol Smart
Looks at relationships that individuals see as significant and gives a sense of identity, belonging and relatedness (pets, friends etc.). Family isnt fixed, or blood, social construct.
INTERACTIONIST - general view
Interactionists believe that structural approaches assume that the traditional nuclear family is the dominant type of family. This ignores the increased diversity of families today.