sociology family

Parsons functional fit theory

Family adapts to the needs of society

During in agricultural revolution families were extended and supported each other

Industrial revolution increase in nuclear family extended family left behind due to lack of geographical mobility

Stabilisation of adult personalities parsons

warm bath theory when a man comes home from work he could relax and therefore not stress about work and be refreshed for the next day

Parsons primary socialisations

Installs key morals and values to be a functioning member of society

Parsons biological roles

Men are instrumental roles

Women expressive roles

parsons criticisms legislation

Women are now encouraged into work more through the equal pay act and sex discrimination act

Parsons criticisms biological roles

Men are equally capable to look after children and women are equally capable to discipline children

Murdock 4 main functions sex drive

Stable satisfaction of the sex drive ensure there is no adultery

Murdock 4 main functions educational

The transmission of norms and values

Murdock 4 main values economic

Meeting economic needs of family providing for family keeps a stable economy

Murdock 4 main functions reproductive

Reproduces the next labour force

Murdock critics rose tinted view

Ignores the dark side of the family ¼ women suffer from domestic abuse

Murdock critics united other families

Families such as extended families cans person these 4 functions

New right single parents Morgan

Believe they are everything wrong with society

Morgan’s states they breed delinquents

Morgan evidence new right

Over ½ of Uk prisoners have been through the care systems

Evaluations of Morgan new right view

Only 1% of teenagers are single parents

Most single mothers are in paid work

¼ families are single parent families

Underclass Murray

States that state dependence has increased due to increase in single mothers

What does the new right state about the breakdown of nuclear family

Has led to inadequate socialisation

Portillio new right view

Teenage mothers rarely able to gain a full education or develop a career

what is canalisation

The process by which parents and society direct specific behaviours and interest such as different toys and activities gender appropriate

What is verbal appellation

The way indubitable are addressed or referred by using language that reflects their norms of their gender

Boys will be boys

Women’s access to cultural capital due to family

Work part time so can’t move up

Friendships are focused on reinforcing expressive roles

Ansley takers of shit

Men who are frustrated by their lack of power in the workplace require the control at home to except their dominance

Duncombe and marsden women triple shift

Women have to now take care of emotional work, caregiving and employment

How does the triple shift impact women

They don’t receive gratitude for emotional work whereas men do

Therefore creating emotional loneliness

How many calls are received about domestic abuse daily

Over 100

How domestic abuse is reported

Only 18%

Liberal feminist views

They have improved legally through abortion act and sexual discrimination act progress has been made

Liberal feminist evaluations

Social policy can be revoked such as abortion rights in America

Marxist feminist views

Main case of women’s oppression is not men but the capitalist system as they reproduce the next labour force and women act as a reserve army

Marxist feminist evaluations

too capitalist focused don’t focus on the patriarchy

Radical feminists views

Greer believe in political lesbianism and seperatism the only way women will have freedom is by getting rid of the male race

Radical feminist evaluations

Somerville argues they fail to recognise improvements made

they fail to recognise that some women like being in relationships with men this is denying women’s choice

Difference feminist views

You cannot generalise women’s experiences it Varys due to class, race and ethnicity

Black women vote the family as a source of support

Difference feminist evaluations

They neglect the fact that women do have shared experiences by breaking it down the feminist movement isn’t as powerful

Althusser views of family

Family is a way to maintain and reinforce a set of ideas which maintain the capitalist society and ISA

Taught to obey authority

Engles view of family

Marriage and inheritance roles mean that the ruling class stay wealthy and dominant

Wealth is kept in the family

Engles evaluations

Uk inheritance tax of 40% if it’s over £300,000

Zaretsky view of the family

Supports capitalism by providing unpaid labour through women and unit of consumption through pester power creating false needs to by from the ruling class

Family false class consciousness

Family cushions the effects of oppressions by allowing individuals to be frustrated with capitalism in a non treating way not likely to revolt as they calm down through the family

Marxist evaluations functionalist

Argue Marxist ignore family provides primary socialisations and emotional support

Marxist evaluations

The nuclear family only makes up ½ of families now

Postmodernist view of family

We have agency when creating our family relationships

Postmodernist view of family example

Women can choose to become single parents this may be beneficial as she is getting out of a toxic relationship being empowered

New right criticism of postmodernists

Single parents are what’s wrong with society

Smart donor conceived children

argues social relationships more important than genetic ties

There has been break down replaced by personalised relationships

Argues family life shaped by personal connections

Weaknesses of postmodernism

Same sex parents would still choose to reproduce biologically

Some may want nuclear families

Strengths of postmodernism

Challenges functionalist assumptions that all members benefit from the family

Shows how people construct their families and relationships within

Bott separate conjugal roles

Male and females have separate roles

Leisure time is not spent together

Bott joint conjugal roles

Couples share domestic tasks

Spend leisure time together

Wilmott and young separate roles

Found men were breadwinner

Men dominated decision making

Men spent more time with other men than family

Women often experienced domestic violence

Women reliant on men’s income

Wilmott and young march of progress

Joint conjugal roles increased

Women were now in work

Men now helped with housework

Couples spent more time together

Why did the march of progress happen

Due to labour saving devices

Legislation empowering women

Statistics shows Mens activity in the home

8x more childcare since the 1970s

25% more likely to take time of work to look after children

Oakley match of progress criticisms

Found only 15% of husband did high levels of housework

70% dissatisfied with the condition of housework

Men exaggerated the amount they did

Craig criticisms of march of progress

Women do over 50% more housework than men

Edgell gender decisions

Men make the very important financial decisions

Important financial decisions are joint

Small decisions made by women

Dunne gender scripts

These are the traditional gender norma between heterosexual couples match the patriarchal society

Gender scripts criticisms

Lesbians found that relations ships are more symmetrical

Gender scripts capitalism

The partner with the greater work spent times on domestic work suggests it may capitalism that’s causing asymmetrical families

Modernism view of family diversity

Life was predictable had a clear identity and firm beliefs through rigid socialisations into gender roles

Modernism family diversity examples

Women would give up paid work when married get married have children and meet their husband needs

Postmodern views of family diversity

A lack of structures pick n mix society you can be who you want

Postmodern examples of family diversity

Emergence of stay at home fathers who may engage in feminine roles and women who play the instrumental role

Beck negotiated families

Families are reflective to what’s going on in society

Beck negotiated families examples

Due to gender equality both partners spend more time building careers and less time trying to make a relationship work

Risk consciousness

People are less willing to get married

1 in 2 marriages end in divorce

Chester neo conventional families

The biggest change to families is the neo families which mean both spouses go to work

Chester nuclear families

Nuclear family is still the most desirable and while people may move in and out of family types usually come back to nuclear family

Chester reconstituted family

Extremely similar to the nuclear family

Chester criticism

New right and functionalist exaggerate the increase in family diversity

Rapport cultural family diverse causes

cultural differences in families for example Chinese families usually only have one child

Rapport life course diverse family causes

Different stages may have different divisions of labour

Newly married couples more equal than those who have children due to triple shift

Rapport organisational diverse family causes

Different divisions of labour within the home and paid work

Symmetrical families, dual income, single parent

Rapport social class family diverse causes

More equal in middle class than working class

divorce reform act 1969

Increased family diversity through single parent families, reconstituted and empowered women

Availability of contraception 1967

Controlled fertility, reduced family size and fertility levels

same sec marriage 2014

Increased family diversity 15% of gay couples are married

China population 1979-2015

One child rule

Compulsory education 1944

March of progress for women as it provided them with skills for future careers

The NHS job roles

Paid professional roles that empowered women instrumentally

Nursing and midwifery

The equal pay act

Allowed women to be more instrumental

functionalist view on social policy fletcher

Policy on health and education allows the family to function better

Feminist view on socail policy

Reinforces the patriarchy such as maternity leave is much longer than paternity leave

Marxist view on social policy

Protects the interests of the bourgeoisie

Child benefits limited to 2 children

The uk familistic gender regimes

Refers to policies based on the division of labour such as 10 days of paternity leave and 39 weeks of maternity leave

Swedish gender regimes

Maternity and paternity share 68 weeks

Conservative government policy

Section 28

Prevented the Promotion of homosexuality

Schools could not teach about it

Lost people there jobs

Conservative policies

Child support agency

Ensured absent fathers paid maintenance for upbringing of children

Meant less reliance on benefits and better role models for children

Married men tax allowance

Allowed married men more tax free money than single men encouraging nuclear family

New labour policies paid paternity leave

From 2003 men were able to get 2 weeks paid paternity leave

New labour policies Sure start and education maintenance allowance

Aimed at tackling social class inequalities through assisting re education