Key Sociological Perspectives on Family and Gender Roles

Functionalism

Parsons (1955): Instrumental (men) & expressive (women) roles are biologically natural.

March of Progress View

Bott (1957) found a shift from segregated (separate) to joint (shared) conjugal roles.

Symmetrical Family

Young & Willmott (1973) saw a trend towards equality due to feminism & technology.

Paid Work & Equality

Sullivan (2000) found men now take on 'women's tasks.'

Inequality Persists

Oakley (1974) found no evidence of symmetry—men only 'help.'

Women's Responsibility

Boulton (1983) and Oates (2016) found women take responsibility for children's welfare.

Dual Burden

Ferri & Smith (1996) - women do paid & domestic work.

Triple Shift

Duncombe & Marsden (1995) - work, housework & emotional work.

Cultural Explanation

Gershuny (1994) - as women work full-time, social norms change.

Economic Explanation

Ramos (2003) - when women are main earners, domestic work becomes equal.

Freedom from Gender Scripts

Dunne (1999) - heterosexuals are socialised into traditional gender roles, same-sex couples divide tasks equally.

Who Controls Money?

Pahl & Vogler (1993) - men earn more, so they control financial resources.

Two Systems

Allowance system (men give wives money), pooling (joint bank accounts).

Pooling Isn't Equal

Vogler (1994) - even when pooling, men make decisions.

Decision Making Power

Edgell (1980) - important decisions made by men, minor decisions by women.

Material vs Cultural Explanation

Men earn more (material), socialisation gives men more authority (cultural).

Money's Meaning Differs

Smart (2007) - same-sex couples see money control differently, rejecting 'heterosexual baggage.'

British Crime Survey

6.6 million assaults per year, ¼ of women affected.

Yearnshire (1997)

Women suffer 35 assaults before reporting.

Patriarchal Control

Dobash & Dobash - men use violence when authority is challenged.

State Fails Women

The law doesn't take domestic violence seriously.

Economic Stress

Wilkinson & Pickett (2010) - low-income stress increases domestic violence.

Marxist Feminism

Ansley (1972) - men's frustration at work leads to violence against wives.

Children Seen Differently in Other Cultures

Benedict (1934) - children in non-industrial societies take on adult roles early.

A Separate Stage

Pilcher (1995) - childhood is distinct from adulthood.

No Childhood in Medieval Times

Aries (1960) - children were 'mini adults.'

Modern Childhood Emerged

13th century - children became seen as special and needed nurturing.

Childhood is Disappearing?

Yes: Postman (1994) - TV culture blurs child-adult differences.

Childhood Culture Still Exists

No: Opie (1993) - childhood culture still exists (e.g., games, jokes).

Still a Separate Status

Jenks (2005) - childhood exists to prepare children for adulthood.

March of Progress View

Children's Lives Have Improved: Aries & Shorter - child-centred society, better healthcare & education.

Toxic Childhood (Criticism)

Palmer (2006) - technology & culture harm childhood (junk food, gaming, advertising).

Evidence of Toxic Childhood

UNICEF (2007) ranked UK 21st out of 25 for child well-being.

Conflict View (Criticism)

Childhood Inequality: Feminists & Marxists - gender (girls do more housework), ethnicity (Asian parents stricter on girls), and class (poor children die younger).

Adult Domination

Firestone (1979) - protection laws oppress children.

Age Patriarchy

Adult Control Over Children: Gittins (1998) - adults restrict children's space, time, and economic independence.

Resistance

Hockey & James (1993) - children try to act older (e.g., smoking).

Functionalism

Murdock: Four functions—sexual regulation, reproduction, socialisation, economic support.

Criticism of Functionalism

Ignores conflict (Marxists & Feminists), assumes nuclear family is universal.

Parsons' View

Nuclear family suits modern society due to geographical & social mobility.

Criticism of Parsons

Young & Willmott (1973) - pre-industrial family was nuclear, not extended.

Marxism

Family Supports Capitalism: Engels - inheritance keeps wealth in bourgeoisie hands.

Safe Haven from Capitalism?

Zaretsky (1976) - family is an illusion of security.

Criticism of Marxism

Ignores gender oppression (Feminists), underestimates benefits of family (Functionalists).

Feminism

Liberal: Gender inequality is improving.

Marxist Feminism

Women reproduce the workforce & absorb men's anger.

Radical Feminism

Men benefit from unpaid labour and use violence to dominate women.

Criticism of Feminism

Assumes nuclear family is dominant, ignores women's agency.

Birth Rate Decline

Women's Changing Roles: Harper - low fertility becomes the norm.

Infant Mortality Rate Falls

Better healthcare & sanitation.

Children as Economic Liability

Child labour banned, education mandatory.

Ageing Population

Longer Life Expectancy: Improved healthcare.

Higher Dependency Ratio

More retirees, fewer workers to support them.

Policy Issues

Hirsch (2005) - need new strategies like higher retirement age.

Decline of Marriage

Changing Attitudes & Secularisation: Wilson (1982) - less religious pressure.

Higher Expectations

Fletcher (1966) - people want 'movie love,' not duty.

Cohabitation

Rising Numbers: Coast (2006) - 75% of cohabiting couples expect to marry.

Chester's View on Cohabitation

Most cohabiting couples follow the 'neo-conventional' family model.

Same-Sex Relationships

Greater Acceptance: Weeks (1999) - legal changes in adoption (2005) & marriage (2014).

Functionalist View on Family Policy

Policies Help Families: NHS, education, child protection.

Criticism of Functionalist View

Not all policies benefit families equally.

New Right View

Traditional Family is Best: Murray (1984) - welfare state creates 'dependency culture.'

Criticism of New Right View

Benefits are low, single parents don't choose poverty.

Feminist View on Family Policy

Policies Reinforce Patriarchy: Land (1978) - maternity leave assumes women are primary carers.

Criticism of Feminist View

Some policies improve gender equality (e.g., rape laws).

Postmodernist View

Diversity is Good: Rapoports - society now has multiple family types.

Criticism of Postmodernist View

Overlooks restrictions on choices (e.g., economic barriers).