Sociologists - Theories of the family

Murdock

• functionalism

• family has 4 functions

  • stable satisfaction of the sex drive

  • reproduction of the next generation

  • socialisation of the young

  • meetings its members economic needs e.g. food and shelter

Parsons

• functionalism

• functional fit theory

  • type of family changes to fit the needs of the society it is in

    • pre-industrial society — extended family

    • industrial society — nuclear family

• expressive (women) and instrumental (men) roles

• the family performs 2 functions

  • primary socialisation of children

  • stabilisation of adults

Engels

• marxist

• believed that the family was created for the rich to stay rich

• when people started to own property, the rich men wanted to pass their property onto their children

  • ensured the wealth could be kept within the family

• men wanted to know who their children was so they made the women stay loyal to them

  • led to the nuclear family

Zaretsky

• marxist

• family acts as a “safe haven” from the harsh exploitative world of capitalism

  • they feel loved and cared for by the family - helps them cope with stress - will then go back to work the next day

• unit of consumption

  • families are encouraged to buy products e.g. clothes, toys etc

  • helps create profit for businesses

Althuser

• marxist

• ideological state apparatus - controls people by shaping their ideas and beliefs

  • made up of things like the family, education, religion etc

  • it teaches people to accept inequality

  • makes people believe capitalism is normal

  • e.g. school teaches you to follow and respect authority

Oakley

• feminist

• dual burden - women have to do both the housework and be in employment

• criticised Young and Willmot “march of progress” view

Fran Ansley

• feminist

• “women are the takers of shit”

• argues that domestic violence is because of capitalism - male workers are exploited in work so they take their frustration out on their wives

Greer

• feminist

• supported the idea of political lesbianism

  • the idea that heterosexual relationships are inevitably oppressive because it involves “sleeping with the enemy”

Jenny Sommerville

• liberal feminist

• states that radical feminist fails to recognise that women’s position has improved considerably

  • e.g. better access to divorce, better job opportunities etc

Carol Smart

• personal life perspective

• believes that family is more than just blood ties e.g. fictive kin (people who are treated like family but are not blood related), friends etc